Choices 11-"It's in the Genes"
Author: Mystic25
Email: yellowrubberduck31@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Mr. Cameron, Mr. Eglee=THEM. Me= everyone else who ISN'T "them"
Rating: PG14 for imagery and cursing
Summary: A shooting in Southside Market sends Max to the hospital, where the Cales learn more about their son's advanced ability, and they aren't the only ones who find out.
A/N: The summary kinda sounds like "Harbor Lights" a lil bit huh? Well except for the son part, and the fact that in here Max is Mrs. Cale instead of Mrs. Eastwood. I thought it would be interesting to do a lil spin off of the ep in my universe. Also look for Alexis talking for the first time, think I got a good word planned, just have to wait and see.
A/N #2: Thanks to the reviewers who suggested I do something with Jess's ability. I was planning to anyway, and now is as good a time as any.
*****
Southside Market
Seattle
Saturday, February 16, 2020
"Hey girl, take it easy!" the young man was slammed against his stall in the dirty market place. "Not like anything happened"
Max Guevara Cale was not a happy woman "You want points for that shit?" she shoved him harder into the wooden enclosure. "Think you're so damn smart trying to lace produce with a little hyped up rock candy?" she had come here to pick up some fresh green, lettuce, bell peppers, both a rarity in this post-Pulse world. The kids were with her, and Jess had ripped a small section of lettuce off the head, being two and a half and hungry. He had tugged on
Max's leg, telling his mother that the food had "sand" on it.
Max had taken it from him, looking over the leaf. Dotted all around the edges were hard crystals of Meth. She had gotten royally pissed off then, thinking about what could have happened if her small son had gotten those drugs in his body.
"Money needs to be made girl" the stall owner argued.
Max inched closer to his face "If you would've hurt my son, you wouldn't have needed money where you would have gone" she let him go, and backed away. "Don't ever let me catch you being stupid again" she held out her hand to her son "Let's go baby"
She meandered her way through the stalls, searching for a legitimate place to buy produce. She finally stopped at the stall of a Vietnamese woman
"These are washed right?" Max turned over a bundle of spinach in her hand.
The young woman laughed "If you asking, if it has Meth, no. Jazz just tries to get extra money now and then"
Max held a lettuce head in her hand "Whatcha think guys?" she showed her children the green vegetable "Good deal?"
"Good mama" Jess answered, his speaking ability had gotten sharper, and he was able to pronounce words better.
Max smiled "Then we'll take it" she dug out her money while the shop keeper bagged her purchases "That's a quick witted little boy" the woman said of Jess "I have a two year old who only can say "down mama," and "hungry" she grinned "but I love him anyway"
Max smiled again "Thanks" she took the brown bag, sliding it into the canvas bag she brought to keep the rain from getting the food wet.
"Mommy?" Jess looked up when they started walking to the car.
"Yeah sweetie?" Max swung her hand a little to be able to see his face.
"What's P299?"
Max stopped walking then "Where did you see that?" rain dripped off her nose.
"Back there," Jess pointed an arm covered by a red hoodie behind them "with him"
Max turned to see that same stall keeper she had laid out standing a few feet behind her on the
dirty road. "Going somewhere?"
"Well ya know it's kind of RAINING slick, and I don't want my children to catch pneumonia or
anything"
The man didn't say anything, instead whipping out a gun, a silver plated Sig Sauer P299. "Not until we finish this"
Max stood defensively in front of her kids to shield them "Finish what? I thought I DID end it. I suggest you put the iron away before I change my mind"
"All I'm gonna change is your life's outcome" the gun cocked.
Max reacted purely on instinct, pushing her kids back to keep them out of the line of fire. Three rounds went off, then another two. Max managed to dodge them all, but one stray one was fired centimeters beside her 11 month old daughter, and that one she couldn't get away from.
*****
"MOMMY!" Jess was pulling at her frantically. "Mommy up please!"
Max heard her son's desperate yelling through her haze, and in the distance the sound of Lexi crying. The blood mingled with the rain as it slid down her glove. She pushed harder into the hole ripped in her calf, as she lay where she fell on the dirty asphalt.
"Mommy, please-" Jess started to tug at her. His brown eyes caught the sight of pain on her face.
The guy who had shot Max started to leave, when he was met with a human wall. "Hey boy, where
you headed to in such a hurry?"
The man looked at Alec "Need to get back to my stall man"
Alec glanced in back of him to all the commotion that was occurring "What's up there?" he soon got his answer, when he saw who it was. "Max" he said her name, grabbing the jerk by his collar "I see what we're doing now, well I don't swing that way" Alec threw him into a wall "I do things like this"
"Hey buddy, move for a sec" Alec gently slid Jess away "Max"
"Alec, that you?" Max gritted through her teeth
"No it's Peter at the Pearly Gates" Alec quipped lightly "Where'd you get hit?"
"Leg" Max moved her hand away briefly to show him "Don't know if it hit the femoral artery"
"Let's hope it didn't" Alec pressed his hands on top of Max's "I can stop the blood some with
the heat method, or do you want to wait for the guys in blue that someone has most likely
called already?"
"Don't care" Max spat out "Just don't let them see" she indicated her kids. She knew that it would scare them to see Alec trying to help her.
"Someone get these kids" Alec stated to the crowd around them, "I'm a field doctor for the army, and I don't want them to get scared watching me do this"
Ju-Yin Gong, an old friend of Max's stepped out of the crowd, pushing the stroller back to her, and holding Jess's hand "Mommy will be okay little one, you just need to let the man help her"
Jess was still crying, trying to pull away from Ju-Yin to get back to Max. "Momma!"
Alec shielded the flame from his lighter with his hand to keep it from going out by the rain. He heated up his switch blade in the fire, getting the blade hot enough to hiss from rain water contact "Okay Max, time suck it in" he pulled her hands away, and pressed the knife against her skin.
Max screamed when the metal made contact with her body, all the color going from her face.
"Max!" Alec stopped what he was doing. He leaned down closer to her face to check if she was still breathing. Thankfully she was, slow, but there. "Max" Alec tore off his jacket "You're going into shock so I'm going to insulate your body more" he set the navy blue jacket over her still form. Alec still talked to her, even though she was unconscious, because she still might be able to hear him, and he wanted her to know what was going on, it was a tactic learned at Manticore.
Alec was pushed aside when an EMS crew finally arrived at the open area market place. One medic
knelt next to Max's head "looks like we have a through and through near the femur. Jack, grab some gauze and start the O2" She started to shine her maglite in Max's eyes. "Ma'am, can you hear me? You know where you are? Can you tell me your name?" getting no answer she looked to Alec "What's her name sir?"
"Max" Alec notified "Max Cale"
"Are you her husband?"
Alec laughed at that statement "Fraid not, I just work with her"
The medic, whose nametag said "Carmen," placed an O2 mask on Max's face "Start it at 20 liters, and get out the back board"
Max started to come around as Carmen and her partner were moving her onto the backboard.
"Mrs. Cale?" Carmen spoke to Max "I'm Carmen Andrella, an EMT, do you remember what happened?"
Max nodded, her eyes half open. She looked to Alec, doing a set of signals with her hand.
"What's she doing?" Carmen was confused by Max's behavior. "Is that sign language?"
Alec rolled his eyes a bit "Lady if the woman was deaf, she wouldn't have answered your question." Alec paid attention to the signals Max was making with her left hand "She says some guy from the market shot her at close range with a small hand gun"
Carmen looked baffled "How did you know that?"
"Army training" Alec lied "Me and her were in the same squad"
Max rolled her eyes as best she could at Alec's explanation. She pulled the O2 mask off her face "Call Logan"
"Ma'am, you need to keep that on" the medic went to put the mask on her face, but Max grabbed her hand "Tell him what happened *breath* "Alec, or I'll lay ass when I get out"
"Don't worry," Alec reassured "I'll let Mr. Max know what went down"
"Stay with kids, until he gets there" Max breathed heavily.
"Aw, c'mon Maxie" Alec whined. "I already did you two favors today."
Max shot a death glare to him, placing the O2 mask back on her face.
"Hey, I'm kidding, relax" Alec held up his hand "I'm not that cruel. The little rugrats and I will see you at wherever the hell this tanker is going to"
The doors to the ambulance closed "Sir if you want to ride along-"
"Going to meet you there" Alec interrupted "She asked me to call her the husband"
"Okay, tell Mr. Cale that she is being taken to Metro Medical Center" Carmen informed,
climbing in the ambulance before it sped off.
*****
Foggle Towers
Max and Logan's apartment
"I don't understand what's taking so long" Asha stretched out more on the couch "She just said she was going to get vegetables"
"I know" Logan replied "Starting to get worried, Max is never this late getting back" he sliced another cucumber, adding it to the salad.
"I'm sure it's nothing really Logan" Asha looked from him to Zack, who was sitting on the arm of the couch she was at "The rain probably slowed her down"
"Maxie's never been slow in water" Zack argued, looking at her "Why would she have a prob with it now?"
"Calm down babe" Asha stated "I'm sure Max will come through that door any minute and make my idea get shot to hell"
Zack drank more of the scotch in his hand, glancing at his Fossil watch again. "I know my sister, and this isn't like her"
The phone in the kitchen rang. Logan picked up the cordless unit "Yeah?"
"Hey Logan, it's Alec" Alec spoke into his silver cell, leaning against one wall in the ER waiting area.
"What is it?" Logan sounded annoyed.
"Hey, I'm callin' for a good reason, need you to know that Max was shot at the Southside-"
"What?" Logan dropped the wooden spoon in his hand, splashing bright red spaghetti sauce on the
tile floor "Is she okay?"
"She got shot in the leg Logan, there was a lot of blood loss, but she was still alive when I left her."
"Great, thanks" Logan spat back "Where is she, Metro? And what about the kids?"
"Calm down man" Alec had to pull the cell from his ear because of the loud tone Logan was using "Yeah, she's at Metro, and your kids are fine. They're with me, but remember I'm a genetically enhanced transgenic soldier not a baby sitter"
"Just wait there for a little longer Alec, I'll make it in fifteen" Logan disconnected the call, staring into the face of Zack. "Max was shot"
"WHAT?" Zack's reaction was the same as Logan's "Was it?-"
"Alec didn't say, just told me it happened in Southside Market" Logan was hastily turning off the eyes on the stove so he wouldn't scorch the house. He jammed his body into his leather jacket, snatching his keys off the counter.
Zack pulled out the keys to his Vulcan, pulling on his own leather-riding jacket.
"No way" Asha snatched the keys from him "You and me take my car, it's raining"
"I'm not the fucking Witch of the West Asha, so what the hell difference does it make?" Zack snapped back like a pissed off drill sergeant.
Asha took his anger in strides "'Cause your sister was just shot Zack, and transgenic or not, you won't be able to concentrate on the road until you ram into it, so cut the crap, and lets go!" she could dish it out as well as her hot tempered X5 boyfriend. She grabbed her own Jeep Cherokee ignition key. "I can make to Metro in twelve minutes"
"Make it ten," Zack corrected, following her and Logan out the door at a fast pace.
*****
Metro Medical Center
OR Reception/Waiting Area
"Now backwards" Alec leaned more into the back of the plastic chair
"205483563443" Jess leaned on Alec's arm, his head in the crook of one elbow.
"Two for two" Alec showed Jess the numbers on his credit card "That's good" the little boy had just rattled off the sequence of numbers both forwards and backwards by only glancing at the card one time
Jess locked his eyes on him "When can I see mommy?" he gave Alec the famous look that he had inherited from Max.
"The doctors are making her feel better Jesse, they'll let you know when you can see her" Alec pocketed the card.
"Doctors hurt mommy before" Jess spoke of the time he and Max had been taken by White.
/Smart for his age/ Alec looked him right in the eye "These aren't the same people that hurt you and your mom before, they just want to help her"
When Lexi started to cry in her stroller, Jess climbed down from his seat and walked over to her "When Lexi cries, mommy sings to her" he peered at his little sister over the sides of the stroller.
"Sure she would be happy if you did now" Alec suggested "Since she's not here, go for it"
Jess touched his little sister, wiping off one tear with his hand, starting to sing a song that Max often sang to him and Alexis when they couldn't sleep, singing in a little boy's voice.
"Jack is in the corner, the dish is with the spoon,
the sheep is in the meadow, the cow is on the moon,
but I am here with you and I believe, there's no other place
I'd rather be, and a promise not to leave you is a promise
I can keep-"
He wasn't really singing the words, he was rather speaking them out loud "Mommy, come out
now" for all his intelligence, he was still two years old.
"Hey," Alec patted him on the back "She'll be fine," he reassured Jess who was now crying again.
The door to the waiting area opened "Jess" Logan's voice broke his crying.
"Daddy!" Jess climbed out of the chair and threw himself at his father. "Mommy got hurt real bad" now that he was in Logan's arms, he started to cry again.
"I know boy" Logan rubbed his son's back "Shh, it's okay" to Alec he asked, "Where is she?"
"Doctors took her up to surgery a few minutes after she got here to repair torn muscle." Alec
spoke these words just as Zack and Asha rounded the corner.
"Did anyone say anything?" Logan asked
"No" Alec replied, "Haven't heard any complaints about a transgenic solider in the OR yet, so I'm guessing Maxie's still safe."
"What the hell happened?" Zack spoke up next.
"Don't know myself," Alec answered, "All I got was that some strung out little punk squeezed some off at her, and one of them stuck. It wasn't any of the Black Helicopter people, just local a street thug looking for a sale"
A doctor in green surgical scrubs stepped through the door "Which one of you is here for Max Cale?"
"We all are" Zack stood up straighter, staring down the doctor like an adversary.
"You the husband?"
"No," Logan corrected, "I am, he's her brother" and added more importantly "How is she?"
"The bullet missed her femoral artery by half a centimeter, so she was incredibly lucky there. The slug did tear up some tendons, but we were able to stop all the bleeding. A surgeon's just about finished repairing the muscle, so she should be outta there in about half an hour." he looked at Logan "You're wife is a very lucky woman Mr. Cale. Half a centimeter deeper and, it could've caused a massive hemorrhage. I'll have someone bring you up once she's settled."
"I appreciate that" Logan said, relief in his voice.
*****
Room 315
Max felt like she was in a haze, somewhere off kilter and fuzzy. After that ended, she felt the pain radiating out her leg. Her eyes opened even more.
"Maxie? C'mon open'em all the way"
/Zack?/ Max's vision finally focused, and she was able to make out Zack's presence at one end of the hospital bed.
"Ya know you're in trouble when you get a visit from the CO after getting your ass shot off." Max made a joke out of her current situation.
Logan was sitting near the head of the bed, and he rubbed her hand that he was holding "How ya feeling baby?"
"Like I fought with a barbed wire fence and lost" Max complained, shifting up to asses the damage to her body. She couldn't see the bandages on her leg, but she could feel them, along with the sutures used to close the surgical incision. She had some road rash on her hands and elbows where she had made contact with the road. An IV bag dripped blood into her arm, O neg. Since she was the universal recipient and donor, it didn't matter what type she received.
"Where are the kids?" Max looked to her husband
"Doctor thought it would best for the "adults" to come in first, to make sure that it's not to much to handle for children" he answered in a way that let her know he wasn't happy with this decision.
"That's a load of BS" Max stated passionately "They watched me get hurt, THAT was too much to handle, I want them in here"
"Not going to get any complaints from me sweetheart" Logan agreed "Alec's got them in the hall with Asha."
*****
"So you really have a thing for Zack?" Alec looked at the blonde standing beside him.
"That so hard to believe?" Asha stared him in the face, standing beside the baby stroller.
"Just that you and him-" Alec came back "Doesn't seem like it'd work. What ever happened between you and Logan?"
"Max happened" Asha glanced at the two children she was watching. "They just-" she searched her mind for a right word "connect. I've never seen Logan look happier then when they're together with these guys."
"But you and Zack, the CO from Manticore hell?" Alec still didn't take to the idea.
"He's a decent guy Alec" Asha corrected, "He's got that hard ass attitude, but so does every other X5 I've met" she shot a glare at Alec "He understands me better then any other guy I've dated"
"That's your great reason? That he can work it with you?"
"Not THAT kind of understanding gutter mind" Asha rolled her eyes, as Logan stepped out of the room.
"How is she?" Asha spoke out
"She's awake, tired, sore, but she wants to see the kids" Logan looked at his son holding Asha's hand, "Wanna go see mommy?"
Jesse didn't need to be asked twice, he held out his hand, waiting for Logan to lead him.
"Hey baby" Max called out to her son, spying Jess enter the room with Logan.
"Mommy hurt?" Jess was a little intimidated by all the wires and IV bags around the bed.
Max nodded "But not so much that you can't give me a hug" she held out her arms "Gimme some
my man"
Jess was in her arms two seconds later, locked in a death hold around his mother. "I scared"
"It's aiight," Max reassured, she lifted up the blue hospital blanket, exposing the sterile bandage wrapped around her leg "see? I got fixed, so it only hurts a little bit now." she kissed him on the head "How bout you miss?" she addressed her daughter "wanna come sit by mommy?" she held out her arms to take the baby from Logan.
Logan kissed her before passing her their daughter. "Just be a minute huh?" he teased her gently on the last remark she made to him before her accident.
"Guess I lost track of time," she wrapped an arm around Lexi, "Market's a mad area"
"Did you see a face?" Zack asked, moving to stand by Asha.
Max laughed quietly in the back of her throat "This chump laced produce with Meth. I laid him, he didn't like it so he brought out the artillery."
"Anyone get him?" Asha spoke out
"His back did have a good meeting with a wall" Alec notified, making a big deal of clearing his throat. "Not that I'm bragging or anything, just don't want to break that star record of saving Max's ass"
"And here I thought you were egotistical," Max shifted in the bed, hissing under her breath "Stupid DNA, have this codeine and can't even feel it. How'd we handle it during the monthly bone breaking?"
"Remember, we got high off the pain." Zack responded
"I remember screaming" Max answered, "You sounded just like a sailor"
"They broke both my arms then Maxie," Zack informed
"Three fingers, left wrist and two ribs" Alec broke into the conversation, telling them of his own experience from Manticore "all with a vise crusher, healed in two weeks"
"Mine was three, compound fracture" Max spoke out, continuing this turn in the topic of discussion from Codeine to the X5's sharing their medical experiment history.
"Show you my scar Max if you show me yours" Alec came back, looking at her suggestively.
Max merely rolled her eyes at him "Alec, give it a rest before I do it for you" she rested her chin on her daughter's head, playing with her growing locks of brown hair. "So, guess this means dinner's off" Max looked at Asha and her brother.
"I knew something was wrong when you didn't come back on time Maxie" Zack patted her leg through the blanket "Always felt the same way any time you got messed up in combat missions."
"Kinda got the sense something is messed up right now" Alec chimed in.
"Alec shut up," Asha looked to him "Stop thinking trash" she stepped over to the hospital bed, "Told some of my guys I'd drop a package on them tonight after we met up. Just take about fifteen minutes"
"Whatever Asha," Zack didn't get all "yes dear" when it came to moments like these. He finally gave into "false sentiment" but he wasn't going to pour it on.
Asha touched Max's shoulder briefly "Feel better Max"
"Thanks" Max offered her as the other woman pulled her hand away, stepping closer to Zack.
"You get done here let me know" she kissed his mouth, a gesture that he did return.
After Asha left, Zack turned to Max who was looking at him with a half-cocked eyebrow "What?"
"Nuthin' " Max informed, not being able to hide the slight smile on her face "Just wondered where the hell my brother Zack went"
"This is different" Zack argued, "She understands me better then anyone, other than you."
"Funny, that sounds strangely like something people call "love" Max shot her husband a knowing look, who in reaction smiled and kissed her forehead.
"So I guess then I love Asha" Zack spoke out "Want to hold that over my head?" he looked at
her in a stern stare she remembered from their childhood.
Max knew what it took for Zack to admit what there was between him and Asha, but she also knew
Zack, and knew that he wouldn't pour his heart out, not even to his baby sister. "No Sir" a smile tugged at her lips.
"Good call soldier" he leaned closer to her face, kissing her cheek, just below her right temple "Get some sleep Maxie, you've been running on nothing but adrenaline for the past few hours" his voice came down from the "all that CO" to a brother showing concern for his baby sister, the first woman he had ever loved.
Max yawned then, as if Zack's words were a stage cue "Just don't be all hanging around me while I kick it in dreamland kay? I'm not planin' to go anywhere" she looked sternly at Logan "That goes for you too baby, I'll be fine while I'm out. Don't want to see you sacked out in an uncomfortable position"
"Try and stop me," Logan returned
*****
Pharmaceutical Department
Third Floor
"Metro Pharmaceuticals, This is Lisa" the blonde woman spoke into the phone at her desk
"I am a traveler coming from the east-" the voice on the other line spoke out
"And I will cross your path heading from the west" Lisa repeated the age old phrase "what is it you want of me?"
"There is a patient there, a woman brought in for a GSW. She's one of Them"
"An X5?" Lisa asked, glancing around the room briefly to be sure no one heard her
"Correct, she's one who escaped with the twelve in '09"
"You want me to get rid of her?"
The smile could almost be heard through the phone "You could help her get more "comfortable" Ames White leaned back into the leather seat of his car.
Lisa nodded from her end; "I'll make sure she'll be VERY comfortable" she hung up. Opening a large white box with a key Lisa pulled out a syringe that was designed to deliver a single dose of a substance. Next to it lay a small brown bottle, which she filled the syringe with. The label reading "100% Liquid Potassium Chloride No Dilution WARNING: NEVER inject full dosage alone without express written orders." was slightly faded and pealed from age.
Lisa picked up the instrument, throwing the now empty bottle in the trash "Jenny" Lisa called out to a woman who worked the same desk "Could you watch my post for a second? I got a call to take care of a patient"
"Sure" Jenny responded
Lisa smiled, the cynicism known only to her
*****
Room 315
The room was dark, and silent except for the biping of the EKG machine. The people who were with the X5 had all left, Lisa had watched carefully, even her husband had stepped out to use the restroom. She smiled, he didn't even know it was the last time he would see his wife alive. Lisa examined the woman asleep in the bed. Her eyes were closed, brown hair pushed to one side. Her head was tilted slightly, exposing the jugular vein in her neck.
Lisa smiled to herself, taking out the syringe; she uncapped the spike, drawing it to Max's neck "Goodbye 452" her finger was poised above the plunger
"What's that for?"
Lisa pulled back at the small voice, the needle still in her hand. She observed a little brown haired boy climb off the small couch in the room. He looked at her curiously, examining the medical instrument. "Why does mommy need a shot?"
Lisa looked at the small child "Your mommy's been hurt hun, and this will help her feel better" she spoke in a calming voice.
"But what is it?" Jesse asked curious
"Something called Potassium Chloride, it'll help her sleep better" Lisa didn't lie to him, he was only two, he wouldn't know anything about the effects, at least she believed this.
Jess suddenly came closer to the bed "That don't help sleep" /FLASH: Jess sat at the table. Next to him was Max, reading Physician's Desk Reference. On one open page the header read POTASSIUM CHLORIDE: Drug designed for euthanasia. Death occurs within seconds after a single injection/ "Leave mommy alone!" he made a grab for the needle in Lisa's hand.
"Calm down little boy," Lisa pushed him away "Mommy won't feel a thing"
"NO!" Jess locked one hand on her, locking a hard grip on the woman.
Lisa felt the pressure from his grip /It must be the genes from 452, toddlers usually can't do a death lock/ She still managed to draw the needle closer.
At Jess's scream, Max's eyes suddenly snapped open "What's goin' on?" she saw her son yanking on the woman who was holding a needle in her hand "Who are you?"
"No need to be alarmed Mrs. Cale" Lisa stated "Your little boy just got excited from seeing this syringe. Your doctor wanted me to give you more Codeine for the pain." she took Max's hand "Hold still"
"Mommy, she has a broke watch," Jess piped up, formulating something in his mind "Not 4:52." he pointed to Max's watch on the room's nightstand "Yours said 9:11"
Max understood what her son was trying to tell her. She yanked her hand back, locking it around Lisa's wrist "I don't need anymore drugs sorry" she shoved her off the bed, moving to stand up. Lisa landed on the IV wires, yanking them out of Max's hand. She was soon on her feet
"I see your son is getting his share of the genes Manticore freak," Lisa growled, staring down Max.
"At least I gave him good genes, as opposed to the dog looks and ghetto ass you'll pass along to your kids" Max ducked as Lisa threw a punch at her, readying her arms in a fighting stance
Lisa came back kicking Max's legs out from under her. Lisa had trained with White, learning black belt status Jit-Su, Karate and Ta Kwan Do. She wasn't a Red Series, or a member of White's group. But with Max's weakened condition, she had the upper hand "To bad the dog looking woman comes with a back up plan" she pulled out a pistol, cocking it at Max "Tsk tsk 452, shot twice in one day-" her words were cut short when she felt her arms ripped behind her back.
Zack snatched the gun from her hand, throwing it away before knocking her into the wall with a sidekick.
Lisa made a reach for the gun, which had skidded near where she was thrown.
"Don't think so" a one inch healed leather boot stepped on the gun, as the sound of Asha's silver Colt cocked in Lisa's face. She kept her gun aimed on the downed woman, sliding the small pistol to her free hand. Picking up the gun she tossed it to Zack.
Logan helped his wife to her feet. The impact of her being thrown to the floor had ripped open a few stitches in her leg. "Baby can you walk?"
Max stretched out her injured leg, balancing on one of Logan's arms "Think so" She made it about three or four steps back to the bed before she couldn't hold her weight on that leg anymore. She tripped, pitching forward.
Logan caught her arm before she fell, "I got you" He picked her up in his arms, carrying her the rest of the way.
He sat her carefully on the mattress. "Damn" he applied pressure to the blood seeping out of the gauze around her leg "Sorry angel" he remarked after Max hissed at his touch.
Zack hauled the woman to her feet, keeping her arms pinned behind her back in a Manticore technique called a "lock grip"
Lisa looked Zack in the face, like a person she knew but hadn't seen in a while. That look, however soon disappeared "You're X5-599" she paused "You lead the escape in '09," she looked to Max and then back to Zack "I use to work at Manticore." she actually smiled at that "with the interbreeding program. 452 and 599-" she paused to search her memory "ah yes, my last file had it listed as male." she looked Max full in the face "But I'm sure you knew that 452 after you woke up on the floor-"
"SHUT UP!" Zack slammed her into a wall "You have three seconds to convince me why I shouldn't rip each limb off your body and ram them down your throat!"
"You two should be proud of your little trans-transgenic creation," Lisa kept going "He would've been great to splice-"
"I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!" Zack slammed her into the wall again
The door opened "Ma'am, you need to come with us, you're under arrest for assault and attempted murder" a sector cop entered the room with his gun trained on Lisa "hands in the air where I can see them!"
Zack had to let her go then, but he did so with such force that if Lisa didn't have the training she did, she would've wound up with two dislocated shoulders.
Behind the sector cop, stood Sam "A vial of Potassium Chloride was missing from the pharmacy." he stepped over to Max "no ones allowed access to the vials unless they are authorized to have a key. But there wasn't anyone in the CCU who wanted to end their suffering, so that set of my warning system"
"Intuition paid off" Max remarked
Sam pealed back the gauze from Max's wound, "This is a little messy, gonna have to re-stitch the top four" he obtained a suture kit from the closet and set to work.
"Jess saved my life" Max stated as Sam stitched up her newly opened wound, she looked over at her son who was watching Sam intently "How did you know she wanted to hurt me baby?" she didn't say "kill" because he had been traumatized enough today.
"She said she's giving you bad medicine P-P-"
"Potassium Chloride?" Logan finished for his son
Jess bobbed his head up and down "Book said it for killing people, I don't want mommy to die" Jess said "kill" where Max didn't
"I'm good now hun," she reassured, putting her arm around him "Thanks to my man"
Jess climbed into her lap just as Sam finished the last stitch. He snipped the biodegradable thread with scissors. "Nothing new was torn, I just closed up the old hole" he re-wrapped her leg, setting it gently back on the blue hospital sheet. "You'll be held up here for about two more days or so, then you can go home, but take it easy.That means no "night work" for at least two weeks Max, even with all that Manticore advanced healing you have, bullet wounds are nothing to mess with"
Lisa had been removed in handcuffs from the hospital room, leaving Max with her family plus Sam and Asha. Max flinched when Sam re-inserted a clean IV needle in to replace the one that had been ripped off.
"No pain no gain I guess" Max looked at the tube attached to her hand, clenching and unclenching her fingers
Asha pulled out a latex glove from its box and bent down to pick up the old IV tubes off the floor.
"Throw it in the trash" Zack took out a book of matches. He stood on a "guest" chair and disabled the smoke detector so it wouldn't ring or set off the sprinklers. He sprayed the inside of the trashcan with a little disinfectant aerosol spray from the hospital bathroom.
He then lit the match and threw it in the can, igniting the highly flammable disinfectant spray.
"Well I feel safe now from the Boogie Man" Max joked lightly, watching the flames burn the tubes and needles with her blood on them.
"White must've heard you were here," Zack smothered the flames with his combats "he doesn't need complete conformation"
"He might try this again, when he realizes Max is still alive Zack" Asha informed
"Maybe someone should be outside the door" Sam suggested "just in case"
"Like who?" Zack was skeptical "I doubt a minimum wage security guard would do the trick"
"Zack"
All eyes shifted to the source of the word that was spoken, because it wasn't Max, Logan or Asha
"Did she just?" Logan looked down at eleven-month-old Lexi who was propped up in his lap.
"She talked" Max looked equally surprised, gazing up at her brother "You were her first word Zack, I can't believe it" Max broke out in a huge grin "That's so coo' baby" she kissed her daughter on the head "Ya know who your uncle is" she played with her fingers.
"Zack," Lexi spoke out again, this time looking her uncle in the eyes.
"Out of all the words she could've chosen to say first-" Logan teased in a whisper
Max hit him lightly with her free hand. "Play nice"
"Heard that Logan, remember Manticore abilities?" Zack reminded.
"She's advanced for her age" Asha pointed out "Most kids I've been around don't talk this clearly"
"It's from Maxie," Zack returned "She started naming weapons out loud when she was ten months old, "AK-47" was her first word"
Max shifted up in the bed "Ahh" she twisted uncomfortably with a grimace
"What's wrong Max?" Logan noticed her discomfort
"Sore," Max admitted "Feel like someone nailed me with a sledge hammer" she rubbed her neck with her free hand, trying to work out the knots that had taken up residency under her skin.
"Here," Logan removed the pillow she was leaning against "Scoot up baby" he sat in the newly vacated area, kneading her sore muscles with his hands.
Max felt her "rocks" starting to chip away, making a noise that sounded suspiciously like a purr under her breath. "Feels nice" she commented
*****
State Prison
Seattle
Sector 4
"All right Hinsley," a officer with the Seattle PD came up to Lisa's cell "Your lawyer is here," there was a jingle of keys as he unlocked the cell door "Twenty minutes for a briefing, want longer time, have to do it on another day"
"Understood officer," the man straightened out his navy blue tie before stepping into the 5 x 7 ft cell. After the door was shut, and the officer left did the "lawyer" turn to the woman. He sat next to her on the old prison cot "I take it the objective did not go through"
Lisa turned to look Ames in the face "That little boy 452 has is a lot smarter then I realized, he knew what I was doing"
"Never underestimate Manticore," White told her "Even with all their flaws, those kids still were dipped in the super smart end of the gene pool, and some of it rubs off"
"So what do we do now?" Lisa asked,
"452's son," White stated, "He's progressing at highly advanced level"
"That's to be expected with a mother like his" Lisa agreed
"When I had them contained, the tests on the boy showed that 452's transgenic DNA was altered slightly by her husband's normal genetic code. He is able to learn and perceive faster then X5-452 did at that age."
Lisa looked shocked. As a geneticist who worked on Project Manticore, she had seen 452 identify parts of a Night hawk fuselage and memorize mission strategies at one year old. If this child was becoming more advanced then that- "How much faster?"
"I didn't find out much before 452 escaped, but we can find out" White replied
*****
Foggle Towers
Two days later
"Good to be home," Max opened the door on the passenger side of the Aztec "Hate hospitals" She had been discharged that morning. Her wound, Sam said, would heal in about a week, but it didn't warrant her to stay at Metro any longer. "Only liked bein' there when I had the kids"
"Well you're back now baby," Logan came around to her side, handing her the crutches she had been given at the hospital
Max placed the crutches under her arms and slid out of the car. She was careful not to set her injured leg on the ground. "Aww sweetie," she addressed her black Ninja sitting in the parking garage, using the same tone of voice she reserved for her children "Mommy got ripped, so she can't play for a few days."
"I'm sure the Ninja missed you too angel" Logan teased; slinging the small bag that housed his wife's belongings over one shoulder. One thing about this woman, she was low maintenance. Manticore had trained her to only take the bare essentials on trips, so as to not be bogged down with extra weight. All she had asked Logan to bring from home was her toothbrush and an extra set of clothes to last her two days. Logan had once taken an overnight trip with Val to Portland for an engagement party, and the woman had brought along ten bags. She said it was for "just in case" In case what? Was that extra ball gown for just in case yellow wasn't the "in" color at the party?
Max limped to the elevator, resting against the concrete wall while she waited for the doors to open. "I know I don't have to sleep, but right now I want to get up there and crash out"
The doors opened, and the couple stepped inside
"Hi Logan," a young woman piped up after the doors closed. She had just recently moved into an apartment on the tenth floor, and she and him chatted on occasion when they passed each other in the mailroom.
"Hey Jenna," Logan said out of politeness "How's it going?"
"Good" the blonde responded cheerfully. She had the biggest crush on him. "You?"
"Can't complain," Logan responded, watching the numbers light up on the panel.
/God he's hot/ Jenna smiled at his statement, "Yeah, life can be a bitch sometimes"
"I wouldn't say that" Logan argued
"Trust me if you're alone, life's a bitch" Jenna complained
"Dammit!" Max cursed suddenly, breaking her silence.
Logan looked away from Jenna "What's wrong?"
"My ring-" Max gazed at the floor of the elevator "Took it off for a sec to scratch this damn road rash and I lost it" she honed her vision around the elevator finally catching the glint of metal with her eye "There it is" she hobbled down to reach it "Little help goes a long way" she looked up at Logan just watching her.
"Thought you were independent Max" Logan retrieved the ring before she did, dusting off a few specs of dirt from the jade surface
"Thought you were a gentleman," she returned, pulling herself up.
Logan had to smile at that "Touché" He examined the jade band in his palm, taking her left hand in his "Allow me" he slipped the band back on her finger. He saw all the reddish colored skin on her hands "Ouch"
"More like damn" Max corrected, turning them over, revealing the same redness on the reverse sides
"You should soak those in some hot water once we get home" he kissed her open palms, turning slightly to the other woman in the elevator "Excuse me, Max, this is Jenna Streland, she just moved in downstairs. Jenna this is my wife Max"
"Nice to meet you" Jenna returned, with a smile, but her voice was slightly down trodden /did he say "wife?"/
"Same" Max returned
The elevator dinged at the penthouse. Even though Jenna lived on the tenth floor, she stayed in the elevator until the top twenty-fifth floor where Max and Logan lived.
"C'mon baby, I can hear our children from here" Max hobbled out into the hall, turning to Jenna "Nice meetin' ya"
"You too" Jenna replied as the elevator door closed
After she left, Logan turned towards Max "You are a wicked woman" he looked at her reproachfully "I can here our children from here "baby"" he mocked her earlier words
"She got the message *baby* " Max argued "Spelled it out as clear as I could without having to break her all over that elevator floor."
"A bit possessive are we?" Logan asked
"Damn straight" Max agreed.
When they approached their door it opened before they got there.
"Heard you comin'" Cindy came out of the penthouse. She had been babysitting the kids while Logan went to pick up Max at the hospital. "Welcome home suga," she hugged Max "How ya doin' my boo?"
"Good as can be expected," Max answered honestly, balancing her injured leg in the air
"Mommy's home!" Jess cried out, running out of the apartment in his bare feet.
"Hey sweetie" Max picked him up, bracing herself on one crutch, and settling Jess on her hip
"Miss me?"
"Yeah!" Jess answered with enthusiasm, planting a kiss on her mouth.
"Missed you guys too," Max returned the gesture.
"Lil boo," Cindy addressed Jess "Mama needs both her arms to get inside the house so you come with Auntie kay?"
"Kay" Jess agreed, sliding down to the floor "Hurry momma" he ran back in the house.
"I'm right behind ya baby" Max called out
"Better come in suga," Cindy looked at her best girl critically "looks like you need to sit"
"No arguments there gurl," Max limped through the doorway.
"Hey" Max stopped to pet the hyper active Kaja who had bound up to greet her "Nice to see you too"
"Down girl" Logan called out "Mommy needs some rest"
The dog obeyed his command instantly, still remembering where she came from.
Max crashed onto the cushions of the couch with a sigh.
"Let me give you a hand with that" Cindy propped up Max's injured leg on a cushion. "Good?"
"Feels much better" Max looked to her friend "thanks"
In the bedroom Logan unpacked Max's small bag. He made a quick trip to the bathroom to drop off the toothbrush.
"See daddy?" Jess's voice called out, he was holding up something.
"What's up Jess?" Logan turned to look at his son standing in the bathroom doorway "Wow, that's great" he praised the drawing in his hands "Is that for mommy?"
Jess nodded, "Don't like those" Jess pointed to the "P299" that he wrote in pencil, and then
X-d out in bright red crayon. "Dey were on the gun"
Logan stepped closer to him "Can I see?" he took the paper from Jess, looking at the card, with the typical "Love You Mommy" that any child would do. But the numbers written above the yellow smiley face- "You saw mommy get hurt with a gun?"
Jess nodded again "Silver sisauer P.2.9.9" he pronounced "Sig Sauer" like it was only one word, and he spaced out P299, but just the fact that he had just identified the weapon Max had been shot with was amazing in itself.
"This is good work," Logan proclaimed, handing him back the drawing.
"Will mommy hurt for a long time?" Jess asked seriously.
"For a little while Jess" Logan didn't lie to him "But-" he picked him up "I'm sure when you show her this, she'll feel a lot better"
Jess smiled "Let's bounce"
Logan had to laugh at his statement /He is defiantly his mother's son/ "Okay"
"Hey sweetie," Max looked at her daughter peeking at her from behind the coffee table "Whatcha doin'?"
Lexi giggled, and went back behind the table, but still kept one eye out at her mother.
The smile on Max's face broadened "C'mon baby girl" she held out her arms "Scalk on over to mommy"
The little girl let go of the coffee table, and took wobbly steps over to where Max was.
"Look at my little boo" Cindy praised, as the baby finally reached Max who reached down and picked her up.
"Ya know this one said her first yesterday?" Max raised an eyebrow at Cindy.
Cindy kneeled next to the couch "For real?" she touched Lexi's cheek "My boo is hangin' with the big girls" she kissed her "What was it?" Cindy looked to Max.
"Zack" Max couldn't help the smile that came to her face.
"Logan had a prob with that huh?" Cindy basically asked a rhetorical question.
"With what?" Logan emerged from the bedroom with Jess in tow.
"What my lil boo said yesterday," Cindy informed.
"The "Zack" thing hun" Max informed
"Never said that was a problem," Logan corrected
"Course not," Max said with a hint of a smile.
Jess stood in front of his mother, and presented her with his paper
"For me?" Max took the paper from him. She smiled at what she saw "This is so great" she turned to her son "Thanks baby, makes me feel better" she hugged him. "See what my boy did?" Max held out the drawing to Cindy.
"That's kicks so much" Cindy held out her hand "High five on that one Jess"
Jesse slapped his smaller hand against Cindy's. "See momma" Jess addressed Max again. He pointed to the P299 "No more guns"
Max looked hard at the numbers /FLASH: "Where'd you see that?" "Back there" Jess pointed "With him"/ "No more" Max repeated, kissing his forehead. She shared a glance with Logan across the room.
*****
8:39 p.m.
The black Benz waited outside the back way of the condemned building. Rain slapped against the windows. The passenger door opened and a man slid inside.
"Hot off the press Sir" Private Jenkins handed Ames White a set of photos. "Hover Cam was stationed right outside Southside"
White looked at the images of the outdoor market area. There were several clear shots of Max, one when she was confronting the stall owner, and another after she was shot. "Lisa's end's been tied?"
"Yes Sir" Jenkins pulled out a CD R "She got this out of the hover drone's audio readout. Changed the format so it can play standard, so it's set to roll Sir" he placed it in the Benz CD player and hit "play"
/"What's P299?"
"Where did you see that?"
"Back there with him-"/
Jenkin's pointed to an image of Jess on one of the photos "452's son identified the weapon his mother was shot with before it was even pulled out. My guess is that he must've honed in on the brand of the gun in the man's pocket beforehand"
= = = =
(inside shot of a Lexis LSI's tan leather seats. Opened black laptop runs sound enhancement program. Screen shows the sound waves emitted by White and Jenkins's conversation)
"Your guess would be correct this time Private" White stopped the CD "This boy is showing incredible genetic advancement, and after I run the neuros on him, we'll know how much"
Donald Lydecker listened to the conversation that was going on. After it ended, he picked up the cell that was lying on the car seat next to the computer.
"Seattle Directory Assistance" came the woman's voice on the other end.
"I need the address for Logan and Max Cale"
"One moment please" there was typing on the other end for a few seconds "It's in Sector 5. 363 Lyell Drive, the penthouse apartment"
"Thank you" Lydecker ended the call, watching the black Mercedes drive off before pulling out into the night.
*****
Foggle Towers
9:21 p.m.
"Sleep tight babe" Max kissed her son on his head once more before shutting of his bedroom light. She closed the door quietly, re-positing the crutches back under her arms.
"How's he taking all this?" Logan asked her once she came back into the living room.
"He's worryin' bout me a lot" Max limped over to him "Poor baby, musta scared him a lot to see me kiss metal" she looked Logan in the eye, leaning against the wall.
"Hey I would've been the same way Max," Logan let her know, framing her face with his hand "But actually it was the one time I was glad Alec was there" this made his wife smile. "Baby, can I ask you something?"
"You wanna know about Jess" Max answered his question before he even asked it.
"When you were at the Southside-" he started walking to the couch. "Did Jess see anyone before-"
"He saw numbers" Max balanced herself on one crutch so she could sit. She felt Logan help her down. "Said something about a P299 when we were leavin'. And when I turned around this shit was holding a silver sig"
Logan pondered this for a moment "He must've seen the brand somewhere on the gun before, and just filed it away to ask you later"
"Never realized how much he reminds me of myself" Max stated suddenly "This stuff is happening to him, and he doesn't understand why" she paused "Because of his freak show mom"
"Hey enough" Logan stated firmly, halting Max's thinking. Woman came down to hard on herself.
A loud crying broke the night air
"Lexi" Max pulled herself up on one crutch,
"I'll go" Logan pushed his wife back down.
"She's my baby too Logan" Max informed, moving to stand up again
Logan kissed her forehead "I know, be right back" he disappeared towards the nursery.
Max leaned back into the couch, closing her eyes, which snapped open a few seconds later when
something caught her eye in the window
"Zack" Max just entered the office as her brother slid in through the open skyline window
"Shouldn't leave this open Maxie" Zack stepped over to her, removing his leather jacket, revealing a black shirt underneath (mystic: did this part for me, Zack in a black t-shirt, with those arms..d.a.m.n)
"Why are you here?" Max asked, she loved her bro, but he didn't do quick visits like other people
"Can't I just hang with my sis?" Zack stretched out on the same couch where he had thrown his
jacket. When Max looked at him in a way that said 'not unless hell has frozen over', he told her the truth "Just wanted to see if you were okay"
"I'm good" Max informed, "You know how fast we heal" she leaned on her crutches.
"Alec told me about Jess" Zack stated
"He identified the gun I was shot with" Max limped over to him, stopping right in front of him
"Starting the way we did"
"That makes it dangerous for him" Zack stated matter-of-factly "You remember what it was
like when we first got out" he uncrossed his arms, looking up at Max's face "We didn't know how to deal with our abilities in the real world, to keep it DL. Jesse has all this going on, but he wasn't taught to understand it, and run with it. It's his weakness Maxie-"
"That's why I'm going to tell him about us" Max broke in "He has a right to know what's happening to him" a pause "I think about this all the time Zack. He's my son, and I am NOT going to let anyone do to him what Manticore did to us"
There was a knock on the door.
Max was still reeling from her conversation with Zack, so she didn't even look through the peephole.
"Max" Lydecker stepped through the doorway, before she could close it
"Unless you want a doorknob up your ass, you better get out of my house!" Max barked at the older man.
Deck ignored her and stepped into the room "There's something you need to know-" he was cut off
when he was rushed against the door, making it slam shut from the impact.
"We don't need to know anything from you" Zack glowered at Lydecker, holding a fistful of the man's shirt in his hand.
"I think you do Zack" Lydecker looked the X5 in the eye "Unless you don't care about your nephew's life"
"What are you saying?" Max barked back.
Deck turned to face Max "Your son is very special Max. He isn't a normal boy. Ask yourself what
would happen if Ames White got a hold of him?"
"Or you Deck" Zack shoved him back against the door "You want to start preaching the "what if" gospel with me, it's gonna get nasty real fast-"
"I never wanted to hurt you all" Lydecker interrupted
"Yeah well you failed" Logan had come out of the bedroom, holding his 45 he kept in the computer desk "Breaking children's bones, shooting them down, what the hell is that if it's not hurt?" he took a step closer to them
"These kids were built for it son," Lydecker addressed Logan, turning to face him. "I'm not coming here to launch a vigil anti on your family, I came here to warn you-"
Max blew him off "We suppose to believe that you did a complete one-eighty, after all that withholding you've done from the Save the Manticore Mutant Prototype Fund?"
"Whether you believe me or not Max, it won't change what White was briefing his boy on about your son" he raised a Zip disk in his hand.
"Let him go" Max ordered to Zack "Hear what he has to say"
Zack looked Deck in the eye with a hard, no nonsense stare "I get wind of a shake down, there won't be enough of you leftover to bury in the ground" he released his shirt in an abrupt, jerky manner.
"You haven't changed Zack" Lydecker announced out of the blue "Had the same commanding tone when you were twelve" he didn't wait for a response from the X5, and got down to his next order of business "I need a zip drive to run this"
"I've got one" Logan snatched the disk from him, and took it over to his computer. He loaded the disk in the drive, clicking the safety on the gun "When were you eavesdropping?" Logan typed in a few commands on his keyboard, laying the 45 back in the drawer.
"2000 hours" Deck informed, not saying anything more.
Logan brought up the file, and ran the audio feed. The conversation played back verbatim through the speakers
"He wants to run neuros on Jess" Max spoke out "Why? He knows how smart he will become, sliced up enough Manticore things in his time"
"It's not the same Max," Deck corrected
"What do you mean?" Zack snapped, "What the hell difference does it make?"
"Max's chrosomial DNA was altered in the boy by Logan's normal genetics" Deck informed, "The intermixing of the two added a completely different strand on one helix of DNA in a chromosome set. It encodes for his abilities to show up earlier then anything Manticore created."
"What about Alexis?" Max shot out; she needed to know "Will she be this way?"
"She will have advancements, but not as fast as his" Deck answered "You all were designed so that if you were to breed with a civilian, the DNA encoding for this helix would stop after the first generation to keep track of these kinds off offspring more efficiently"
Max looked disgusted "If White thinks he's going to mess with MY baby because of this helix strand, I'm going to break out of my policy of not handling guns" she turned to Deck "Why are you giving us this 411? Could just as easily used it against us"
"For the same reason, you all broke out that winter night," Deck spoke out "It's all about priorities"
"You just want to save your own ass" Zack growled
"Regardless of that," Logan broke in, swiveling in his chair "Jess has already been screwed enough by White, and I'm not going to let it happen again"
*****
1:23 a.m.
"Max?" Logan looked up from his pillow, flipping on the light "What's up?"
Max was leaning against the bedroom window, supporting herself on one crutch. Her leg was getting stronger, but she still needed the crutches for balance. "I won't let White take Jess" her voice was fierce, as she gazed out on the broken skyline.
"Feeling's mutual" Logan reassured, stepping up behind his wife.
"He's our son" Max turned her head to look Logan in the eye "Not some science experiment. I don't care how advanced he will become, he's still two years old. If something happens to him, he'll never be the same, hell I'LL never be the same. I know what it's like Logan, and I don't EVER want to see either one of them go through that kind of hell-" she spoke with deep passion.
"That's why we're here" Logan wrapped his arms around her from behind "To make sure nothing happens" he dipped his head down to kiss the barcode on her neck.
/FLASH: "Never underestimate the enemy" Lydecker addressed the young soldiers "Otherwise you will be caught off guard"/
Max squeezed Logan's hands where they rested on her waist, thinking of a way to keep her baby boy out of danger.
*****
Jam Pony
The Next Morning
"Max" Alec stated when she entered the building "You're looking better then when I saw you all over the road"
"Gee thanks" Max threw back continuing to limp inside.
"Oh my god it's true" Normal spoke out looking at Max "At first I thought this injury scenario was just bullshit to get out of work-"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you Normal" Max threw back "Next time I'll try and dodge the bullet just to keep your ideals on me up to code"
"Is that smart mouth of yours running on the time clock today?" Normal asked
"Not unless I can move a bike with one leg" Max threw back, heading towards the back.
"She's late when she's working and she's punctual when she's not" Normal called out after her.
"So did Zack tell you about your little Manticore Einstein?" Alec continued to follow her
"I knew already Alec" Max informed, "Remember I'm his mother?"
"Nothing like a little half transgenic coming into his own to keep you on your toes huh Maxie?
Heard about what happened at Metro" when Max looked at him wondering how the hell he knew
that since he wasn't there, he added "Your brother let me in on the 411 when we had that talk. Guy's so commando oriented, don't know what Logan's ex sees in him"
"All this because she turned you down?" Max stated "I hate to break it to you Alec, but that "thing you do so well" is all in your head, think she went with Zack" she whispered this last part loudly.
"You're just glad that Asha's finally doing someone else, and not sitting around fantasying about what she and Logan could do all day when you're at work"
Max knocked him upside the head.
"Alec, get your lazy butt in gear" Normal called out "This isn't a social hour"
"Max and I are just discussing finer aspects of a threesome" Alec called out.
Max knocked him again for that one
"Damn girl quit doin' that" Alec fixed the messed up strands of his hair.
"This one is for 134 Fental Ave" Normal threw the package at Alec
"This is even beyond steel head territory" Alec examined the label "Gonna run in a lot of overtime"
"I'm not giving you anything extra" Normal returned "If you don't screw anything up, maybe you'll get a tip"
"Not enough money in Seattle for that" Alec came back
"134 Fental Ave" Max spoke out; cocking her head at Alec "Isn't that Asha's place?"
"On second thought" Alec's perspective on the situation changed "Bet I could get a nice tip
out of this one"
Max looked at him "Shut up, and let's get going"
"You're coming with me?" Alec turned to her "Max, I am deeply touched by this display of affection"
"I'm going to make sure you don't do anything stupid when you're over there" Max informed
"Affection only goes so far Max" Alec told her "As nice looking as you are, this bicycle ain't built for two" he slapped the seat of his bike, making dust billow out of the stretched leather "not even the ways I'm thinking of would hold out that far"
"I have my car" Max held up her keys "'Cause the ways I was thinking of wouldn't get you there in one piece either"
"Then by all means Maxie" Alec did a grand wave with his hand "Lead the way" When Max passed in front of him he asked "what ways were you thinkin' of?"
Max hit him again "Shut up"
*****
Foggle Towers
"Here doggie" Jess held up a rubber pork chop to Kaja. The German Shepherd leapt at her toy. Jess threw it, sending it sliding across the hardwood floor "Go get it!" he watched the dog do a nosedive on the floor. She returned the plastic toy back to Jess, sitting at his feet, waiting to continue the game.
Logan glanced away from the computer for a second, making sure his son wasn't getting into anything he shouldn't. "See this sweetie" Logan addressed Lexi sitting in his lap. "This is going to be bad news for that Mafia group on the West Side" he pointed to the computer monitor, showing two members participating in a robbery at a head shop. Lexi pointed at the screen as well.
Logan smiled "They'll never see it coming" he kissed her on her head
"Fetch Kaja!" Jess pitched back with his arm, putting more force into the throw, sending the chew toy whizzing past the living room, and knocking a glass off the kitchen counter, shattering it on the floor.
Logan's head snapped up at the crash "Jess?" he picked up his daughter, and exited his office. He scanned the penthouse, looking for the source of the noise.
"Jesse" Logan found the boy in the kitchen, kneeling over broken shards of glass "What happened?"
"I threw too hard, I'm sorry daddy. I didn't mean to-"
"It was an accident" Logan informed, "don't worry about it" he set Lexi on her feet outside the kitchen. "Jess don't try to pick those up with your hands, you'll cut yourself" he took the glass piece from his son's hand "I'll do this, Go make sure your sister doesn't come in here and cut herself okay?"
Jess nodded, and headed over to Alexis, watching his father clean up the kitchen floor. The telephone rang after Logan had dumped the broken glass in the trash.
"Yeah?"
"Hello sir, I'm calling from Craddock Heights Insurance. We are offering you a-"
"I'm covered already, thanks" Logan replied to the woman
"Our policy is different sir" the woman argued, "We don't just offer it for you and your life partner, also you're dependants are covered in case of any dismembering accident that might occur"
"Can I get back to you on that?" Logan ran a hand through his hair, annoyed at the sales woman.
= = = =
(Cut to: shot of Lisa talking on a black phone in a dimly lit office)
"Yes sir you can, and with our no haggle phone service, your call will be instantly
directed to an assistance operator" her voice was overly cheery "We don't want your
insurance problems to be solved AFTER you get hurt and wake up on the floor"
"Keep that in mind" Logan was heard to say through the other end of the phone.
"Then you have a nice day sir" the phone disconnected
"You have it?" Ames stepped over to Lisa, dressed all in black
"Got it" Jenkins replied, looking at his computer screen "Feed lasted long enough"
"Get a unit over there to apprehend" White ordered, and added "I want him alive"
Jenkins stood up "Yes Sir" he headed out of the room.
"What happens if 452 tries to stop this?" Lisa looked to White after Private Jenkins left. "All
mothers have instincts when their children are in danger"
"If that happens" White loaded a single bullet in the Magnum XR-05 "It'll just be two for
the price of one"
*****
Fental Ave
Asha's Apartment
"Max" Asha opened the door "Thought you'd still be down for the count"
"Getting tired of sittin' at home" Max replied
"Can understand that" Asha replied, "So what's up?"
"Business call Asha" Alec spoke out, stepping in front of Max, holding up the box "delivery. Now if you're out of cash, I can take some other form of payment" Alec stepped into the apartment
Max kicked him with her good leg "Shut up" she followed Alec inside "hey moron, you're working
remember?"
"Well I'm giving myself a break Maxie" Alec notified "Sure Asha won't mind will you?"
"Actually I do" Asha pointed out, looking at the X5 crashed out on her couch "but that's never stopped you before" she grabbed the parcel out of his hands "Where do I sign?"
Alec gestured at Max with his hand "Maxie, the signature sheet please" ducking when Max threw stuff at him "So where's Mr. CO?"
"Siphoning gas out of my neighbors Honda for his Vulcan" Asha hastily scribbled down her signature on the sheet. She set the box on the coffee table and started to open it with a box cutter.
"And how many times a day does he do this?" Alec threw out
"Just because you play women like a piano Alec doesn't mean that you can speak of Zack that way" Asha came back defensively.
A pager beeping cut through the air.
Max and Alec checked theirs at the same time
"It's Logan" Max informed, looking at the device clipped to her waist "Can I use your phone Asha?"
"Yeah sure, it's over there" Asha pointed out her cordless unit resting on an end table
"Asha," Alec began again "you were getting a little bitchy there, did you have a prob with what I said?"
"Yeah I did" Asha snapped back "Usually do when someone talks trash about my boyfriend"
"Hey it's me hittin' you back " Max spoke into the phone to Logan "what's going down?"
"Nothing really" Logan stated from the other end "I'm just calling to see how your holding up"
"Doin' aiight" Max replied, "Don't have to worry about me" a pause as a loud noise made Max look behind her. The noise turned out to be Asha slicing into the package wrapping the rest of the way. "Yeah, I know" Max responded to Logan's next statement "But you need to relax once in a while baby" she turned to Alec before he could say anything "Shut it"
"Let me guess" Logan began again "You're with Alec"
"Came to make sure he didn't do anything dumb on a delivery"
"Where's that?" Logan asked
"Over at Asha's" came Max's reply "Gonna need to let you go, cause I'm on her phone, and prices are being jacked in this area" she paused again "Jess is doin' okay?"
"He's fine sweetheart" Logan responded "Keeping my eye on both of them"
"Know you are" Max smiled from her end "Kay then I'm out, love ya" she hung up
"Guns by mail" Alec stated about the contents of Asha's package, a Smith and Wesson, redesigned with nine chambers in 2005. "niicee"
Asha ignored him, unhinging the chambers from the base. "Damn cheap packaging" she blew dust out of metal "Use to be cleaner then this"
"Yeah well welcome to the world after the Pulse baby" Alec threw out
This time Asha glared at him, locking the chambers back in place. She then tested the weight of the gun in her right hand.
A beeping once again broke through the air.
"Logan again?" Alec spoke out "What? He forget to say something since that minute that passed?"
Max unclipped her pager, reading the number on it. "Why's he calling again?" she started to head over to Asha's phone again, when she stopped
/FLASH: "To bad this dog looking woman comes with a back up plan" "I came here to warn you-"
"Once we run the neuros on him, we'll know how much"/
"Max?" Asha looked at her "Are you okay?"
Max whipped around to face Asha "What level is Zack at?"
"Second" Asha responded, "Third space to the right of the elevator. Max what's going on?"
Max didn't say anything, as she made her way out of the apartment.
"What's with her?" Alec asked
All Asha did was stare back at him
= = = =
Parking Garage
Second Level
"Max what are you doing here?" Zack looked up to his sister when he spotted her in the garage. He finished siphoning the gas and removed the hose that connected his Vulcan with the Honda.
"I need your keys" Max informed, hurrying over to him
"What is it?" Zack asked
"Something's wrong" Max stated, raising up the Vulcan's kick stand "White's about to raid my house" she mounted the bike
"But you can't drive with that leg Maxie" Zack argued
"My car's not gonna cut it Zack, I can move a hell of a lot faster on a bike" Max snapped back
"Now give me the damn keys!" she snatched them from him, cranking up the engine
"You can't stop White on your own Maxie," Zack informed "not with one bad leg"
"I have no choice Zack!" Max revved up the engine "I'm not going to let that fucker do
anything to my son" she pealed out of the parking lot
"Max!" Zack called after her. He turned back to the Honda, climbing on the seat.
"What the hell are you doing?" the owner of the bike came running over to Zack
"Get the fuck of my ride!"
Zack ignored him, ripping out the engine wires, connecting the appropriate yellow to blue. The
engine roared to life.
"HEY!" the guy called after Zack as his bike blazed out of the spot. "Son-of-a-bitch"
*****
Donald Lydecker typed on his laptop, honing in on a map of Sector Five. Two red
dots indicated military vehicles heading towards Lyell Dr. He typed again, bringing up
another window, that had Max's pager number as the top, and beeped again with
Logan's number as the recipient.
*****
"Move into position" the Squad leader ordered over his mic, leaning against the Hummer
"Remember, the boy's to be taken alive"
"Copy that" one of the members responded, moving into the lobby of the apartment building
*****
Max cranked the speed of the Vulcan up to 90. She weaved in and out of the traffic, ignoring
all the honks.
"Slow down" a sector cop posted at a checkpoint ordered, but Max ignored him, and broke right
through the barricade
*****
Foggle Towers
Max and Logan's Apartment
"Daddy, when's momma coming home?" Jess peered at Logan over the back of the couch
"In about an hour Jess" Logan informed, setting Lexi on her feet in the living room "Here princess" he handed her one of her toys "Play for a while" he looked to his son "Food sound like an idea guys?"
Jess nodded enthusiastically with a smile.
"Think I can find something good" Logan headed into the kitchen, opening the fridge to take out some cans of tuna and some celery to make sandwiches. When he close the door, Jess's drawing fell to the floor. Logan picked it up, placing back on the door with a magnet. His glanced briefly at the X-d out P299 again, before turning around to set the food on the counter, making the plastic bag that held the lettuce brush the phone
/FLASH: "But I'm sure you knew that after you woke up on the floor" Lisa stared down Max
"We don't want your insurance problems to be solved AFTER you get hurt and wake up on the floor"/
Logan abandoned the food, heading back into the living room "Jess, you take Lexi, and go in daddy's room okay."
"What's wrong daddy?" Jess picked up on Logan's antsyness
"I just need you to do this okay?" Logan informed his son "Can you do that for me?"
"Okay daddy" Jess finally answered, his small mind could tell that this wasn't a time to argue. He took his little sister's hand and lead her to their parents room.
Logan stood by the door once they were inside "Keep away from the windows and don't unlock this
for ANYONE" he locked his bedroom, shutting his children inside.
Picking up the phone, he beeped Max's pager "C'mon baby pick up" getting no answer he dialed
Speed Dial One "Tinga, I think White trying his SOS routine again. He found that Jess is going to be smarter then all you at that age, he wants to mess with him some more"
"Where are you Logan?" Tinga asked, stuffing her black wire climbing rope into her pack
"At the apartment, I've got him and Alexis in my room, but that won't keep them hidden for long"
"Did you reach Max?"
"She's not answering her page" Logan responded
"I'll be there fast" Tinga ended the call and turned to her husband "I need to get to Max's"
"What is it hun?" Charlie looked at his wife concerned; he turned down the Pistons game
he was watching
"Something's wrong" Tinga answered. She kissed him briefly, and then kissed Case on the head beside Charlie "Be good for daddy" she then turned and left her apartment.
*****
"We're entering the elevator now Sir" Jenkins spoke to White who was back at the office building "I'm clocked for the ambush at five minutes in counting"
"Make sure not to mess up Private" White ordered, "I'm very hooked on the phrase 'disposable commodity'"
"Yes Sir" Jenkins answered back, as the elevator began it's decent.
*****
The truck in front of Max started to slow down, and there wasn't enough time weave past him or slow down, so she cranked up the speed, rolling up the trailers lowered tailgate, and sailing over his head.
She landed twenty feet ahead of him on the road "Damn" the maneuver had sent pain racing through her injury, but she kept going. Her pain was nothing compared to what would happen if she didn't get there on time
*****
Tinga swerved her Tracker into the parking garage, parking across three lanes. She grabbed her
pack and raced around to the back of the building.
She arrived the same the Max pulled up in Zack's Vulcan.
"Tinga" Max dismounted the bike, hissing under her breath, she ditched her crutches.
"Logan told me what happened" Tinga set her pack on the ground. She saw the way Max was holding
herself "But not what happened to you"
"I got shot three days ago" Max announced, "I'm fine" she looked up to the penthouse "Did you see anyone?"
"Not yet" Tinga fixed the rope in her cross bow.
Just then Zack pulled right up to them in the stolen bike "There's a Hummer a block away,
tags are the same as the one White's men had"
"Their about to close in" Max announced, "We gotta get up there"
Tinga shot off her bow, sending the rope into the air, where it hooked on the railing of the fire escape stairs.
"You and Maxie take that" Zack revealed his own rope "I got my own way up"
*****
The elevator dinged on the penthouse floor. "All members move into position" Jenkins spoke into
his mic. The group moved down the hall. "Bust it down" Jenkins ordered to his men. "Yes sir" the soldier kicked down the door.
The apartment was quiet, the living room empty
"Fan out" Jenkins ordered
= = = =
Logan was pressed against the wall of the nursery, looking out through a crack in the door. His 45 was in his hand, as he looked out over the people in his house.
A hand touching his shoulder made him cock the gun reflexively
Max held the barrel in her hand, stopping it from coming closer.
"Max" Logan whispered in a relieved voice. He noticed how she was supporting herself against the wall
"Where are they?" Max whispered back
"Our room" he replied "I locked them inside" he looked at her "Where's Tinga?"
Max pointed above her "She's on the skyline keeping watch" Max looked out the door again. "We hafta get them outta here" The soldiers were looking through the computer room. "I have to knock the door down and get them out, there's no other way"
"They'll see you Max" Logan returned quickly "You're also hurt, you won't be able to fight all of them"
"He's my baby Logan," Max hissed "I'm NOT going to let them lay a hand on him again" she opened the door a little wider, seeing the dog waking up. She must have been given a sedative in her water when they arrived She waved her hand to get Kaja's attention. The German Shephard came over to her wagging her tail.
"I have an idea" Max shut the door again once Kaja was inside "It'll have a diversion affect if she attacks one of the soldiers."
"You think she remembers all the commands?" Logan asked
"She's been domesticated Logan, not de-programmed" Max responded, "We're running out of options" Max opened the door again.
"I'll go first" Logan stilled her movements
"Are you insane?" Max closed the door "You'll be killed!"
"They won't kill me if they think I'm the only one around who knows where Jess is. I'll have to give them that first"
"But I don't know if there's enough time before one of those bastards blows your brains out!" Max hissed She did not like this at all.
"He's my son too Max" Logan pointed out "And I'm not just going to sit back and do nothing"
Max looked at him hard "You crazy son-of-a-bitch" she opened the door again "Go, before one of the Dumb Squad members finds us back here"
Logan took two steps forward, before Max yanked him back, giving him a hard kiss. He pulled back after a second, unlocking the safety on his 45.
Max watched him go out.
"Hold it right there" Jenkins took aim on Logan with his magnum "Drop the piddly weapon" he took the 45 from Logan "Where's the boy?"
Logan stared down the man "Why should I tell you that just so you can hurt him again?"
Jenkins pointed his gun barrel right at Logan's face "Because I'll blow you to hell otherwise"
"Then do it, because I'm not going to tell you" Logan snapped back "He's my son, not some science project for your sleazes to mess with"
/Logan you courageous bastard/ Max crept along the hall, leaning against it, she motioned for Kaja to sit. She watched the scene playing out in her living room, waiting for the right moment.
Jenkins' hand poised on the trigger "Once you're gone, they're wont be anyone to protect him-"
Max signaled Kaja to attack. The German Shepherd leapt at Jenkins, knocking him down with her
weight, sending the gun to the floor.
Logan backed off after Kaja attacked, following Max to the bedroom.
Max kicked down the door to her bedroom "Jess?" she looked for her son, limping around the
room
"Mommy"
Max opened the wardrobe door and found them there sitting on the closet floor, Jess holding Lexi in his lap.
"C'mon baby" Max picked up her son "We need to go" she grabbed Alexis, passing her off to Logan.
She started heading out, when a solider knocked her down with his gun "They boy has to stay 452"
"Not a chance in hell" Max flipped herself back up, landing on one foot. "I don't care what you found out, you bastards aren't TOUCHING my son again!"
The soldier threw her into a wall "We have orders 452"
The skyline window cracked as Zack busted through "Change of plans asshole" he knocked him to the floor.
Tinga jumped down from the hole in the skyline, picking up the soldier's gun and aiming it at him, another soldier entered, but Zack took aim on him with Jenkin's gun
Max yanked her sore body back to her feet
"Go Maxie!" Zack yelled at her. He waited until her and Logan were out the door with his niece and nephew before he and Tinga backed out of the room. Tinga signaled for Kaja to follow them, who gave a vicious snarl at the soldiers before following her people.
At the elevator Max ripped open the doors, denting the metal slightly. Zack was the last to slide inside, ducking the rounds of fire being thrown at him
= = = =
"They've escaped Sir" Jenkins shouted into his wrist unit "They knew we were coming"
"Cut them off at the lobby" White barked
"Doing that now Sir" he looked to his men "take the stairs!"
*****
Tinga unlocked her doors with the automatic lock. "Everybody in" she pointed to the Tracker "go girl" she stated to Kaja who leapt inside.
Zack pushed Max inside "Move out, I'll tail in my Vulcan" he shut the door as Tinga gunned the engine and blazed out of the parking spot.
Zack jumped on his bike, seeing the soldiers reach the ground floor. He revved up the engine, and then heard three gun shots.
Lydecker stood there, the smoking XR-05 in his hand "Move Zack, this won't hold them back for long"
Zack drove out, making his tires squelch on the pavement.
Jenkins came out seconds after Zack pulled out, aiming his gun at Deck "what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I don't appreciate being mouthed off to son" Lydecker wiped off his finger prints from the gun and set it in the dead soldiers hand, taking the paper out of his pocket.
"That's classified Sir" Jenkins kept his aim
"Which is why I'm making sure it stays that way" Deck lit the paper on fire with a lighter, throwing it to the ground.
"Hands in the air Sir!" Jenkins shouted, before he could squeeze off however, a gun was pointed at his back, and fired. Private Jenkins fell to the floor in a heap.
Deck stomped out the smoldering paper with his boot, looking up to the Sergeant holding the gun "Gather up the dead. I want a level three perimeter sweep"
"Yes Sir Cornel" the Sgt. responded, pulling up his wrist unit "Unit XR03 come in-"
*****
8:35 p.m.
"That wound was filthy gurl" Cindy closed off the fresh dressing in Max's leg. "There ya go suga" she propped up her leg on a cushion
Max leaned back more into her friends couch, looking around at her old place. "Feels better" she lifted up her leg slightly and hissed. "Thanks for letting us stay here" Logan had called Matt Sung from Cindy's. The detective agreed to write up a report that the mess at the penthouse was from a break in. Logan's insurance company was sending someone up in the morning to asses the damage, but there was too much debris tonight to stay there with a baby.
"Anything for my suga" Cindy came back. She kissed Max on the head "I'm gonna heat up some coffee, want?"
"Of course" Max smiled back.
"Feels almost like old times" Cindy stated standing up, watching Logan come through the door with Jess holding his hand "Except for scenes like that" she gave a nod over to Logan. "May be a guy, but sure is a hot boy my boo has" she started walking towards the kitchen.
"He wanted to say good night," Logan informed, leading his son over to Max.
Max smiled pulling Jess into a hug "Night baby" she kissed him on the head.
"Mommy" Jess said around the hug "I understand now"
"Understand what babe?" Max asked looking him in the eye.
"What a bad person is, and I'm not one" he kissed her on the nose, and retreated back to
Max's old bedroom.
Max watched him go "He's still a baby, but not so much as before."
Logan sat on the arm of the couch, draping an arm behind Max's head. "He would've grown up no
matter if he had different genetics"
"But not so damn fast" Max argued "Most two year olds don't have MIB's on their trail"
"Neither do most women" Logan notified, kissing her. "Don't blame yourself"
"He's right suga" Cindy came out of the kitchen, setting a mug on the coffee table in front of Max "Freak assed peeps wanted your son in a cage, and you prevented that. You don't do bad boo, you do good"
"You're a good mom" Logan went on "they love you"
"How bout I put in a movie?" Cindy suggested, looking at the pair "feel like veggin' out tonight"
"Sounds good" Logan commented as Cindy went to retrieve a DVD from the bookcase
"Men In Black" she read the title off the spine "Fits the mood tonight." she put it in the player and sat in an arm chair "Original Cindy's watching aliens get their asses blown off" she looked at the couple on the couch "she's not gonna be lookin' back in case people in this room want to get down with somethin'" she waved the remote at them "Just keep it on the DL" she hit "play"
Max laughed quietly, watching as Logan stood up. She sat up so he could slide in behind her,
resting her back against his chest.
Logan kissed her soundlessly, turning to watch Tommy Lee Jones blow out an alien.
Cindy glanced at the pair out of the corner of her eye. /Defiantly hot lookin' for a guy. My boo did good there too./
*****
Seattle
Puget Sound
"Three dead Sir" the squad leader stated
"What about Jenkins?" Lisa asked, the wind blowing her trench coat
"He was one of them ma'am" the soldier answered
Lisa turned to White "We can't keep loosing men like this Ames. Your son and the others won't be ready for at least another month"
"We have to find out who is tipping 452 off" White stated "and dispose of them"
= = = =
"Sweep is complete Cornel," the Sgt. informed, stepping up to Lydecker's LSI. "There are some
local media vans outside wanting information. I told them it was a break in like you requested,
and that I lived in the building" the Sgt. pulled on the civilian style jacket he put on to conceal his uniform. "These are all the documents we pulled off the bodies"
Lydecker took the papers from him "Pack it up and return to base"
"Yes Sir" the Sgt. left as Lydecker pulled out into the night.
(Fade to Black)
*****
END
After several ideas on how to end this, I settled with this, that way, I can go into it later. Like I said before this was a little Harbor Light'-ey type fic, but it's not 100% like the ep, I changed things to fit this storyline.
Did you like Alexis's first word? I was going to have her say "mommy" but thought "Zack" would be more interesting:)
The song Jess sang to Lexi in the hospital is called "Anna", written by Michael W. Smith
for his eight year old daughter.
As for Zack's confession about Asha, not going to make a whole thing about it, but it is something I'll bring up. Thinking of having a piece around the pair, it won't be the whole plot, I'll weave it with another. I know a lot of people don't like Asha, and I'm not in the Asha Forever camp either, but I started this relationship, I want to see it go deeper.
I know it takes a looong time for me to post things, but it takes a while to write something this lengthy, I want it to have substance, not just be words on paper. Plus, with college stuff I sometimes don't get around to typing for a while. R/R please, and thanks for keepin' up with me
peace
Author: Mystic25
Email: yellowrubberduck31@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Mr. Cameron, Mr. Eglee=THEM. Me= everyone else who ISN'T "them"
Rating: PG14 for imagery and cursing
Summary: A shooting in Southside Market sends Max to the hospital, where the Cales learn more about their son's advanced ability, and they aren't the only ones who find out.
A/N: The summary kinda sounds like "Harbor Lights" a lil bit huh? Well except for the son part, and the fact that in here Max is Mrs. Cale instead of Mrs. Eastwood. I thought it would be interesting to do a lil spin off of the ep in my universe. Also look for Alexis talking for the first time, think I got a good word planned, just have to wait and see.
A/N #2: Thanks to the reviewers who suggested I do something with Jess's ability. I was planning to anyway, and now is as good a time as any.
*****
Southside Market
Seattle
Saturday, February 16, 2020
"Hey girl, take it easy!" the young man was slammed against his stall in the dirty market place. "Not like anything happened"
Max Guevara Cale was not a happy woman "You want points for that shit?" she shoved him harder into the wooden enclosure. "Think you're so damn smart trying to lace produce with a little hyped up rock candy?" she had come here to pick up some fresh green, lettuce, bell peppers, both a rarity in this post-Pulse world. The kids were with her, and Jess had ripped a small section of lettuce off the head, being two and a half and hungry. He had tugged on
Max's leg, telling his mother that the food had "sand" on it.
Max had taken it from him, looking over the leaf. Dotted all around the edges were hard crystals of Meth. She had gotten royally pissed off then, thinking about what could have happened if her small son had gotten those drugs in his body.
"Money needs to be made girl" the stall owner argued.
Max inched closer to his face "If you would've hurt my son, you wouldn't have needed money where you would have gone" she let him go, and backed away. "Don't ever let me catch you being stupid again" she held out her hand to her son "Let's go baby"
She meandered her way through the stalls, searching for a legitimate place to buy produce. She finally stopped at the stall of a Vietnamese woman
"These are washed right?" Max turned over a bundle of spinach in her hand.
The young woman laughed "If you asking, if it has Meth, no. Jazz just tries to get extra money now and then"
Max held a lettuce head in her hand "Whatcha think guys?" she showed her children the green vegetable "Good deal?"
"Good mama" Jess answered, his speaking ability had gotten sharper, and he was able to pronounce words better.
Max smiled "Then we'll take it" she dug out her money while the shop keeper bagged her purchases "That's a quick witted little boy" the woman said of Jess "I have a two year old who only can say "down mama," and "hungry" she grinned "but I love him anyway"
Max smiled again "Thanks" she took the brown bag, sliding it into the canvas bag she brought to keep the rain from getting the food wet.
"Mommy?" Jess looked up when they started walking to the car.
"Yeah sweetie?" Max swung her hand a little to be able to see his face.
"What's P299?"
Max stopped walking then "Where did you see that?" rain dripped off her nose.
"Back there," Jess pointed an arm covered by a red hoodie behind them "with him"
Max turned to see that same stall keeper she had laid out standing a few feet behind her on the
dirty road. "Going somewhere?"
"Well ya know it's kind of RAINING slick, and I don't want my children to catch pneumonia or
anything"
The man didn't say anything, instead whipping out a gun, a silver plated Sig Sauer P299. "Not until we finish this"
Max stood defensively in front of her kids to shield them "Finish what? I thought I DID end it. I suggest you put the iron away before I change my mind"
"All I'm gonna change is your life's outcome" the gun cocked.
Max reacted purely on instinct, pushing her kids back to keep them out of the line of fire. Three rounds went off, then another two. Max managed to dodge them all, but one stray one was fired centimeters beside her 11 month old daughter, and that one she couldn't get away from.
*****
"MOMMY!" Jess was pulling at her frantically. "Mommy up please!"
Max heard her son's desperate yelling through her haze, and in the distance the sound of Lexi crying. The blood mingled with the rain as it slid down her glove. She pushed harder into the hole ripped in her calf, as she lay where she fell on the dirty asphalt.
"Mommy, please-" Jess started to tug at her. His brown eyes caught the sight of pain on her face.
The guy who had shot Max started to leave, when he was met with a human wall. "Hey boy, where
you headed to in such a hurry?"
The man looked at Alec "Need to get back to my stall man"
Alec glanced in back of him to all the commotion that was occurring "What's up there?" he soon got his answer, when he saw who it was. "Max" he said her name, grabbing the jerk by his collar "I see what we're doing now, well I don't swing that way" Alec threw him into a wall "I do things like this"
"Hey buddy, move for a sec" Alec gently slid Jess away "Max"
"Alec, that you?" Max gritted through her teeth
"No it's Peter at the Pearly Gates" Alec quipped lightly "Where'd you get hit?"
"Leg" Max moved her hand away briefly to show him "Don't know if it hit the femoral artery"
"Let's hope it didn't" Alec pressed his hands on top of Max's "I can stop the blood some with
the heat method, or do you want to wait for the guys in blue that someone has most likely
called already?"
"Don't care" Max spat out "Just don't let them see" she indicated her kids. She knew that it would scare them to see Alec trying to help her.
"Someone get these kids" Alec stated to the crowd around them, "I'm a field doctor for the army, and I don't want them to get scared watching me do this"
Ju-Yin Gong, an old friend of Max's stepped out of the crowd, pushing the stroller back to her, and holding Jess's hand "Mommy will be okay little one, you just need to let the man help her"
Jess was still crying, trying to pull away from Ju-Yin to get back to Max. "Momma!"
Alec shielded the flame from his lighter with his hand to keep it from going out by the rain. He heated up his switch blade in the fire, getting the blade hot enough to hiss from rain water contact "Okay Max, time suck it in" he pulled her hands away, and pressed the knife against her skin.
Max screamed when the metal made contact with her body, all the color going from her face.
"Max!" Alec stopped what he was doing. He leaned down closer to her face to check if she was still breathing. Thankfully she was, slow, but there. "Max" Alec tore off his jacket "You're going into shock so I'm going to insulate your body more" he set the navy blue jacket over her still form. Alec still talked to her, even though she was unconscious, because she still might be able to hear him, and he wanted her to know what was going on, it was a tactic learned at Manticore.
Alec was pushed aside when an EMS crew finally arrived at the open area market place. One medic
knelt next to Max's head "looks like we have a through and through near the femur. Jack, grab some gauze and start the O2" She started to shine her maglite in Max's eyes. "Ma'am, can you hear me? You know where you are? Can you tell me your name?" getting no answer she looked to Alec "What's her name sir?"
"Max" Alec notified "Max Cale"
"Are you her husband?"
Alec laughed at that statement "Fraid not, I just work with her"
The medic, whose nametag said "Carmen," placed an O2 mask on Max's face "Start it at 20 liters, and get out the back board"
Max started to come around as Carmen and her partner were moving her onto the backboard.
"Mrs. Cale?" Carmen spoke to Max "I'm Carmen Andrella, an EMT, do you remember what happened?"
Max nodded, her eyes half open. She looked to Alec, doing a set of signals with her hand.
"What's she doing?" Carmen was confused by Max's behavior. "Is that sign language?"
Alec rolled his eyes a bit "Lady if the woman was deaf, she wouldn't have answered your question." Alec paid attention to the signals Max was making with her left hand "She says some guy from the market shot her at close range with a small hand gun"
Carmen looked baffled "How did you know that?"
"Army training" Alec lied "Me and her were in the same squad"
Max rolled her eyes as best she could at Alec's explanation. She pulled the O2 mask off her face "Call Logan"
"Ma'am, you need to keep that on" the medic went to put the mask on her face, but Max grabbed her hand "Tell him what happened *breath* "Alec, or I'll lay ass when I get out"
"Don't worry," Alec reassured "I'll let Mr. Max know what went down"
"Stay with kids, until he gets there" Max breathed heavily.
"Aw, c'mon Maxie" Alec whined. "I already did you two favors today."
Max shot a death glare to him, placing the O2 mask back on her face.
"Hey, I'm kidding, relax" Alec held up his hand "I'm not that cruel. The little rugrats and I will see you at wherever the hell this tanker is going to"
The doors to the ambulance closed "Sir if you want to ride along-"
"Going to meet you there" Alec interrupted "She asked me to call her the husband"
"Okay, tell Mr. Cale that she is being taken to Metro Medical Center" Carmen informed,
climbing in the ambulance before it sped off.
*****
Foggle Towers
Max and Logan's apartment
"I don't understand what's taking so long" Asha stretched out more on the couch "She just said she was going to get vegetables"
"I know" Logan replied "Starting to get worried, Max is never this late getting back" he sliced another cucumber, adding it to the salad.
"I'm sure it's nothing really Logan" Asha looked from him to Zack, who was sitting on the arm of the couch she was at "The rain probably slowed her down"
"Maxie's never been slow in water" Zack argued, looking at her "Why would she have a prob with it now?"
"Calm down babe" Asha stated "I'm sure Max will come through that door any minute and make my idea get shot to hell"
Zack drank more of the scotch in his hand, glancing at his Fossil watch again. "I know my sister, and this isn't like her"
The phone in the kitchen rang. Logan picked up the cordless unit "Yeah?"
"Hey Logan, it's Alec" Alec spoke into his silver cell, leaning against one wall in the ER waiting area.
"What is it?" Logan sounded annoyed.
"Hey, I'm callin' for a good reason, need you to know that Max was shot at the Southside-"
"What?" Logan dropped the wooden spoon in his hand, splashing bright red spaghetti sauce on the
tile floor "Is she okay?"
"She got shot in the leg Logan, there was a lot of blood loss, but she was still alive when I left her."
"Great, thanks" Logan spat back "Where is she, Metro? And what about the kids?"
"Calm down man" Alec had to pull the cell from his ear because of the loud tone Logan was using "Yeah, she's at Metro, and your kids are fine. They're with me, but remember I'm a genetically enhanced transgenic soldier not a baby sitter"
"Just wait there for a little longer Alec, I'll make it in fifteen" Logan disconnected the call, staring into the face of Zack. "Max was shot"
"WHAT?" Zack's reaction was the same as Logan's "Was it?-"
"Alec didn't say, just told me it happened in Southside Market" Logan was hastily turning off the eyes on the stove so he wouldn't scorch the house. He jammed his body into his leather jacket, snatching his keys off the counter.
Zack pulled out the keys to his Vulcan, pulling on his own leather-riding jacket.
"No way" Asha snatched the keys from him "You and me take my car, it's raining"
"I'm not the fucking Witch of the West Asha, so what the hell difference does it make?" Zack snapped back like a pissed off drill sergeant.
Asha took his anger in strides "'Cause your sister was just shot Zack, and transgenic or not, you won't be able to concentrate on the road until you ram into it, so cut the crap, and lets go!" she could dish it out as well as her hot tempered X5 boyfriend. She grabbed her own Jeep Cherokee ignition key. "I can make to Metro in twelve minutes"
"Make it ten," Zack corrected, following her and Logan out the door at a fast pace.
*****
Metro Medical Center
OR Reception/Waiting Area
"Now backwards" Alec leaned more into the back of the plastic chair
"205483563443" Jess leaned on Alec's arm, his head in the crook of one elbow.
"Two for two" Alec showed Jess the numbers on his credit card "That's good" the little boy had just rattled off the sequence of numbers both forwards and backwards by only glancing at the card one time
Jess locked his eyes on him "When can I see mommy?" he gave Alec the famous look that he had inherited from Max.
"The doctors are making her feel better Jesse, they'll let you know when you can see her" Alec pocketed the card.
"Doctors hurt mommy before" Jess spoke of the time he and Max had been taken by White.
/Smart for his age/ Alec looked him right in the eye "These aren't the same people that hurt you and your mom before, they just want to help her"
When Lexi started to cry in her stroller, Jess climbed down from his seat and walked over to her "When Lexi cries, mommy sings to her" he peered at his little sister over the sides of the stroller.
"Sure she would be happy if you did now" Alec suggested "Since she's not here, go for it"
Jess touched his little sister, wiping off one tear with his hand, starting to sing a song that Max often sang to him and Alexis when they couldn't sleep, singing in a little boy's voice.
"Jack is in the corner, the dish is with the spoon,
the sheep is in the meadow, the cow is on the moon,
but I am here with you and I believe, there's no other place
I'd rather be, and a promise not to leave you is a promise
I can keep-"
He wasn't really singing the words, he was rather speaking them out loud "Mommy, come out
now" for all his intelligence, he was still two years old.
"Hey," Alec patted him on the back "She'll be fine," he reassured Jess who was now crying again.
The door to the waiting area opened "Jess" Logan's voice broke his crying.
"Daddy!" Jess climbed out of the chair and threw himself at his father. "Mommy got hurt real bad" now that he was in Logan's arms, he started to cry again.
"I know boy" Logan rubbed his son's back "Shh, it's okay" to Alec he asked, "Where is she?"
"Doctors took her up to surgery a few minutes after she got here to repair torn muscle." Alec
spoke these words just as Zack and Asha rounded the corner.
"Did anyone say anything?" Logan asked
"No" Alec replied, "Haven't heard any complaints about a transgenic solider in the OR yet, so I'm guessing Maxie's still safe."
"What the hell happened?" Zack spoke up next.
"Don't know myself," Alec answered, "All I got was that some strung out little punk squeezed some off at her, and one of them stuck. It wasn't any of the Black Helicopter people, just local a street thug looking for a sale"
A doctor in green surgical scrubs stepped through the door "Which one of you is here for Max Cale?"
"We all are" Zack stood up straighter, staring down the doctor like an adversary.
"You the husband?"
"No," Logan corrected, "I am, he's her brother" and added more importantly "How is she?"
"The bullet missed her femoral artery by half a centimeter, so she was incredibly lucky there. The slug did tear up some tendons, but we were able to stop all the bleeding. A surgeon's just about finished repairing the muscle, so she should be outta there in about half an hour." he looked at Logan "You're wife is a very lucky woman Mr. Cale. Half a centimeter deeper and, it could've caused a massive hemorrhage. I'll have someone bring you up once she's settled."
"I appreciate that" Logan said, relief in his voice.
*****
Room 315
Max felt like she was in a haze, somewhere off kilter and fuzzy. After that ended, she felt the pain radiating out her leg. Her eyes opened even more.
"Maxie? C'mon open'em all the way"
/Zack?/ Max's vision finally focused, and she was able to make out Zack's presence at one end of the hospital bed.
"Ya know you're in trouble when you get a visit from the CO after getting your ass shot off." Max made a joke out of her current situation.
Logan was sitting near the head of the bed, and he rubbed her hand that he was holding "How ya feeling baby?"
"Like I fought with a barbed wire fence and lost" Max complained, shifting up to asses the damage to her body. She couldn't see the bandages on her leg, but she could feel them, along with the sutures used to close the surgical incision. She had some road rash on her hands and elbows where she had made contact with the road. An IV bag dripped blood into her arm, O neg. Since she was the universal recipient and donor, it didn't matter what type she received.
"Where are the kids?" Max looked to her husband
"Doctor thought it would best for the "adults" to come in first, to make sure that it's not to much to handle for children" he answered in a way that let her know he wasn't happy with this decision.
"That's a load of BS" Max stated passionately "They watched me get hurt, THAT was too much to handle, I want them in here"
"Not going to get any complaints from me sweetheart" Logan agreed "Alec's got them in the hall with Asha."
*****
"So you really have a thing for Zack?" Alec looked at the blonde standing beside him.
"That so hard to believe?" Asha stared him in the face, standing beside the baby stroller.
"Just that you and him-" Alec came back "Doesn't seem like it'd work. What ever happened between you and Logan?"
"Max happened" Asha glanced at the two children she was watching. "They just-" she searched her mind for a right word "connect. I've never seen Logan look happier then when they're together with these guys."
"But you and Zack, the CO from Manticore hell?" Alec still didn't take to the idea.
"He's a decent guy Alec" Asha corrected, "He's got that hard ass attitude, but so does every other X5 I've met" she shot a glare at Alec "He understands me better then any other guy I've dated"
"That's your great reason? That he can work it with you?"
"Not THAT kind of understanding gutter mind" Asha rolled her eyes, as Logan stepped out of the room.
"How is she?" Asha spoke out
"She's awake, tired, sore, but she wants to see the kids" Logan looked at his son holding Asha's hand, "Wanna go see mommy?"
Jesse didn't need to be asked twice, he held out his hand, waiting for Logan to lead him.
"Hey baby" Max called out to her son, spying Jess enter the room with Logan.
"Mommy hurt?" Jess was a little intimidated by all the wires and IV bags around the bed.
Max nodded "But not so much that you can't give me a hug" she held out her arms "Gimme some
my man"
Jess was in her arms two seconds later, locked in a death hold around his mother. "I scared"
"It's aiight," Max reassured, she lifted up the blue hospital blanket, exposing the sterile bandage wrapped around her leg "see? I got fixed, so it only hurts a little bit now." she kissed him on the head "How bout you miss?" she addressed her daughter "wanna come sit by mommy?" she held out her arms to take the baby from Logan.
Logan kissed her before passing her their daughter. "Just be a minute huh?" he teased her gently on the last remark she made to him before her accident.
"Guess I lost track of time," she wrapped an arm around Lexi, "Market's a mad area"
"Did you see a face?" Zack asked, moving to stand by Asha.
Max laughed quietly in the back of her throat "This chump laced produce with Meth. I laid him, he didn't like it so he brought out the artillery."
"Anyone get him?" Asha spoke out
"His back did have a good meeting with a wall" Alec notified, making a big deal of clearing his throat. "Not that I'm bragging or anything, just don't want to break that star record of saving Max's ass"
"And here I thought you were egotistical," Max shifted in the bed, hissing under her breath "Stupid DNA, have this codeine and can't even feel it. How'd we handle it during the monthly bone breaking?"
"Remember, we got high off the pain." Zack responded
"I remember screaming" Max answered, "You sounded just like a sailor"
"They broke both my arms then Maxie," Zack informed
"Three fingers, left wrist and two ribs" Alec broke into the conversation, telling them of his own experience from Manticore "all with a vise crusher, healed in two weeks"
"Mine was three, compound fracture" Max spoke out, continuing this turn in the topic of discussion from Codeine to the X5's sharing their medical experiment history.
"Show you my scar Max if you show me yours" Alec came back, looking at her suggestively.
Max merely rolled her eyes at him "Alec, give it a rest before I do it for you" she rested her chin on her daughter's head, playing with her growing locks of brown hair. "So, guess this means dinner's off" Max looked at Asha and her brother.
"I knew something was wrong when you didn't come back on time Maxie" Zack patted her leg through the blanket "Always felt the same way any time you got messed up in combat missions."
"Kinda got the sense something is messed up right now" Alec chimed in.
"Alec shut up," Asha looked to him "Stop thinking trash" she stepped over to the hospital bed, "Told some of my guys I'd drop a package on them tonight after we met up. Just take about fifteen minutes"
"Whatever Asha," Zack didn't get all "yes dear" when it came to moments like these. He finally gave into "false sentiment" but he wasn't going to pour it on.
Asha touched Max's shoulder briefly "Feel better Max"
"Thanks" Max offered her as the other woman pulled her hand away, stepping closer to Zack.
"You get done here let me know" she kissed his mouth, a gesture that he did return.
After Asha left, Zack turned to Max who was looking at him with a half-cocked eyebrow "What?"
"Nuthin' " Max informed, not being able to hide the slight smile on her face "Just wondered where the hell my brother Zack went"
"This is different" Zack argued, "She understands me better then anyone, other than you."
"Funny, that sounds strangely like something people call "love" Max shot her husband a knowing look, who in reaction smiled and kissed her forehead.
"So I guess then I love Asha" Zack spoke out "Want to hold that over my head?" he looked at
her in a stern stare she remembered from their childhood.
Max knew what it took for Zack to admit what there was between him and Asha, but she also knew
Zack, and knew that he wouldn't pour his heart out, not even to his baby sister. "No Sir" a smile tugged at her lips.
"Good call soldier" he leaned closer to her face, kissing her cheek, just below her right temple "Get some sleep Maxie, you've been running on nothing but adrenaline for the past few hours" his voice came down from the "all that CO" to a brother showing concern for his baby sister, the first woman he had ever loved.
Max yawned then, as if Zack's words were a stage cue "Just don't be all hanging around me while I kick it in dreamland kay? I'm not planin' to go anywhere" she looked sternly at Logan "That goes for you too baby, I'll be fine while I'm out. Don't want to see you sacked out in an uncomfortable position"
"Try and stop me," Logan returned
*****
Pharmaceutical Department
Third Floor
"Metro Pharmaceuticals, This is Lisa" the blonde woman spoke into the phone at her desk
"I am a traveler coming from the east-" the voice on the other line spoke out
"And I will cross your path heading from the west" Lisa repeated the age old phrase "what is it you want of me?"
"There is a patient there, a woman brought in for a GSW. She's one of Them"
"An X5?" Lisa asked, glancing around the room briefly to be sure no one heard her
"Correct, she's one who escaped with the twelve in '09"
"You want me to get rid of her?"
The smile could almost be heard through the phone "You could help her get more "comfortable" Ames White leaned back into the leather seat of his car.
Lisa nodded from her end; "I'll make sure she'll be VERY comfortable" she hung up. Opening a large white box with a key Lisa pulled out a syringe that was designed to deliver a single dose of a substance. Next to it lay a small brown bottle, which she filled the syringe with. The label reading "100% Liquid Potassium Chloride No Dilution WARNING: NEVER inject full dosage alone without express written orders." was slightly faded and pealed from age.
Lisa picked up the instrument, throwing the now empty bottle in the trash "Jenny" Lisa called out to a woman who worked the same desk "Could you watch my post for a second? I got a call to take care of a patient"
"Sure" Jenny responded
Lisa smiled, the cynicism known only to her
*****
Room 315
The room was dark, and silent except for the biping of the EKG machine. The people who were with the X5 had all left, Lisa had watched carefully, even her husband had stepped out to use the restroom. She smiled, he didn't even know it was the last time he would see his wife alive. Lisa examined the woman asleep in the bed. Her eyes were closed, brown hair pushed to one side. Her head was tilted slightly, exposing the jugular vein in her neck.
Lisa smiled to herself, taking out the syringe; she uncapped the spike, drawing it to Max's neck "Goodbye 452" her finger was poised above the plunger
"What's that for?"
Lisa pulled back at the small voice, the needle still in her hand. She observed a little brown haired boy climb off the small couch in the room. He looked at her curiously, examining the medical instrument. "Why does mommy need a shot?"
Lisa looked at the small child "Your mommy's been hurt hun, and this will help her feel better" she spoke in a calming voice.
"But what is it?" Jesse asked curious
"Something called Potassium Chloride, it'll help her sleep better" Lisa didn't lie to him, he was only two, he wouldn't know anything about the effects, at least she believed this.
Jess suddenly came closer to the bed "That don't help sleep" /FLASH: Jess sat at the table. Next to him was Max, reading Physician's Desk Reference. On one open page the header read POTASSIUM CHLORIDE: Drug designed for euthanasia. Death occurs within seconds after a single injection/ "Leave mommy alone!" he made a grab for the needle in Lisa's hand.
"Calm down little boy," Lisa pushed him away "Mommy won't feel a thing"
"NO!" Jess locked one hand on her, locking a hard grip on the woman.
Lisa felt the pressure from his grip /It must be the genes from 452, toddlers usually can't do a death lock/ She still managed to draw the needle closer.
At Jess's scream, Max's eyes suddenly snapped open "What's goin' on?" she saw her son yanking on the woman who was holding a needle in her hand "Who are you?"
"No need to be alarmed Mrs. Cale" Lisa stated "Your little boy just got excited from seeing this syringe. Your doctor wanted me to give you more Codeine for the pain." she took Max's hand "Hold still"
"Mommy, she has a broke watch," Jess piped up, formulating something in his mind "Not 4:52." he pointed to Max's watch on the room's nightstand "Yours said 9:11"
Max understood what her son was trying to tell her. She yanked her hand back, locking it around Lisa's wrist "I don't need anymore drugs sorry" she shoved her off the bed, moving to stand up. Lisa landed on the IV wires, yanking them out of Max's hand. She was soon on her feet
"I see your son is getting his share of the genes Manticore freak," Lisa growled, staring down Max.
"At least I gave him good genes, as opposed to the dog looks and ghetto ass you'll pass along to your kids" Max ducked as Lisa threw a punch at her, readying her arms in a fighting stance
Lisa came back kicking Max's legs out from under her. Lisa had trained with White, learning black belt status Jit-Su, Karate and Ta Kwan Do. She wasn't a Red Series, or a member of White's group. But with Max's weakened condition, she had the upper hand "To bad the dog looking woman comes with a back up plan" she pulled out a pistol, cocking it at Max "Tsk tsk 452, shot twice in one day-" her words were cut short when she felt her arms ripped behind her back.
Zack snatched the gun from her hand, throwing it away before knocking her into the wall with a sidekick.
Lisa made a reach for the gun, which had skidded near where she was thrown.
"Don't think so" a one inch healed leather boot stepped on the gun, as the sound of Asha's silver Colt cocked in Lisa's face. She kept her gun aimed on the downed woman, sliding the small pistol to her free hand. Picking up the gun she tossed it to Zack.
Logan helped his wife to her feet. The impact of her being thrown to the floor had ripped open a few stitches in her leg. "Baby can you walk?"
Max stretched out her injured leg, balancing on one of Logan's arms "Think so" She made it about three or four steps back to the bed before she couldn't hold her weight on that leg anymore. She tripped, pitching forward.
Logan caught her arm before she fell, "I got you" He picked her up in his arms, carrying her the rest of the way.
He sat her carefully on the mattress. "Damn" he applied pressure to the blood seeping out of the gauze around her leg "Sorry angel" he remarked after Max hissed at his touch.
Zack hauled the woman to her feet, keeping her arms pinned behind her back in a Manticore technique called a "lock grip"
Lisa looked Zack in the face, like a person she knew but hadn't seen in a while. That look, however soon disappeared "You're X5-599" she paused "You lead the escape in '09," she looked to Max and then back to Zack "I use to work at Manticore." she actually smiled at that "with the interbreeding program. 452 and 599-" she paused to search her memory "ah yes, my last file had it listed as male." she looked Max full in the face "But I'm sure you knew that 452 after you woke up on the floor-"
"SHUT UP!" Zack slammed her into a wall "You have three seconds to convince me why I shouldn't rip each limb off your body and ram them down your throat!"
"You two should be proud of your little trans-transgenic creation," Lisa kept going "He would've been great to splice-"
"I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!" Zack slammed her into the wall again
The door opened "Ma'am, you need to come with us, you're under arrest for assault and attempted murder" a sector cop entered the room with his gun trained on Lisa "hands in the air where I can see them!"
Zack had to let her go then, but he did so with such force that if Lisa didn't have the training she did, she would've wound up with two dislocated shoulders.
Behind the sector cop, stood Sam "A vial of Potassium Chloride was missing from the pharmacy." he stepped over to Max "no ones allowed access to the vials unless they are authorized to have a key. But there wasn't anyone in the CCU who wanted to end their suffering, so that set of my warning system"
"Intuition paid off" Max remarked
Sam pealed back the gauze from Max's wound, "This is a little messy, gonna have to re-stitch the top four" he obtained a suture kit from the closet and set to work.
"Jess saved my life" Max stated as Sam stitched up her newly opened wound, she looked over at her son who was watching Sam intently "How did you know she wanted to hurt me baby?" she didn't say "kill" because he had been traumatized enough today.
"She said she's giving you bad medicine P-P-"
"Potassium Chloride?" Logan finished for his son
Jess bobbed his head up and down "Book said it for killing people, I don't want mommy to die" Jess said "kill" where Max didn't
"I'm good now hun," she reassured, putting her arm around him "Thanks to my man"
Jess climbed into her lap just as Sam finished the last stitch. He snipped the biodegradable thread with scissors. "Nothing new was torn, I just closed up the old hole" he re-wrapped her leg, setting it gently back on the blue hospital sheet. "You'll be held up here for about two more days or so, then you can go home, but take it easy.That means no "night work" for at least two weeks Max, even with all that Manticore advanced healing you have, bullet wounds are nothing to mess with"
Lisa had been removed in handcuffs from the hospital room, leaving Max with her family plus Sam and Asha. Max flinched when Sam re-inserted a clean IV needle in to replace the one that had been ripped off.
"No pain no gain I guess" Max looked at the tube attached to her hand, clenching and unclenching her fingers
Asha pulled out a latex glove from its box and bent down to pick up the old IV tubes off the floor.
"Throw it in the trash" Zack took out a book of matches. He stood on a "guest" chair and disabled the smoke detector so it wouldn't ring or set off the sprinklers. He sprayed the inside of the trashcan with a little disinfectant aerosol spray from the hospital bathroom.
He then lit the match and threw it in the can, igniting the highly flammable disinfectant spray.
"Well I feel safe now from the Boogie Man" Max joked lightly, watching the flames burn the tubes and needles with her blood on them.
"White must've heard you were here," Zack smothered the flames with his combats "he doesn't need complete conformation"
"He might try this again, when he realizes Max is still alive Zack" Asha informed
"Maybe someone should be outside the door" Sam suggested "just in case"
"Like who?" Zack was skeptical "I doubt a minimum wage security guard would do the trick"
"Zack"
All eyes shifted to the source of the word that was spoken, because it wasn't Max, Logan or Asha
"Did she just?" Logan looked down at eleven-month-old Lexi who was propped up in his lap.
"She talked" Max looked equally surprised, gazing up at her brother "You were her first word Zack, I can't believe it" Max broke out in a huge grin "That's so coo' baby" she kissed her daughter on the head "Ya know who your uncle is" she played with her fingers.
"Zack," Lexi spoke out again, this time looking her uncle in the eyes.
"Out of all the words she could've chosen to say first-" Logan teased in a whisper
Max hit him lightly with her free hand. "Play nice"
"Heard that Logan, remember Manticore abilities?" Zack reminded.
"She's advanced for her age" Asha pointed out "Most kids I've been around don't talk this clearly"
"It's from Maxie," Zack returned "She started naming weapons out loud when she was ten months old, "AK-47" was her first word"
Max shifted up in the bed "Ahh" she twisted uncomfortably with a grimace
"What's wrong Max?" Logan noticed her discomfort
"Sore," Max admitted "Feel like someone nailed me with a sledge hammer" she rubbed her neck with her free hand, trying to work out the knots that had taken up residency under her skin.
"Here," Logan removed the pillow she was leaning against "Scoot up baby" he sat in the newly vacated area, kneading her sore muscles with his hands.
Max felt her "rocks" starting to chip away, making a noise that sounded suspiciously like a purr under her breath. "Feels nice" she commented
*****
State Prison
Seattle
Sector 4
"All right Hinsley," a officer with the Seattle PD came up to Lisa's cell "Your lawyer is here," there was a jingle of keys as he unlocked the cell door "Twenty minutes for a briefing, want longer time, have to do it on another day"
"Understood officer," the man straightened out his navy blue tie before stepping into the 5 x 7 ft cell. After the door was shut, and the officer left did the "lawyer" turn to the woman. He sat next to her on the old prison cot "I take it the objective did not go through"
Lisa turned to look Ames in the face "That little boy 452 has is a lot smarter then I realized, he knew what I was doing"
"Never underestimate Manticore," White told her "Even with all their flaws, those kids still were dipped in the super smart end of the gene pool, and some of it rubs off"
"So what do we do now?" Lisa asked,
"452's son," White stated, "He's progressing at highly advanced level"
"That's to be expected with a mother like his" Lisa agreed
"When I had them contained, the tests on the boy showed that 452's transgenic DNA was altered slightly by her husband's normal genetic code. He is able to learn and perceive faster then X5-452 did at that age."
Lisa looked shocked. As a geneticist who worked on Project Manticore, she had seen 452 identify parts of a Night hawk fuselage and memorize mission strategies at one year old. If this child was becoming more advanced then that- "How much faster?"
"I didn't find out much before 452 escaped, but we can find out" White replied
*****
Foggle Towers
Two days later
"Good to be home," Max opened the door on the passenger side of the Aztec "Hate hospitals" She had been discharged that morning. Her wound, Sam said, would heal in about a week, but it didn't warrant her to stay at Metro any longer. "Only liked bein' there when I had the kids"
"Well you're back now baby," Logan came around to her side, handing her the crutches she had been given at the hospital
Max placed the crutches under her arms and slid out of the car. She was careful not to set her injured leg on the ground. "Aww sweetie," she addressed her black Ninja sitting in the parking garage, using the same tone of voice she reserved for her children "Mommy got ripped, so she can't play for a few days."
"I'm sure the Ninja missed you too angel" Logan teased; slinging the small bag that housed his wife's belongings over one shoulder. One thing about this woman, she was low maintenance. Manticore had trained her to only take the bare essentials on trips, so as to not be bogged down with extra weight. All she had asked Logan to bring from home was her toothbrush and an extra set of clothes to last her two days. Logan had once taken an overnight trip with Val to Portland for an engagement party, and the woman had brought along ten bags. She said it was for "just in case" In case what? Was that extra ball gown for just in case yellow wasn't the "in" color at the party?
Max limped to the elevator, resting against the concrete wall while she waited for the doors to open. "I know I don't have to sleep, but right now I want to get up there and crash out"
The doors opened, and the couple stepped inside
"Hi Logan," a young woman piped up after the doors closed. She had just recently moved into an apartment on the tenth floor, and she and him chatted on occasion when they passed each other in the mailroom.
"Hey Jenna," Logan said out of politeness "How's it going?"
"Good" the blonde responded cheerfully. She had the biggest crush on him. "You?"
"Can't complain," Logan responded, watching the numbers light up on the panel.
/God he's hot/ Jenna smiled at his statement, "Yeah, life can be a bitch sometimes"
"I wouldn't say that" Logan argued
"Trust me if you're alone, life's a bitch" Jenna complained
"Dammit!" Max cursed suddenly, breaking her silence.
Logan looked away from Jenna "What's wrong?"
"My ring-" Max gazed at the floor of the elevator "Took it off for a sec to scratch this damn road rash and I lost it" she honed her vision around the elevator finally catching the glint of metal with her eye "There it is" she hobbled down to reach it "Little help goes a long way" she looked up at Logan just watching her.
"Thought you were independent Max" Logan retrieved the ring before she did, dusting off a few specs of dirt from the jade surface
"Thought you were a gentleman," she returned, pulling herself up.
Logan had to smile at that "Touché" He examined the jade band in his palm, taking her left hand in his "Allow me" he slipped the band back on her finger. He saw all the reddish colored skin on her hands "Ouch"
"More like damn" Max corrected, turning them over, revealing the same redness on the reverse sides
"You should soak those in some hot water once we get home" he kissed her open palms, turning slightly to the other woman in the elevator "Excuse me, Max, this is Jenna Streland, she just moved in downstairs. Jenna this is my wife Max"
"Nice to meet you" Jenna returned, with a smile, but her voice was slightly down trodden /did he say "wife?"/
"Same" Max returned
The elevator dinged at the penthouse. Even though Jenna lived on the tenth floor, she stayed in the elevator until the top twenty-fifth floor where Max and Logan lived.
"C'mon baby, I can hear our children from here" Max hobbled out into the hall, turning to Jenna "Nice meetin' ya"
"You too" Jenna replied as the elevator door closed
After she left, Logan turned towards Max "You are a wicked woman" he looked at her reproachfully "I can here our children from here "baby"" he mocked her earlier words
"She got the message *baby* " Max argued "Spelled it out as clear as I could without having to break her all over that elevator floor."
"A bit possessive are we?" Logan asked
"Damn straight" Max agreed.
When they approached their door it opened before they got there.
"Heard you comin'" Cindy came out of the penthouse. She had been babysitting the kids while Logan went to pick up Max at the hospital. "Welcome home suga," she hugged Max "How ya doin' my boo?"
"Good as can be expected," Max answered honestly, balancing her injured leg in the air
"Mommy's home!" Jess cried out, running out of the apartment in his bare feet.
"Hey sweetie" Max picked him up, bracing herself on one crutch, and settling Jess on her hip
"Miss me?"
"Yeah!" Jess answered with enthusiasm, planting a kiss on her mouth.
"Missed you guys too," Max returned the gesture.
"Lil boo," Cindy addressed Jess "Mama needs both her arms to get inside the house so you come with Auntie kay?"
"Kay" Jess agreed, sliding down to the floor "Hurry momma" he ran back in the house.
"I'm right behind ya baby" Max called out
"Better come in suga," Cindy looked at her best girl critically "looks like you need to sit"
"No arguments there gurl," Max limped through the doorway.
"Hey" Max stopped to pet the hyper active Kaja who had bound up to greet her "Nice to see you too"
"Down girl" Logan called out "Mommy needs some rest"
The dog obeyed his command instantly, still remembering where she came from.
Max crashed onto the cushions of the couch with a sigh.
"Let me give you a hand with that" Cindy propped up Max's injured leg on a cushion. "Good?"
"Feels much better" Max looked to her friend "thanks"
In the bedroom Logan unpacked Max's small bag. He made a quick trip to the bathroom to drop off the toothbrush.
"See daddy?" Jess's voice called out, he was holding up something.
"What's up Jess?" Logan turned to look at his son standing in the bathroom doorway "Wow, that's great" he praised the drawing in his hands "Is that for mommy?"
Jess nodded, "Don't like those" Jess pointed to the "P299" that he wrote in pencil, and then
X-d out in bright red crayon. "Dey were on the gun"
Logan stepped closer to him "Can I see?" he took the paper from Jess, looking at the card, with the typical "Love You Mommy" that any child would do. But the numbers written above the yellow smiley face- "You saw mommy get hurt with a gun?"
Jess nodded again "Silver sisauer P.2.9.9" he pronounced "Sig Sauer" like it was only one word, and he spaced out P299, but just the fact that he had just identified the weapon Max had been shot with was amazing in itself.
"This is good work," Logan proclaimed, handing him back the drawing.
"Will mommy hurt for a long time?" Jess asked seriously.
"For a little while Jess" Logan didn't lie to him "But-" he picked him up "I'm sure when you show her this, she'll feel a lot better"
Jess smiled "Let's bounce"
Logan had to laugh at his statement /He is defiantly his mother's son/ "Okay"
"Hey sweetie," Max looked at her daughter peeking at her from behind the coffee table "Whatcha doin'?"
Lexi giggled, and went back behind the table, but still kept one eye out at her mother.
The smile on Max's face broadened "C'mon baby girl" she held out her arms "Scalk on over to mommy"
The little girl let go of the coffee table, and took wobbly steps over to where Max was.
"Look at my little boo" Cindy praised, as the baby finally reached Max who reached down and picked her up.
"Ya know this one said her first yesterday?" Max raised an eyebrow at Cindy.
Cindy kneeled next to the couch "For real?" she touched Lexi's cheek "My boo is hangin' with the big girls" she kissed her "What was it?" Cindy looked to Max.
"Zack" Max couldn't help the smile that came to her face.
"Logan had a prob with that huh?" Cindy basically asked a rhetorical question.
"With what?" Logan emerged from the bedroom with Jess in tow.
"What my lil boo said yesterday," Cindy informed.
"The "Zack" thing hun" Max informed
"Never said that was a problem," Logan corrected
"Course not," Max said with a hint of a smile.
Jess stood in front of his mother, and presented her with his paper
"For me?" Max took the paper from him. She smiled at what she saw "This is so great" she turned to her son "Thanks baby, makes me feel better" she hugged him. "See what my boy did?" Max held out the drawing to Cindy.
"That's kicks so much" Cindy held out her hand "High five on that one Jess"
Jesse slapped his smaller hand against Cindy's. "See momma" Jess addressed Max again. He pointed to the P299 "No more guns"
Max looked hard at the numbers /FLASH: "Where'd you see that?" "Back there" Jess pointed "With him"/ "No more" Max repeated, kissing his forehead. She shared a glance with Logan across the room.
*****
8:39 p.m.
The black Benz waited outside the back way of the condemned building. Rain slapped against the windows. The passenger door opened and a man slid inside.
"Hot off the press Sir" Private Jenkins handed Ames White a set of photos. "Hover Cam was stationed right outside Southside"
White looked at the images of the outdoor market area. There were several clear shots of Max, one when she was confronting the stall owner, and another after she was shot. "Lisa's end's been tied?"
"Yes Sir" Jenkins pulled out a CD R "She got this out of the hover drone's audio readout. Changed the format so it can play standard, so it's set to roll Sir" he placed it in the Benz CD player and hit "play"
/"What's P299?"
"Where did you see that?"
"Back there with him-"/
Jenkin's pointed to an image of Jess on one of the photos "452's son identified the weapon his mother was shot with before it was even pulled out. My guess is that he must've honed in on the brand of the gun in the man's pocket beforehand"
= = = =
(inside shot of a Lexis LSI's tan leather seats. Opened black laptop runs sound enhancement program. Screen shows the sound waves emitted by White and Jenkins's conversation)
"Your guess would be correct this time Private" White stopped the CD "This boy is showing incredible genetic advancement, and after I run the neuros on him, we'll know how much"
Donald Lydecker listened to the conversation that was going on. After it ended, he picked up the cell that was lying on the car seat next to the computer.
"Seattle Directory Assistance" came the woman's voice on the other end.
"I need the address for Logan and Max Cale"
"One moment please" there was typing on the other end for a few seconds "It's in Sector 5. 363 Lyell Drive, the penthouse apartment"
"Thank you" Lydecker ended the call, watching the black Mercedes drive off before pulling out into the night.
*****
Foggle Towers
9:21 p.m.
"Sleep tight babe" Max kissed her son on his head once more before shutting of his bedroom light. She closed the door quietly, re-positing the crutches back under her arms.
"How's he taking all this?" Logan asked her once she came back into the living room.
"He's worryin' bout me a lot" Max limped over to him "Poor baby, musta scared him a lot to see me kiss metal" she looked Logan in the eye, leaning against the wall.
"Hey I would've been the same way Max," Logan let her know, framing her face with his hand "But actually it was the one time I was glad Alec was there" this made his wife smile. "Baby, can I ask you something?"
"You wanna know about Jess" Max answered his question before he even asked it.
"When you were at the Southside-" he started walking to the couch. "Did Jess see anyone before-"
"He saw numbers" Max balanced herself on one crutch so she could sit. She felt Logan help her down. "Said something about a P299 when we were leavin'. And when I turned around this shit was holding a silver sig"
Logan pondered this for a moment "He must've seen the brand somewhere on the gun before, and just filed it away to ask you later"
"Never realized how much he reminds me of myself" Max stated suddenly "This stuff is happening to him, and he doesn't understand why" she paused "Because of his freak show mom"
"Hey enough" Logan stated firmly, halting Max's thinking. Woman came down to hard on herself.
A loud crying broke the night air
"Lexi" Max pulled herself up on one crutch,
"I'll go" Logan pushed his wife back down.
"She's my baby too Logan" Max informed, moving to stand up again
Logan kissed her forehead "I know, be right back" he disappeared towards the nursery.
Max leaned back into the couch, closing her eyes, which snapped open a few seconds later when
something caught her eye in the window
"Zack" Max just entered the office as her brother slid in through the open skyline window
"Shouldn't leave this open Maxie" Zack stepped over to her, removing his leather jacket, revealing a black shirt underneath (mystic: did this part for me, Zack in a black t-shirt, with those arms..d.a.m.n)
"Why are you here?" Max asked, she loved her bro, but he didn't do quick visits like other people
"Can't I just hang with my sis?" Zack stretched out on the same couch where he had thrown his
jacket. When Max looked at him in a way that said 'not unless hell has frozen over', he told her the truth "Just wanted to see if you were okay"
"I'm good" Max informed, "You know how fast we heal" she leaned on her crutches.
"Alec told me about Jess" Zack stated
"He identified the gun I was shot with" Max limped over to him, stopping right in front of him
"Starting the way we did"
"That makes it dangerous for him" Zack stated matter-of-factly "You remember what it was
like when we first got out" he uncrossed his arms, looking up at Max's face "We didn't know how to deal with our abilities in the real world, to keep it DL. Jesse has all this going on, but he wasn't taught to understand it, and run with it. It's his weakness Maxie-"
"That's why I'm going to tell him about us" Max broke in "He has a right to know what's happening to him" a pause "I think about this all the time Zack. He's my son, and I am NOT going to let anyone do to him what Manticore did to us"
There was a knock on the door.
Max was still reeling from her conversation with Zack, so she didn't even look through the peephole.
"Max" Lydecker stepped through the doorway, before she could close it
"Unless you want a doorknob up your ass, you better get out of my house!" Max barked at the older man.
Deck ignored her and stepped into the room "There's something you need to know-" he was cut off
when he was rushed against the door, making it slam shut from the impact.
"We don't need to know anything from you" Zack glowered at Lydecker, holding a fistful of the man's shirt in his hand.
"I think you do Zack" Lydecker looked the X5 in the eye "Unless you don't care about your nephew's life"
"What are you saying?" Max barked back.
Deck turned to face Max "Your son is very special Max. He isn't a normal boy. Ask yourself what
would happen if Ames White got a hold of him?"
"Or you Deck" Zack shoved him back against the door "You want to start preaching the "what if" gospel with me, it's gonna get nasty real fast-"
"I never wanted to hurt you all" Lydecker interrupted
"Yeah well you failed" Logan had come out of the bedroom, holding his 45 he kept in the computer desk "Breaking children's bones, shooting them down, what the hell is that if it's not hurt?" he took a step closer to them
"These kids were built for it son," Lydecker addressed Logan, turning to face him. "I'm not coming here to launch a vigil anti on your family, I came here to warn you-"
Max blew him off "We suppose to believe that you did a complete one-eighty, after all that withholding you've done from the Save the Manticore Mutant Prototype Fund?"
"Whether you believe me or not Max, it won't change what White was briefing his boy on about your son" he raised a Zip disk in his hand.
"Let him go" Max ordered to Zack "Hear what he has to say"
Zack looked Deck in the eye with a hard, no nonsense stare "I get wind of a shake down, there won't be enough of you leftover to bury in the ground" he released his shirt in an abrupt, jerky manner.
"You haven't changed Zack" Lydecker announced out of the blue "Had the same commanding tone when you were twelve" he didn't wait for a response from the X5, and got down to his next order of business "I need a zip drive to run this"
"I've got one" Logan snatched the disk from him, and took it over to his computer. He loaded the disk in the drive, clicking the safety on the gun "When were you eavesdropping?" Logan typed in a few commands on his keyboard, laying the 45 back in the drawer.
"2000 hours" Deck informed, not saying anything more.
Logan brought up the file, and ran the audio feed. The conversation played back verbatim through the speakers
"He wants to run neuros on Jess" Max spoke out "Why? He knows how smart he will become, sliced up enough Manticore things in his time"
"It's not the same Max," Deck corrected
"What do you mean?" Zack snapped, "What the hell difference does it make?"
"Max's chrosomial DNA was altered in the boy by Logan's normal genetics" Deck informed, "The intermixing of the two added a completely different strand on one helix of DNA in a chromosome set. It encodes for his abilities to show up earlier then anything Manticore created."
"What about Alexis?" Max shot out; she needed to know "Will she be this way?"
"She will have advancements, but not as fast as his" Deck answered "You all were designed so that if you were to breed with a civilian, the DNA encoding for this helix would stop after the first generation to keep track of these kinds off offspring more efficiently"
Max looked disgusted "If White thinks he's going to mess with MY baby because of this helix strand, I'm going to break out of my policy of not handling guns" she turned to Deck "Why are you giving us this 411? Could just as easily used it against us"
"For the same reason, you all broke out that winter night," Deck spoke out "It's all about priorities"
"You just want to save your own ass" Zack growled
"Regardless of that," Logan broke in, swiveling in his chair "Jess has already been screwed enough by White, and I'm not going to let it happen again"
*****
1:23 a.m.
"Max?" Logan looked up from his pillow, flipping on the light "What's up?"
Max was leaning against the bedroom window, supporting herself on one crutch. Her leg was getting stronger, but she still needed the crutches for balance. "I won't let White take Jess" her voice was fierce, as she gazed out on the broken skyline.
"Feeling's mutual" Logan reassured, stepping up behind his wife.
"He's our son" Max turned her head to look Logan in the eye "Not some science experiment. I don't care how advanced he will become, he's still two years old. If something happens to him, he'll never be the same, hell I'LL never be the same. I know what it's like Logan, and I don't EVER want to see either one of them go through that kind of hell-" she spoke with deep passion.
"That's why we're here" Logan wrapped his arms around her from behind "To make sure nothing happens" he dipped his head down to kiss the barcode on her neck.
/FLASH: "Never underestimate the enemy" Lydecker addressed the young soldiers "Otherwise you will be caught off guard"/
Max squeezed Logan's hands where they rested on her waist, thinking of a way to keep her baby boy out of danger.
*****
Jam Pony
The Next Morning
"Max" Alec stated when she entered the building "You're looking better then when I saw you all over the road"
"Gee thanks" Max threw back continuing to limp inside.
"Oh my god it's true" Normal spoke out looking at Max "At first I thought this injury scenario was just bullshit to get out of work-"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you Normal" Max threw back "Next time I'll try and dodge the bullet just to keep your ideals on me up to code"
"Is that smart mouth of yours running on the time clock today?" Normal asked
"Not unless I can move a bike with one leg" Max threw back, heading towards the back.
"She's late when she's working and she's punctual when she's not" Normal called out after her.
"So did Zack tell you about your little Manticore Einstein?" Alec continued to follow her
"I knew already Alec" Max informed, "Remember I'm his mother?"
"Nothing like a little half transgenic coming into his own to keep you on your toes huh Maxie?
Heard about what happened at Metro" when Max looked at him wondering how the hell he knew
that since he wasn't there, he added "Your brother let me in on the 411 when we had that talk. Guy's so commando oriented, don't know what Logan's ex sees in him"
"All this because she turned you down?" Max stated "I hate to break it to you Alec, but that "thing you do so well" is all in your head, think she went with Zack" she whispered this last part loudly.
"You're just glad that Asha's finally doing someone else, and not sitting around fantasying about what she and Logan could do all day when you're at work"
Max knocked him upside the head.
"Alec, get your lazy butt in gear" Normal called out "This isn't a social hour"
"Max and I are just discussing finer aspects of a threesome" Alec called out.
Max knocked him again for that one
"Damn girl quit doin' that" Alec fixed the messed up strands of his hair.
"This one is for 134 Fental Ave" Normal threw the package at Alec
"This is even beyond steel head territory" Alec examined the label "Gonna run in a lot of overtime"
"I'm not giving you anything extra" Normal returned "If you don't screw anything up, maybe you'll get a tip"
"Not enough money in Seattle for that" Alec came back
"134 Fental Ave" Max spoke out; cocking her head at Alec "Isn't that Asha's place?"
"On second thought" Alec's perspective on the situation changed "Bet I could get a nice tip
out of this one"
Max looked at him "Shut up, and let's get going"
"You're coming with me?" Alec turned to her "Max, I am deeply touched by this display of affection"
"I'm going to make sure you don't do anything stupid when you're over there" Max informed
"Affection only goes so far Max" Alec told her "As nice looking as you are, this bicycle ain't built for two" he slapped the seat of his bike, making dust billow out of the stretched leather "not even the ways I'm thinking of would hold out that far"
"I have my car" Max held up her keys "'Cause the ways I was thinking of wouldn't get you there in one piece either"
"Then by all means Maxie" Alec did a grand wave with his hand "Lead the way" When Max passed in front of him he asked "what ways were you thinkin' of?"
Max hit him again "Shut up"
*****
Foggle Towers
"Here doggie" Jess held up a rubber pork chop to Kaja. The German Shepherd leapt at her toy. Jess threw it, sending it sliding across the hardwood floor "Go get it!" he watched the dog do a nosedive on the floor. She returned the plastic toy back to Jess, sitting at his feet, waiting to continue the game.
Logan glanced away from the computer for a second, making sure his son wasn't getting into anything he shouldn't. "See this sweetie" Logan addressed Lexi sitting in his lap. "This is going to be bad news for that Mafia group on the West Side" he pointed to the computer monitor, showing two members participating in a robbery at a head shop. Lexi pointed at the screen as well.
Logan smiled "They'll never see it coming" he kissed her on her head
"Fetch Kaja!" Jess pitched back with his arm, putting more force into the throw, sending the chew toy whizzing past the living room, and knocking a glass off the kitchen counter, shattering it on the floor.
Logan's head snapped up at the crash "Jess?" he picked up his daughter, and exited his office. He scanned the penthouse, looking for the source of the noise.
"Jesse" Logan found the boy in the kitchen, kneeling over broken shards of glass "What happened?"
"I threw too hard, I'm sorry daddy. I didn't mean to-"
"It was an accident" Logan informed, "don't worry about it" he set Lexi on her feet outside the kitchen. "Jess don't try to pick those up with your hands, you'll cut yourself" he took the glass piece from his son's hand "I'll do this, Go make sure your sister doesn't come in here and cut herself okay?"
Jess nodded, and headed over to Alexis, watching his father clean up the kitchen floor. The telephone rang after Logan had dumped the broken glass in the trash.
"Yeah?"
"Hello sir, I'm calling from Craddock Heights Insurance. We are offering you a-"
"I'm covered already, thanks" Logan replied to the woman
"Our policy is different sir" the woman argued, "We don't just offer it for you and your life partner, also you're dependants are covered in case of any dismembering accident that might occur"
"Can I get back to you on that?" Logan ran a hand through his hair, annoyed at the sales woman.
= = = =
(Cut to: shot of Lisa talking on a black phone in a dimly lit office)
"Yes sir you can, and with our no haggle phone service, your call will be instantly
directed to an assistance operator" her voice was overly cheery "We don't want your
insurance problems to be solved AFTER you get hurt and wake up on the floor"
"Keep that in mind" Logan was heard to say through the other end of the phone.
"Then you have a nice day sir" the phone disconnected
"You have it?" Ames stepped over to Lisa, dressed all in black
"Got it" Jenkins replied, looking at his computer screen "Feed lasted long enough"
"Get a unit over there to apprehend" White ordered, and added "I want him alive"
Jenkins stood up "Yes Sir" he headed out of the room.
"What happens if 452 tries to stop this?" Lisa looked to White after Private Jenkins left. "All
mothers have instincts when their children are in danger"
"If that happens" White loaded a single bullet in the Magnum XR-05 "It'll just be two for
the price of one"
*****
Fental Ave
Asha's Apartment
"Max" Asha opened the door "Thought you'd still be down for the count"
"Getting tired of sittin' at home" Max replied
"Can understand that" Asha replied, "So what's up?"
"Business call Asha" Alec spoke out, stepping in front of Max, holding up the box "delivery. Now if you're out of cash, I can take some other form of payment" Alec stepped into the apartment
Max kicked him with her good leg "Shut up" she followed Alec inside "hey moron, you're working
remember?"
"Well I'm giving myself a break Maxie" Alec notified "Sure Asha won't mind will you?"
"Actually I do" Asha pointed out, looking at the X5 crashed out on her couch "but that's never stopped you before" she grabbed the parcel out of his hands "Where do I sign?"
Alec gestured at Max with his hand "Maxie, the signature sheet please" ducking when Max threw stuff at him "So where's Mr. CO?"
"Siphoning gas out of my neighbors Honda for his Vulcan" Asha hastily scribbled down her signature on the sheet. She set the box on the coffee table and started to open it with a box cutter.
"And how many times a day does he do this?" Alec threw out
"Just because you play women like a piano Alec doesn't mean that you can speak of Zack that way" Asha came back defensively.
A pager beeping cut through the air.
Max and Alec checked theirs at the same time
"It's Logan" Max informed, looking at the device clipped to her waist "Can I use your phone Asha?"
"Yeah sure, it's over there" Asha pointed out her cordless unit resting on an end table
"Asha," Alec began again "you were getting a little bitchy there, did you have a prob with what I said?"
"Yeah I did" Asha snapped back "Usually do when someone talks trash about my boyfriend"
"Hey it's me hittin' you back " Max spoke into the phone to Logan "what's going down?"
"Nothing really" Logan stated from the other end "I'm just calling to see how your holding up"
"Doin' aiight" Max replied, "Don't have to worry about me" a pause as a loud noise made Max look behind her. The noise turned out to be Asha slicing into the package wrapping the rest of the way. "Yeah, I know" Max responded to Logan's next statement "But you need to relax once in a while baby" she turned to Alec before he could say anything "Shut it"
"Let me guess" Logan began again "You're with Alec"
"Came to make sure he didn't do anything dumb on a delivery"
"Where's that?" Logan asked
"Over at Asha's" came Max's reply "Gonna need to let you go, cause I'm on her phone, and prices are being jacked in this area" she paused again "Jess is doin' okay?"
"He's fine sweetheart" Logan responded "Keeping my eye on both of them"
"Know you are" Max smiled from her end "Kay then I'm out, love ya" she hung up
"Guns by mail" Alec stated about the contents of Asha's package, a Smith and Wesson, redesigned with nine chambers in 2005. "niicee"
Asha ignored him, unhinging the chambers from the base. "Damn cheap packaging" she blew dust out of metal "Use to be cleaner then this"
"Yeah well welcome to the world after the Pulse baby" Alec threw out
This time Asha glared at him, locking the chambers back in place. She then tested the weight of the gun in her right hand.
A beeping once again broke through the air.
"Logan again?" Alec spoke out "What? He forget to say something since that minute that passed?"
Max unclipped her pager, reading the number on it. "Why's he calling again?" she started to head over to Asha's phone again, when she stopped
/FLASH: "To bad this dog looking woman comes with a back up plan" "I came here to warn you-"
"Once we run the neuros on him, we'll know how much"/
"Max?" Asha looked at her "Are you okay?"
Max whipped around to face Asha "What level is Zack at?"
"Second" Asha responded, "Third space to the right of the elevator. Max what's going on?"
Max didn't say anything, as she made her way out of the apartment.
"What's with her?" Alec asked
All Asha did was stare back at him
= = = =
Parking Garage
Second Level
"Max what are you doing here?" Zack looked up to his sister when he spotted her in the garage. He finished siphoning the gas and removed the hose that connected his Vulcan with the Honda.
"I need your keys" Max informed, hurrying over to him
"What is it?" Zack asked
"Something's wrong" Max stated, raising up the Vulcan's kick stand "White's about to raid my house" she mounted the bike
"But you can't drive with that leg Maxie" Zack argued
"My car's not gonna cut it Zack, I can move a hell of a lot faster on a bike" Max snapped back
"Now give me the damn keys!" she snatched them from him, cranking up the engine
"You can't stop White on your own Maxie," Zack informed "not with one bad leg"
"I have no choice Zack!" Max revved up the engine "I'm not going to let that fucker do
anything to my son" she pealed out of the parking lot
"Max!" Zack called after her. He turned back to the Honda, climbing on the seat.
"What the hell are you doing?" the owner of the bike came running over to Zack
"Get the fuck of my ride!"
Zack ignored him, ripping out the engine wires, connecting the appropriate yellow to blue. The
engine roared to life.
"HEY!" the guy called after Zack as his bike blazed out of the spot. "Son-of-a-bitch"
*****
Donald Lydecker typed on his laptop, honing in on a map of Sector Five. Two red
dots indicated military vehicles heading towards Lyell Dr. He typed again, bringing up
another window, that had Max's pager number as the top, and beeped again with
Logan's number as the recipient.
*****
"Move into position" the Squad leader ordered over his mic, leaning against the Hummer
"Remember, the boy's to be taken alive"
"Copy that" one of the members responded, moving into the lobby of the apartment building
*****
Max cranked the speed of the Vulcan up to 90. She weaved in and out of the traffic, ignoring
all the honks.
"Slow down" a sector cop posted at a checkpoint ordered, but Max ignored him, and broke right
through the barricade
*****
Foggle Towers
Max and Logan's Apartment
"Daddy, when's momma coming home?" Jess peered at Logan over the back of the couch
"In about an hour Jess" Logan informed, setting Lexi on her feet in the living room "Here princess" he handed her one of her toys "Play for a while" he looked to his son "Food sound like an idea guys?"
Jess nodded enthusiastically with a smile.
"Think I can find something good" Logan headed into the kitchen, opening the fridge to take out some cans of tuna and some celery to make sandwiches. When he close the door, Jess's drawing fell to the floor. Logan picked it up, placing back on the door with a magnet. His glanced briefly at the X-d out P299 again, before turning around to set the food on the counter, making the plastic bag that held the lettuce brush the phone
/FLASH: "But I'm sure you knew that after you woke up on the floor" Lisa stared down Max
"We don't want your insurance problems to be solved AFTER you get hurt and wake up on the floor"/
Logan abandoned the food, heading back into the living room "Jess, you take Lexi, and go in daddy's room okay."
"What's wrong daddy?" Jess picked up on Logan's antsyness
"I just need you to do this okay?" Logan informed his son "Can you do that for me?"
"Okay daddy" Jess finally answered, his small mind could tell that this wasn't a time to argue. He took his little sister's hand and lead her to their parents room.
Logan stood by the door once they were inside "Keep away from the windows and don't unlock this
for ANYONE" he locked his bedroom, shutting his children inside.
Picking up the phone, he beeped Max's pager "C'mon baby pick up" getting no answer he dialed
Speed Dial One "Tinga, I think White trying his SOS routine again. He found that Jess is going to be smarter then all you at that age, he wants to mess with him some more"
"Where are you Logan?" Tinga asked, stuffing her black wire climbing rope into her pack
"At the apartment, I've got him and Alexis in my room, but that won't keep them hidden for long"
"Did you reach Max?"
"She's not answering her page" Logan responded
"I'll be there fast" Tinga ended the call and turned to her husband "I need to get to Max's"
"What is it hun?" Charlie looked at his wife concerned; he turned down the Pistons game
he was watching
"Something's wrong" Tinga answered. She kissed him briefly, and then kissed Case on the head beside Charlie "Be good for daddy" she then turned and left her apartment.
*****
"We're entering the elevator now Sir" Jenkins spoke to White who was back at the office building "I'm clocked for the ambush at five minutes in counting"
"Make sure not to mess up Private" White ordered, "I'm very hooked on the phrase 'disposable commodity'"
"Yes Sir" Jenkins answered back, as the elevator began it's decent.
*****
The truck in front of Max started to slow down, and there wasn't enough time weave past him or slow down, so she cranked up the speed, rolling up the trailers lowered tailgate, and sailing over his head.
She landed twenty feet ahead of him on the road "Damn" the maneuver had sent pain racing through her injury, but she kept going. Her pain was nothing compared to what would happen if she didn't get there on time
*****
Tinga swerved her Tracker into the parking garage, parking across three lanes. She grabbed her
pack and raced around to the back of the building.
She arrived the same the Max pulled up in Zack's Vulcan.
"Tinga" Max dismounted the bike, hissing under her breath, she ditched her crutches.
"Logan told me what happened" Tinga set her pack on the ground. She saw the way Max was holding
herself "But not what happened to you"
"I got shot three days ago" Max announced, "I'm fine" she looked up to the penthouse "Did you see anyone?"
"Not yet" Tinga fixed the rope in her cross bow.
Just then Zack pulled right up to them in the stolen bike "There's a Hummer a block away,
tags are the same as the one White's men had"
"Their about to close in" Max announced, "We gotta get up there"
Tinga shot off her bow, sending the rope into the air, where it hooked on the railing of the fire escape stairs.
"You and Maxie take that" Zack revealed his own rope "I got my own way up"
*****
The elevator dinged on the penthouse floor. "All members move into position" Jenkins spoke into
his mic. The group moved down the hall. "Bust it down" Jenkins ordered to his men. "Yes sir" the soldier kicked down the door.
The apartment was quiet, the living room empty
"Fan out" Jenkins ordered
= = = =
Logan was pressed against the wall of the nursery, looking out through a crack in the door. His 45 was in his hand, as he looked out over the people in his house.
A hand touching his shoulder made him cock the gun reflexively
Max held the barrel in her hand, stopping it from coming closer.
"Max" Logan whispered in a relieved voice. He noticed how she was supporting herself against the wall
"Where are they?" Max whispered back
"Our room" he replied "I locked them inside" he looked at her "Where's Tinga?"
Max pointed above her "She's on the skyline keeping watch" Max looked out the door again. "We hafta get them outta here" The soldiers were looking through the computer room. "I have to knock the door down and get them out, there's no other way"
"They'll see you Max" Logan returned quickly "You're also hurt, you won't be able to fight all of them"
"He's my baby Logan," Max hissed "I'm NOT going to let them lay a hand on him again" she opened the door a little wider, seeing the dog waking up. She must have been given a sedative in her water when they arrived She waved her hand to get Kaja's attention. The German Shephard came over to her wagging her tail.
"I have an idea" Max shut the door again once Kaja was inside "It'll have a diversion affect if she attacks one of the soldiers."
"You think she remembers all the commands?" Logan asked
"She's been domesticated Logan, not de-programmed" Max responded, "We're running out of options" Max opened the door again.
"I'll go first" Logan stilled her movements
"Are you insane?" Max closed the door "You'll be killed!"
"They won't kill me if they think I'm the only one around who knows where Jess is. I'll have to give them that first"
"But I don't know if there's enough time before one of those bastards blows your brains out!" Max hissed She did not like this at all.
"He's my son too Max" Logan pointed out "And I'm not just going to sit back and do nothing"
Max looked at him hard "You crazy son-of-a-bitch" she opened the door again "Go, before one of the Dumb Squad members finds us back here"
Logan took two steps forward, before Max yanked him back, giving him a hard kiss. He pulled back after a second, unlocking the safety on his 45.
Max watched him go out.
"Hold it right there" Jenkins took aim on Logan with his magnum "Drop the piddly weapon" he took the 45 from Logan "Where's the boy?"
Logan stared down the man "Why should I tell you that just so you can hurt him again?"
Jenkins pointed his gun barrel right at Logan's face "Because I'll blow you to hell otherwise"
"Then do it, because I'm not going to tell you" Logan snapped back "He's my son, not some science project for your sleazes to mess with"
/Logan you courageous bastard/ Max crept along the hall, leaning against it, she motioned for Kaja to sit. She watched the scene playing out in her living room, waiting for the right moment.
Jenkins' hand poised on the trigger "Once you're gone, they're wont be anyone to protect him-"
Max signaled Kaja to attack. The German Shepherd leapt at Jenkins, knocking him down with her
weight, sending the gun to the floor.
Logan backed off after Kaja attacked, following Max to the bedroom.
Max kicked down the door to her bedroom "Jess?" she looked for her son, limping around the
room
"Mommy"
Max opened the wardrobe door and found them there sitting on the closet floor, Jess holding Lexi in his lap.
"C'mon baby" Max picked up her son "We need to go" she grabbed Alexis, passing her off to Logan.
She started heading out, when a solider knocked her down with his gun "They boy has to stay 452"
"Not a chance in hell" Max flipped herself back up, landing on one foot. "I don't care what you found out, you bastards aren't TOUCHING my son again!"
The soldier threw her into a wall "We have orders 452"
The skyline window cracked as Zack busted through "Change of plans asshole" he knocked him to the floor.
Tinga jumped down from the hole in the skyline, picking up the soldier's gun and aiming it at him, another soldier entered, but Zack took aim on him with Jenkin's gun
Max yanked her sore body back to her feet
"Go Maxie!" Zack yelled at her. He waited until her and Logan were out the door with his niece and nephew before he and Tinga backed out of the room. Tinga signaled for Kaja to follow them, who gave a vicious snarl at the soldiers before following her people.
At the elevator Max ripped open the doors, denting the metal slightly. Zack was the last to slide inside, ducking the rounds of fire being thrown at him
= = = =
"They've escaped Sir" Jenkins shouted into his wrist unit "They knew we were coming"
"Cut them off at the lobby" White barked
"Doing that now Sir" he looked to his men "take the stairs!"
*****
Tinga unlocked her doors with the automatic lock. "Everybody in" she pointed to the Tracker "go girl" she stated to Kaja who leapt inside.
Zack pushed Max inside "Move out, I'll tail in my Vulcan" he shut the door as Tinga gunned the engine and blazed out of the parking spot.
Zack jumped on his bike, seeing the soldiers reach the ground floor. He revved up the engine, and then heard three gun shots.
Lydecker stood there, the smoking XR-05 in his hand "Move Zack, this won't hold them back for long"
Zack drove out, making his tires squelch on the pavement.
Jenkins came out seconds after Zack pulled out, aiming his gun at Deck "what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I don't appreciate being mouthed off to son" Lydecker wiped off his finger prints from the gun and set it in the dead soldiers hand, taking the paper out of his pocket.
"That's classified Sir" Jenkins kept his aim
"Which is why I'm making sure it stays that way" Deck lit the paper on fire with a lighter, throwing it to the ground.
"Hands in the air Sir!" Jenkins shouted, before he could squeeze off however, a gun was pointed at his back, and fired. Private Jenkins fell to the floor in a heap.
Deck stomped out the smoldering paper with his boot, looking up to the Sergeant holding the gun "Gather up the dead. I want a level three perimeter sweep"
"Yes Sir Cornel" the Sgt. responded, pulling up his wrist unit "Unit XR03 come in-"
*****
8:35 p.m.
"That wound was filthy gurl" Cindy closed off the fresh dressing in Max's leg. "There ya go suga" she propped up her leg on a cushion
Max leaned back more into her friends couch, looking around at her old place. "Feels better" she lifted up her leg slightly and hissed. "Thanks for letting us stay here" Logan had called Matt Sung from Cindy's. The detective agreed to write up a report that the mess at the penthouse was from a break in. Logan's insurance company was sending someone up in the morning to asses the damage, but there was too much debris tonight to stay there with a baby.
"Anything for my suga" Cindy came back. She kissed Max on the head "I'm gonna heat up some coffee, want?"
"Of course" Max smiled back.
"Feels almost like old times" Cindy stated standing up, watching Logan come through the door with Jess holding his hand "Except for scenes like that" she gave a nod over to Logan. "May be a guy, but sure is a hot boy my boo has" she started walking towards the kitchen.
"He wanted to say good night," Logan informed, leading his son over to Max.
Max smiled pulling Jess into a hug "Night baby" she kissed him on the head.
"Mommy" Jess said around the hug "I understand now"
"Understand what babe?" Max asked looking him in the eye.
"What a bad person is, and I'm not one" he kissed her on the nose, and retreated back to
Max's old bedroom.
Max watched him go "He's still a baby, but not so much as before."
Logan sat on the arm of the couch, draping an arm behind Max's head. "He would've grown up no
matter if he had different genetics"
"But not so damn fast" Max argued "Most two year olds don't have MIB's on their trail"
"Neither do most women" Logan notified, kissing her. "Don't blame yourself"
"He's right suga" Cindy came out of the kitchen, setting a mug on the coffee table in front of Max "Freak assed peeps wanted your son in a cage, and you prevented that. You don't do bad boo, you do good"
"You're a good mom" Logan went on "they love you"
"How bout I put in a movie?" Cindy suggested, looking at the pair "feel like veggin' out tonight"
"Sounds good" Logan commented as Cindy went to retrieve a DVD from the bookcase
"Men In Black" she read the title off the spine "Fits the mood tonight." she put it in the player and sat in an arm chair "Original Cindy's watching aliens get their asses blown off" she looked at the couple on the couch "she's not gonna be lookin' back in case people in this room want to get down with somethin'" she waved the remote at them "Just keep it on the DL" she hit "play"
Max laughed quietly, watching as Logan stood up. She sat up so he could slide in behind her,
resting her back against his chest.
Logan kissed her soundlessly, turning to watch Tommy Lee Jones blow out an alien.
Cindy glanced at the pair out of the corner of her eye. /Defiantly hot lookin' for a guy. My boo did good there too./
*****
Seattle
Puget Sound
"Three dead Sir" the squad leader stated
"What about Jenkins?" Lisa asked, the wind blowing her trench coat
"He was one of them ma'am" the soldier answered
Lisa turned to White "We can't keep loosing men like this Ames. Your son and the others won't be ready for at least another month"
"We have to find out who is tipping 452 off" White stated "and dispose of them"
= = = =
"Sweep is complete Cornel," the Sgt. informed, stepping up to Lydecker's LSI. "There are some
local media vans outside wanting information. I told them it was a break in like you requested,
and that I lived in the building" the Sgt. pulled on the civilian style jacket he put on to conceal his uniform. "These are all the documents we pulled off the bodies"
Lydecker took the papers from him "Pack it up and return to base"
"Yes Sir" the Sgt. left as Lydecker pulled out into the night.
(Fade to Black)
*****
END
After several ideas on how to end this, I settled with this, that way, I can go into it later. Like I said before this was a little Harbor Light'-ey type fic, but it's not 100% like the ep, I changed things to fit this storyline.
Did you like Alexis's first word? I was going to have her say "mommy" but thought "Zack" would be more interesting:)
The song Jess sang to Lexi in the hospital is called "Anna", written by Michael W. Smith
for his eight year old daughter.
As for Zack's confession about Asha, not going to make a whole thing about it, but it is something I'll bring up. Thinking of having a piece around the pair, it won't be the whole plot, I'll weave it with another. I know a lot of people don't like Asha, and I'm not in the Asha Forever camp either, but I started this relationship, I want to see it go deeper.
I know it takes a looong time for me to post things, but it takes a while to write something this lengthy, I want it to have substance, not just be words on paper. Plus, with college stuff I sometimes don't get around to typing for a while. R/R please, and thanks for keepin' up with me
peace