Scene 31, 2021, Logan's (continuation of previous scene)
Max's head swung up and her eyes met Logan's. She wanted to launch herself across the room and into his arms, but the look on his face stopped her. He looked hurt, betrayed.
Logan couldn't believe what he saw. At least Max had the grace to blush. Zack was simply staring at him, an obstinate expression on his face. Logan knew how Zack felt about Max, and he was kidding himself if he thought that Max didn't have a bond with Zack, but Logan couldn't believe that she'd be too busy playing with Zack not to return his call. Or at least he wouldn't have believed it until now.
Max knew what Logan was thinking; she could read it in his face. Zack wasn't helping matters, sitting there, holding his shirt. Standing up, she pushed him away and walked over towards Logan.
Logan pushed himself upright, so that he was standing without leaning on Bling. His legs were weak, but steady. "Bling," he said, without taking his eyes off of Max.
Bling knew his cue to leave, and he did, even though he didn't think it was the wisest thing to leave Max, Zack, and Logan alone in the same room. Especially when Logan was going to be stubborn, refusing to listen to Max and see what he would have seen if his eyes hadn't been riveted to Max.
Zack stood up too, and shrugged his shirt on over his shoulders. He grabbed his jacket and headed to the window. "Max," he said, and then he turned his head in Logan's direction, "Logan." Opening the window, he swung his legs out and jumped down to the roof below, disappearing.
"Logan," Max said.
He held up a hand. "I was worried Max. I didn't know what had happened to you. I even thought that Zack had decided to cross the border into Canada with you. It was easier when I though he was the one I couldn't trust." His voice was deadly calm.
"I thought you were dead," she cried, "Zack said he'd seen you and Tinga trying to get out when the building blew up."
"So you two rushed here and then what? Did he happen to lose his shirt while he was comforting you? Or did he lose it afterwards?"
Max couldn't believe what she heard coming out of Logan's mouth. He didn't trust her. She knew that she and Zack hadn't exactly looked innocent when he walked in, but she couldn't believe he was saying that.
"For your information," she said, her voice icy, "We came here to delete the informant net, like you would have wanted. We couldn't reach Bling, and we thought you were dead. For all we knew the net had been compromised."
"You thought I was dead?" Logan said.
Max continued on, ignoring him. "When my pager beeped with your number, Zack tried to keep me from answering it, in case it was someone from Manticore. When you walked in the door, I was cleaning up the injuries I'd inflicted on him."
"Zack told you I was dead?" Logan said.
"He said that you and Tinga were inside, and he was going back in to get you out when the building exploded."
"He knew I was alive. He'd put you in the Humvee, and we were arguing about splitting up, when it exploded."
Max was silent, processing all this. Zack had lied to her. Lied to her.
But there was something more important than that right now.
"Tinga?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
Logan shook his head. "I'm sorry Max, she's gone."
Max threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest. Hot tears rolled down her face. Logan stroked her hair. He knew she was crying for the sister she'd lost . . . and the brother she'd lost as well.
Scene 32, 2021, Jam Pony, Morning
Cindy, Herbal, and Sketchy were lined up by the phone. Cindy was looking through the yellow pages. "Here it is," she said, jabbing a finger at a number. "Follow Original Cindy's lead," she told them.
Cindy dialed the number and waited while it rang several times. She was studying her deep purple nail polish when the other end picked up.
"Better Bikes and Messengers. How may I help you?"
"Hi! I'm Nanci Bikealot, and I wanted to tell you that you made a mistake in not doing the article on Normal and Jam Pony. I work for him and he's a good boss . . ."
Cindy, Herbal, and Sketchy took turns calling the magazine, requesting an article on Jam Pony, using fake names. After twenty calls, Cindy held the phone out to Sketchy.
"Why do I have to apologize for this? We all did it. C'mon, Cindy," he whined.
"I'm not the one who lied, now am I?" Cindy replied, thrusting the phone at him again.
Sketchy turned to Herbal, who shook his head, "I made the last five calls, it's your turn."
Sketchy took the phone from Cindy and dialed the number. As soon as he was through to Marsha Miller, he panicked and tried to hand the phone off to Cindy or Herbal. They both shook their heads and crossed their arms.
"Hello?" Marsha's voice came over the phone.
"Umm . . . I'm Sketchy, from Jam Pony. Remember we talked about Normal, err, Mr. Reagan? Well, I wanted to say that I, ummm, exaggerated. I'm sorry. Normal's a good boss. You really should do the story. I'm probably wasting your time, but would you please consider it?"
They waited.
"What? You will? You'll do the story? Thank you!" Sketchy hung up the phone and turned around. "That wasn't hard, I don't know why you two were too chicken."
Cindy and Herbal rolled their eyes. "Whatever," Cindy said, making the W sign.
Just then Normal walked by. "Is this a delivery service or an answering machine? Unless you're waiting for a call from the president of Russia to avert the October Missile Crisis, you should be out delivering packages. Let's go people, bip bip bip."
"The things we do for that man," Cindy said.
"Think of the greater good, my sistah," Herbal said.
"And what's that?"
"If this works, Normal will too busy getting ready for his close-up to catch us slacking off."
"Let's hope so," Cindy smiled.
Scene 33, 2021, Logan's, Later That Morning
Max woke up, finding herself in Logan's room. She'd fallen asleep in Logan's arms after thinking about Tinga for half the night. Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, she dazedly walked out to the hall and followed the sounds of Logan's keystrokes to him.
"Hey," he said softly, "how are you feeling?"
Max smiled weakly. "I'll be okay."
"Just give it some time, Max." Logan reached out to her and pulled her into his lap, holding her close. "Time heals all," he said, stroking her hair gently.
Max snuggled into his chest, grateful for his comforting presence. After a while she lifted her head and looked up at him. "Do you think we have souls?" She'd been wrestling with that question the entire night.
Logan sighed. It was a tough question, since they'd been created to be soldiers, high-tech weapons that did what they were told and not worry about the consequences. She was asking the question out of concern for Tinga, but also for herself, and the rest of them.
"Yes," he finally said. "All of us humans do."
"Even transgenic ones?" She still wasn't convinced.
"Max, I've seen you do things that you couldn't with out a soul. You escaped from Manticore because you knew it would steal your soul away into the darkness. It's free will, Max, the freedom to make your own choices. It's love . . . I don't think you could love without a soul. I don't think you could be you without a soul."
Max smiled, satisfied with this answer. It was the one she'd come to last night, right before falling asleep. "Good, then I know Tinga's where she deserves to be."
"I'm not so sure she's dead after all, Max," Logan said.
"What?"
"This morning I checked into the explosion of the Sedro Island base. Something wasn't quite right in my mind about it. Tinga told Zack to get you out first. As we were leaving, I looked back at her and she was on her feet. She could've gotten out, Max."
He turned to his computer and pulled up all the reports he had on the explosion. "There was only one body found in the wreckage. A male body."
Max let the information sink in. "So why hasn't she contacted us? She'd let us know in someway if she were alive."
"Max, she might not be able to. She could've been taken out of that building by force." Logan looked Max in the eyes and took a deep breath. He hated having to tell her what he suspected.
"I'm afraid Lydecker may have taken her back to Manticore."
Max was very still for a moment. Logan noticed she wasn't breathing and was staring off into space, not seeing. Finally she breathed in and looked at him. "Are you sure?"
"Max, I had to tell you if there was a chance she was alive, but I didn't want you to get your hopes up. It's entirely likely if she did escape, in her condition that she could have been picked up by Manticore soldiers, if not taken from the building by them. Plus, there's the possibility that Lydecker is still alive."
"The body in the wreckage isn't him?" She'd been hoping it was . . . if Tinga was dead, or even back at Manticore, things were a little less painful if she could believe that Lydecker had been sent to eternal damnation.
"It was unidentifiable. Dental records are no help, since the head was completely blown apart, and I can't find any DNA tests."
Max sighed. "Figures that Lydecker would be a biatch like that, cheating me out of some sort of comfort that at least he'd bit the dust."
"Even if it is him, Max, Manticore will still continue. I've gotten some information on a nameless superior of his. Whoever 'she' is, she's pretty high up in the food chain and she's determined to keep Manticore from making any mistakes, even if it means destroying X-5."
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Max remarked darkly.
"There's still a lot we don't know here," Logan said, "but you need to be careful if she's put a price on your head."
"I'm not worried about me," Max said, "I've evaded them for twelve years, I can do it for at least twelve more. It's Brin, and Tinga, that I'm worried about. They're the ones in the fire."
Scene 34, 2021, Jam Pony, That Afternoon
Normal was at his desk when Marsha Miller strode in, along with her entourage. "Welcome to Jam Pony, how can I help you?" he said without looking up from his paper work.
"Mr. Ronald?" Marsha said.
Normal looked up. "Ms. Miller. Are you here to write an article on all the OSHA laws Jam Pony is breaking? Or human rights violations?"
"Neither. I'm here to do the article on you and your employees like we discussed before. Unless you have a problem with that . . ." Her voice trailed off as she rolled her eyes towards the door.
"Oh! No, no, it's just, well, after the way you stormed out of here last time that we were going to be shut down," Normal replied, surprised.
"Is it all right if I set up here?" Marsha asked. "I'd like to get a picture of your work area."
"Of course, of course!" Normal said, "Anything you want, you just ask."
Marsha smiled, "Thank you, I will."
Marsha and her crew spent the rest of the day photographing Jam Pony, interviewing riders, and taking notes on how the bike messenger service operated. Marsha and one of her photographers followed Cindy on a run, much to her dismay.
"Normal, do I have to?" Cindy said, "I'm supposed to be a bike messenger, not a baby sitter."
"Ms. Miller wants to ride along, and we all want to keep her happy, don't we?" Normal said.
"You owe me," Cindy grumbled.
"Sure, anything, just go," Normal said shoving the package into her hands, "57 Euclid, and pedal slowly."
"That's a switch."
Marsha left three hours later, promising to send Normal an advanced copy of the issue with the article.
"Everyone, everyone! Could I have your attention please," Normal called. All the messengers gathered around. "Thank you all for your cooperation with the reporters. This really means a lot to me, and to all of us. See what happens when we all pull together and show a little respect? That's what is all about people, respect."
They all stared blankly at Normal. Cindy blew a bubble with the gum she was chewing, and snapped it loudly.
"Oh fine. Take the rest of the day off," Normal said.
They cheered and raced for the door. Cindy, Herbal, and Sketchy walked out together.
"Well, that was fun," Sketchy said.
"You're not the one who had to take Ms. Magazine-thang on a run," Cindy replied.
"Ah, my sistah, Jah will give you a reward for your patience," Herbal said.
"Yeah, well, all I can say is, it better be in the form of cash money."
Scene 35, 2021, Logan's/The Space Needle/Somewhere Outside Seattle, Late That Night
(Logan's)
Max's eyes fluttered open. She looked over at Logan, who was sleeping soundly. She put a hand to his bare chest, feeling it rise and fall with each breath, feeling his heart beat. His arm was underneath her, circling her waist and holding her close to him. Max wanted to stay there forever, in Logan's perfect arms.
She thought back to her conversation with Cindy about too soon. If there was such a thing as too soon in this life, it was what had happened to Tinga. Max felt sadness wash over her as she thought of her sister. After her conversation with Logan, she'd also felt fear for Tinga. If the girl was alive, she was in the hands of Lydecker, or even worse, this "Madame X" director.
Max suddenly needed to get out, get some fresh air. She slipped free of Logan's arms and grabbed her jeans and shirt. She changed out of Logan's shirt that she was wearing as a nightshirt and into her clothes. Getting her bike, she exited the building and rode into the dark night . . .
(Somewhere Outside Seattle)
The car's headlights cut through the fog and rain as it drove down the twisting highway in Washington. In the backseat, a small child slept soundly. He hadn't woken up since leaving the baby sitter's.
Getting Brandon from the baby sitter had been easy. Anything was easy if you had the right ID. He'd convinced her he was with Child Protective Services, and was there to collect Brandon Parker since his mother had died. The sitter's only protest had been "Hey, am I gonna get paid?" In this age, money was the most important thing, and a big wad of bills from a government agent was enough for her.
The fools. If only they knew what they'd had. Brandon was the key to it all, and they'd let him slip through their fingers. Well, their loss was his gain, and he'd rather have gotten Brandon from the baby sitter than to have wrestled him from Max's clutches. Besides, if she didn't know about it, Stage Three could go on uninterrupted.
Lydecker smiled to himself in the mirror. Max hadn't spent too much time around the kid, that was for sure, or else she would have seen the smudged barcode on his neck. That was what happened when a human and an X-5 created a child. The baby was born with a birthmark resembling a smudged barcode. He'd discovered that thanks to Jace. After she'd disappeared, Lydecker had decided to re-create the experiment.
Stealing him out from under their noses was just priceless. The only thing better was that the stupid fool didn't know he was a father. Lydecker enjoyed pulling the wool over his kids' eyes.
(Space Needle)
Max sat atop her perch, letting the cool air blow breezily around her. The night was slightly foggy, so it wasn't as great a view as sometimes, but she had too much on her mind to enjoy it.
I hope Logan was right about us transgenics having souls. I'd like to believe Tinga's in heaven, looking down on me. Maybe it's wrong of me to hope she's dead, but I'd rather her be dead than at Manticore with that Madame Director that Logan's so worried about.
So Lydecker's boss is a lady. I'll bet that just kills him. He's the type who likes to be in control all the time, so I can imagine she's gotta have his panties in a wad. In a way, I guess I'm relieved that he might not be dead. It's better to have an enemy you know than one you don't.
(Logan's)
Someone was pounding on the door. Logan was vaguely aware of that. He rolled over, trying to ignore the pounding. His face met pillow instead of soft hair, and he knew that Max wasn't there.
Forcing himself awake, he sat up and looked at her pillow. She'd gone out somewhere. The pounding continued, so Logan carefully got out of bed, grabbing a shirt and his glasses. Pulling the shirt over his head, he walked out into the foyer.
"I'm coming," he told the incessant knocker as he put on his glasses. Logan opened the door and was greeted by the tired face of Matt Sung.
"Matt, what is it?" he asked, stepping back into his apartment to allow the police detective to enter.
"Tacoma police called, Logan," he replied, "It's about Karen Parker."
Karen Parker. Logan felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Karen was the woman that he'd deluded himself that he was in love with in a feeble attempt to get over Max when she'd disappeared to New York City. Logan had regretted how he'd hurt Karen, even though she'd turned out to be rather bitchy. But his deepest regret was her son Brandon. Logan had almost become the kid's father, and then he'd just thrown Karen out on the curb, exiting Brandon's life. He'd always hated that he'd had to tell her off in front of Brandon.
"What is it?" he asked.
Matt frowned. "I know you two were involved, so that's why I came as soon as I heard. She's dead."
Logan felt his legs give out and found himself sitting down quite abruptly on the small wine chest that was near the front door. Taking a deep breath, he stood and steadied himself.
"It's suicide," Matt told him. "She left a note. Tacoma PD faxed a copy to me when I told them I knew you."
Logan's shocked mind failed to make the connection. "What?"
"Here," Matt held out the poor fax copy. "I'm sure you'll want to read this alone, and I'd better go, but I'll let you know if anything else is found." He let himself out.
Logan walked into his office and sat down in his chair. Sibelius, Max's little cat, jumped into his lap. She could sense Logan's emotions, and snuggled her head up under his chin for support. Logan reached down and petted the soft fur on the kitten's stretched back.
"Thanks pal," he said.
Logan looked at the fax and began to read. Dear Logan, Know that I don't blame you. You loved her, that was obvious from the beginning . . .
(Somewhere Outside Seattle)
Lydecker checked his watch. Cale should be being rousted out of bed by that friend of his from the Seattle PD. Sung, his name was. Lydecker knew he'd had a hand in keeping Max out of the round up that time when he'd tried to frame her for Vogelsang's murder. He made a mental note to 'help' his career for that.
Lydecker was glad he'd added that extra piece of insurance. It would keep Cale from asking too many questions about Karen Parker and it would keep Max busy as well. She wouldn't be looking for Tinga given Logan's past history of depression. Maybe if he was lucky, he could push Cale over the edge with guilt over Karen.
Yes, things were going well. Lydecker was rather pleased. This would show Her that he didn't need orders on how to handle Manticore. And she couldn't refuse his requests for Stage Three funding, now that they had the prototype.
The Universe was right on schedule.
(Space Needle)
Brin is still at Manticore, though, with this "She". It chills me to think of what might be happening to her. Lydecker's methods are enough to make Hannibal Lector sick. "She" can only be worse.
In a way, I wonder why we never met her all those years we were being tortured in that hell. I'm sure she would have wanted to see the fruits of the project. Maybe she was brought in after we all escaped. Perhaps she's the one who tried to "fix" Jace and the others.
Jace. She and her son are in Acapulco. Little Max is two now, and he's making his mamma proud. The only sign that he's a little more revved than normal toddlers is his birthmark, the mark we all have. Jace and I have kept in contact through Logan's informant net. Zack has no idea that she even escaped. I never told him.
I guess keeping secrets is part of our genetics. I know why Zack lied to me, and I've forgiven him for it. He's still suffering from misplaced affection. I hope that wherever he is, he finds someone that he can let in . . . or someone that gets under his skin, where he can't shut her out. But I'll probably never know, since the expression on his face as he dropped out that window was a signal that he was determined not to come back here. But if he ever does, I'll be here, waiting to tell him "I told you so."
THE END
Author's note: There will be a sequel to this. Right now it's got the working title "Fearful Symmetry".
It should be up soon :) Angela
Max's head swung up and her eyes met Logan's. She wanted to launch herself across the room and into his arms, but the look on his face stopped her. He looked hurt, betrayed.
Logan couldn't believe what he saw. At least Max had the grace to blush. Zack was simply staring at him, an obstinate expression on his face. Logan knew how Zack felt about Max, and he was kidding himself if he thought that Max didn't have a bond with Zack, but Logan couldn't believe that she'd be too busy playing with Zack not to return his call. Or at least he wouldn't have believed it until now.
Max knew what Logan was thinking; she could read it in his face. Zack wasn't helping matters, sitting there, holding his shirt. Standing up, she pushed him away and walked over towards Logan.
Logan pushed himself upright, so that he was standing without leaning on Bling. His legs were weak, but steady. "Bling," he said, without taking his eyes off of Max.
Bling knew his cue to leave, and he did, even though he didn't think it was the wisest thing to leave Max, Zack, and Logan alone in the same room. Especially when Logan was going to be stubborn, refusing to listen to Max and see what he would have seen if his eyes hadn't been riveted to Max.
Zack stood up too, and shrugged his shirt on over his shoulders. He grabbed his jacket and headed to the window. "Max," he said, and then he turned his head in Logan's direction, "Logan." Opening the window, he swung his legs out and jumped down to the roof below, disappearing.
"Logan," Max said.
He held up a hand. "I was worried Max. I didn't know what had happened to you. I even thought that Zack had decided to cross the border into Canada with you. It was easier when I though he was the one I couldn't trust." His voice was deadly calm.
"I thought you were dead," she cried, "Zack said he'd seen you and Tinga trying to get out when the building blew up."
"So you two rushed here and then what? Did he happen to lose his shirt while he was comforting you? Or did he lose it afterwards?"
Max couldn't believe what she heard coming out of Logan's mouth. He didn't trust her. She knew that she and Zack hadn't exactly looked innocent when he walked in, but she couldn't believe he was saying that.
"For your information," she said, her voice icy, "We came here to delete the informant net, like you would have wanted. We couldn't reach Bling, and we thought you were dead. For all we knew the net had been compromised."
"You thought I was dead?" Logan said.
Max continued on, ignoring him. "When my pager beeped with your number, Zack tried to keep me from answering it, in case it was someone from Manticore. When you walked in the door, I was cleaning up the injuries I'd inflicted on him."
"Zack told you I was dead?" Logan said.
"He said that you and Tinga were inside, and he was going back in to get you out when the building exploded."
"He knew I was alive. He'd put you in the Humvee, and we were arguing about splitting up, when it exploded."
Max was silent, processing all this. Zack had lied to her. Lied to her.
But there was something more important than that right now.
"Tinga?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
Logan shook his head. "I'm sorry Max, she's gone."
Max threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest. Hot tears rolled down her face. Logan stroked her hair. He knew she was crying for the sister she'd lost . . . and the brother she'd lost as well.
Scene 32, 2021, Jam Pony, Morning
Cindy, Herbal, and Sketchy were lined up by the phone. Cindy was looking through the yellow pages. "Here it is," she said, jabbing a finger at a number. "Follow Original Cindy's lead," she told them.
Cindy dialed the number and waited while it rang several times. She was studying her deep purple nail polish when the other end picked up.
"Better Bikes and Messengers. How may I help you?"
"Hi! I'm Nanci Bikealot, and I wanted to tell you that you made a mistake in not doing the article on Normal and Jam Pony. I work for him and he's a good boss . . ."
Cindy, Herbal, and Sketchy took turns calling the magazine, requesting an article on Jam Pony, using fake names. After twenty calls, Cindy held the phone out to Sketchy.
"Why do I have to apologize for this? We all did it. C'mon, Cindy," he whined.
"I'm not the one who lied, now am I?" Cindy replied, thrusting the phone at him again.
Sketchy turned to Herbal, who shook his head, "I made the last five calls, it's your turn."
Sketchy took the phone from Cindy and dialed the number. As soon as he was through to Marsha Miller, he panicked and tried to hand the phone off to Cindy or Herbal. They both shook their heads and crossed their arms.
"Hello?" Marsha's voice came over the phone.
"Umm . . . I'm Sketchy, from Jam Pony. Remember we talked about Normal, err, Mr. Reagan? Well, I wanted to say that I, ummm, exaggerated. I'm sorry. Normal's a good boss. You really should do the story. I'm probably wasting your time, but would you please consider it?"
They waited.
"What? You will? You'll do the story? Thank you!" Sketchy hung up the phone and turned around. "That wasn't hard, I don't know why you two were too chicken."
Cindy and Herbal rolled their eyes. "Whatever," Cindy said, making the W sign.
Just then Normal walked by. "Is this a delivery service or an answering machine? Unless you're waiting for a call from the president of Russia to avert the October Missile Crisis, you should be out delivering packages. Let's go people, bip bip bip."
"The things we do for that man," Cindy said.
"Think of the greater good, my sistah," Herbal said.
"And what's that?"
"If this works, Normal will too busy getting ready for his close-up to catch us slacking off."
"Let's hope so," Cindy smiled.
Scene 33, 2021, Logan's, Later That Morning
Max woke up, finding herself in Logan's room. She'd fallen asleep in Logan's arms after thinking about Tinga for half the night. Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, she dazedly walked out to the hall and followed the sounds of Logan's keystrokes to him.
"Hey," he said softly, "how are you feeling?"
Max smiled weakly. "I'll be okay."
"Just give it some time, Max." Logan reached out to her and pulled her into his lap, holding her close. "Time heals all," he said, stroking her hair gently.
Max snuggled into his chest, grateful for his comforting presence. After a while she lifted her head and looked up at him. "Do you think we have souls?" She'd been wrestling with that question the entire night.
Logan sighed. It was a tough question, since they'd been created to be soldiers, high-tech weapons that did what they were told and not worry about the consequences. She was asking the question out of concern for Tinga, but also for herself, and the rest of them.
"Yes," he finally said. "All of us humans do."
"Even transgenic ones?" She still wasn't convinced.
"Max, I've seen you do things that you couldn't with out a soul. You escaped from Manticore because you knew it would steal your soul away into the darkness. It's free will, Max, the freedom to make your own choices. It's love . . . I don't think you could love without a soul. I don't think you could be you without a soul."
Max smiled, satisfied with this answer. It was the one she'd come to last night, right before falling asleep. "Good, then I know Tinga's where she deserves to be."
"I'm not so sure she's dead after all, Max," Logan said.
"What?"
"This morning I checked into the explosion of the Sedro Island base. Something wasn't quite right in my mind about it. Tinga told Zack to get you out first. As we were leaving, I looked back at her and she was on her feet. She could've gotten out, Max."
He turned to his computer and pulled up all the reports he had on the explosion. "There was only one body found in the wreckage. A male body."
Max let the information sink in. "So why hasn't she contacted us? She'd let us know in someway if she were alive."
"Max, she might not be able to. She could've been taken out of that building by force." Logan looked Max in the eyes and took a deep breath. He hated having to tell her what he suspected.
"I'm afraid Lydecker may have taken her back to Manticore."
Max was very still for a moment. Logan noticed she wasn't breathing and was staring off into space, not seeing. Finally she breathed in and looked at him. "Are you sure?"
"Max, I had to tell you if there was a chance she was alive, but I didn't want you to get your hopes up. It's entirely likely if she did escape, in her condition that she could have been picked up by Manticore soldiers, if not taken from the building by them. Plus, there's the possibility that Lydecker is still alive."
"The body in the wreckage isn't him?" She'd been hoping it was . . . if Tinga was dead, or even back at Manticore, things were a little less painful if she could believe that Lydecker had been sent to eternal damnation.
"It was unidentifiable. Dental records are no help, since the head was completely blown apart, and I can't find any DNA tests."
Max sighed. "Figures that Lydecker would be a biatch like that, cheating me out of some sort of comfort that at least he'd bit the dust."
"Even if it is him, Max, Manticore will still continue. I've gotten some information on a nameless superior of his. Whoever 'she' is, she's pretty high up in the food chain and she's determined to keep Manticore from making any mistakes, even if it means destroying X-5."
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Max remarked darkly.
"There's still a lot we don't know here," Logan said, "but you need to be careful if she's put a price on your head."
"I'm not worried about me," Max said, "I've evaded them for twelve years, I can do it for at least twelve more. It's Brin, and Tinga, that I'm worried about. They're the ones in the fire."
Scene 34, 2021, Jam Pony, That Afternoon
Normal was at his desk when Marsha Miller strode in, along with her entourage. "Welcome to Jam Pony, how can I help you?" he said without looking up from his paper work.
"Mr. Ronald?" Marsha said.
Normal looked up. "Ms. Miller. Are you here to write an article on all the OSHA laws Jam Pony is breaking? Or human rights violations?"
"Neither. I'm here to do the article on you and your employees like we discussed before. Unless you have a problem with that . . ." Her voice trailed off as she rolled her eyes towards the door.
"Oh! No, no, it's just, well, after the way you stormed out of here last time that we were going to be shut down," Normal replied, surprised.
"Is it all right if I set up here?" Marsha asked. "I'd like to get a picture of your work area."
"Of course, of course!" Normal said, "Anything you want, you just ask."
Marsha smiled, "Thank you, I will."
Marsha and her crew spent the rest of the day photographing Jam Pony, interviewing riders, and taking notes on how the bike messenger service operated. Marsha and one of her photographers followed Cindy on a run, much to her dismay.
"Normal, do I have to?" Cindy said, "I'm supposed to be a bike messenger, not a baby sitter."
"Ms. Miller wants to ride along, and we all want to keep her happy, don't we?" Normal said.
"You owe me," Cindy grumbled.
"Sure, anything, just go," Normal said shoving the package into her hands, "57 Euclid, and pedal slowly."
"That's a switch."
Marsha left three hours later, promising to send Normal an advanced copy of the issue with the article.
"Everyone, everyone! Could I have your attention please," Normal called. All the messengers gathered around. "Thank you all for your cooperation with the reporters. This really means a lot to me, and to all of us. See what happens when we all pull together and show a little respect? That's what is all about people, respect."
They all stared blankly at Normal. Cindy blew a bubble with the gum she was chewing, and snapped it loudly.
"Oh fine. Take the rest of the day off," Normal said.
They cheered and raced for the door. Cindy, Herbal, and Sketchy walked out together.
"Well, that was fun," Sketchy said.
"You're not the one who had to take Ms. Magazine-thang on a run," Cindy replied.
"Ah, my sistah, Jah will give you a reward for your patience," Herbal said.
"Yeah, well, all I can say is, it better be in the form of cash money."
Scene 35, 2021, Logan's/The Space Needle/Somewhere Outside Seattle, Late That Night
(Logan's)
Max's eyes fluttered open. She looked over at Logan, who was sleeping soundly. She put a hand to his bare chest, feeling it rise and fall with each breath, feeling his heart beat. His arm was underneath her, circling her waist and holding her close to him. Max wanted to stay there forever, in Logan's perfect arms.
She thought back to her conversation with Cindy about too soon. If there was such a thing as too soon in this life, it was what had happened to Tinga. Max felt sadness wash over her as she thought of her sister. After her conversation with Logan, she'd also felt fear for Tinga. If the girl was alive, she was in the hands of Lydecker, or even worse, this "Madame X" director.
Max suddenly needed to get out, get some fresh air. She slipped free of Logan's arms and grabbed her jeans and shirt. She changed out of Logan's shirt that she was wearing as a nightshirt and into her clothes. Getting her bike, she exited the building and rode into the dark night . . .
(Somewhere Outside Seattle)
The car's headlights cut through the fog and rain as it drove down the twisting highway in Washington. In the backseat, a small child slept soundly. He hadn't woken up since leaving the baby sitter's.
Getting Brandon from the baby sitter had been easy. Anything was easy if you had the right ID. He'd convinced her he was with Child Protective Services, and was there to collect Brandon Parker since his mother had died. The sitter's only protest had been "Hey, am I gonna get paid?" In this age, money was the most important thing, and a big wad of bills from a government agent was enough for her.
The fools. If only they knew what they'd had. Brandon was the key to it all, and they'd let him slip through their fingers. Well, their loss was his gain, and he'd rather have gotten Brandon from the baby sitter than to have wrestled him from Max's clutches. Besides, if she didn't know about it, Stage Three could go on uninterrupted.
Lydecker smiled to himself in the mirror. Max hadn't spent too much time around the kid, that was for sure, or else she would have seen the smudged barcode on his neck. That was what happened when a human and an X-5 created a child. The baby was born with a birthmark resembling a smudged barcode. He'd discovered that thanks to Jace. After she'd disappeared, Lydecker had decided to re-create the experiment.
Stealing him out from under their noses was just priceless. The only thing better was that the stupid fool didn't know he was a father. Lydecker enjoyed pulling the wool over his kids' eyes.
(Space Needle)
Max sat atop her perch, letting the cool air blow breezily around her. The night was slightly foggy, so it wasn't as great a view as sometimes, but she had too much on her mind to enjoy it.
I hope Logan was right about us transgenics having souls. I'd like to believe Tinga's in heaven, looking down on me. Maybe it's wrong of me to hope she's dead, but I'd rather her be dead than at Manticore with that Madame Director that Logan's so worried about.
So Lydecker's boss is a lady. I'll bet that just kills him. He's the type who likes to be in control all the time, so I can imagine she's gotta have his panties in a wad. In a way, I guess I'm relieved that he might not be dead. It's better to have an enemy you know than one you don't.
(Logan's)
Someone was pounding on the door. Logan was vaguely aware of that. He rolled over, trying to ignore the pounding. His face met pillow instead of soft hair, and he knew that Max wasn't there.
Forcing himself awake, he sat up and looked at her pillow. She'd gone out somewhere. The pounding continued, so Logan carefully got out of bed, grabbing a shirt and his glasses. Pulling the shirt over his head, he walked out into the foyer.
"I'm coming," he told the incessant knocker as he put on his glasses. Logan opened the door and was greeted by the tired face of Matt Sung.
"Matt, what is it?" he asked, stepping back into his apartment to allow the police detective to enter.
"Tacoma police called, Logan," he replied, "It's about Karen Parker."
Karen Parker. Logan felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Karen was the woman that he'd deluded himself that he was in love with in a feeble attempt to get over Max when she'd disappeared to New York City. Logan had regretted how he'd hurt Karen, even though she'd turned out to be rather bitchy. But his deepest regret was her son Brandon. Logan had almost become the kid's father, and then he'd just thrown Karen out on the curb, exiting Brandon's life. He'd always hated that he'd had to tell her off in front of Brandon.
"What is it?" he asked.
Matt frowned. "I know you two were involved, so that's why I came as soon as I heard. She's dead."
Logan felt his legs give out and found himself sitting down quite abruptly on the small wine chest that was near the front door. Taking a deep breath, he stood and steadied himself.
"It's suicide," Matt told him. "She left a note. Tacoma PD faxed a copy to me when I told them I knew you."
Logan's shocked mind failed to make the connection. "What?"
"Here," Matt held out the poor fax copy. "I'm sure you'll want to read this alone, and I'd better go, but I'll let you know if anything else is found." He let himself out.
Logan walked into his office and sat down in his chair. Sibelius, Max's little cat, jumped into his lap. She could sense Logan's emotions, and snuggled her head up under his chin for support. Logan reached down and petted the soft fur on the kitten's stretched back.
"Thanks pal," he said.
Logan looked at the fax and began to read. Dear Logan, Know that I don't blame you. You loved her, that was obvious from the beginning . . .
(Somewhere Outside Seattle)
Lydecker checked his watch. Cale should be being rousted out of bed by that friend of his from the Seattle PD. Sung, his name was. Lydecker knew he'd had a hand in keeping Max out of the round up that time when he'd tried to frame her for Vogelsang's murder. He made a mental note to 'help' his career for that.
Lydecker was glad he'd added that extra piece of insurance. It would keep Cale from asking too many questions about Karen Parker and it would keep Max busy as well. She wouldn't be looking for Tinga given Logan's past history of depression. Maybe if he was lucky, he could push Cale over the edge with guilt over Karen.
Yes, things were going well. Lydecker was rather pleased. This would show Her that he didn't need orders on how to handle Manticore. And she couldn't refuse his requests for Stage Three funding, now that they had the prototype.
The Universe was right on schedule.
(Space Needle)
Brin is still at Manticore, though, with this "She". It chills me to think of what might be happening to her. Lydecker's methods are enough to make Hannibal Lector sick. "She" can only be worse.
In a way, I wonder why we never met her all those years we were being tortured in that hell. I'm sure she would have wanted to see the fruits of the project. Maybe she was brought in after we all escaped. Perhaps she's the one who tried to "fix" Jace and the others.
Jace. She and her son are in Acapulco. Little Max is two now, and he's making his mamma proud. The only sign that he's a little more revved than normal toddlers is his birthmark, the mark we all have. Jace and I have kept in contact through Logan's informant net. Zack has no idea that she even escaped. I never told him.
I guess keeping secrets is part of our genetics. I know why Zack lied to me, and I've forgiven him for it. He's still suffering from misplaced affection. I hope that wherever he is, he finds someone that he can let in . . . or someone that gets under his skin, where he can't shut her out. But I'll probably never know, since the expression on his face as he dropped out that window was a signal that he was determined not to come back here. But if he ever does, I'll be here, waiting to tell him "I told you so."
THE END
Author's note: There will be a sequel to this. Right now it's got the working title "Fearful Symmetry".
It should be up soon :) Angela