After a quick dinner, Max and Logan sat at the kitchen table

After a quick dinner, Max and Logan sat at the kitchen table. Max wanted to know everything about Eva. Logan didn't really know much. Finally Max seemed satisfied.

"I've gotta blaze…I have to work tomorrow."

Logan studied her face. She looked so tired. She never looked tired, but she did now. Probably the shock of everything was finally taking its toll.

"No. No blazing. You're sleeping. Couch…go."

"But…" Max protested rather weakly.

"Yes."

"Well…" she seemed almost relieved to give in.

No one takes care of her, Logan thought. All the other X5s have each other, they all depend on Zack, they know they can find each other. But not her. He watched her move over to the couch, her shoulders sagging slightly.

"G'night."

"'Night."

+++

The next morning, Logan woke up, got dressed, and headed for the kitchen. He was surprised when he saw Max was still on the couch. He'd figured she be up and gone for work. What surprised him even more was that she was still asleep. He decided it would probably be best to leave her alone.

Logan went into the next room and booted up his computers. As he was checking his various E-mail accounts, he heard a key slide into the lock and click over. A moment later, Bling entered.

"Hey," muttered Logan, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Bling gazed around the room. He quickly noted Max still sleeping on the couch. He raised his eyebrows.

"Busy night last night?" he asked sardonically.

"What? Oh, yeah. I mean, no. I mean…" Logan glanced at Bling, who nodded his head in Max's direction.

Bling gave an all knowing smile.

"Not busy like that. Busy like she found out about Eva."

"Ouuuuch. Bet that didn't go over well."

"Actually, not so bad. But she was pretty emotional, and I didn't want her riding home like that."

"Whatever, man. Whatever. It's none of my business."

Logan opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but if he was, the thought got lost somewhere between here and there. He sighed and shook his head, smiling.

"Look, Bling, I just got an E-mail from Matt Sung. He wants to meet this morning. He's got some information on that 'accidental' fire that killed all those squatters last week. So can we possibly pretend we're back in high school some other time?"

"Whatever."

"I'll be back in an hour. We can finish this then. When she wakes up, tell her where I went…If she asks, I mean."

"I maintain - whatever."

Logan left.

+++

Max woke up about fifteen minutes later. She sat up, ran her fingers through her hair, and looked around as the events of the previous night returned to her. She carefully considered her options. She looked down at her watch. She realized she had about one option - work. That or else call Normal and make some excuse for being late. The latter sounded better to her. She swung her feet down onto the ground and headed off to the kitchen. Bling heard her moving around.

"Morning, Sunshine."

"Bling. Hey."

"Logan had to meet up with Sung. He said he'd be back later."

"'kay."

"Busy night last night?"

"Don't you wish you knew about it?" she said sarcastically. Bling smiled and shook his head.

"None of my business. You want something to eat?" he asked as he rooted through the fridge.

"Bling, what exactly do you do?"

"I'm the wind, babe."

"Which means?"

"Which means I make a mean omelet. Want one?"

"You bet your sweet A."

Partway through breakfast, Bling's cell phone began to ring. He took the call, muttering "Uh-huh. Huh. Uh-huh. Okay…." He snapped it shut and turned to Max.

"Gotta go."

"Another covert omelet operation?"

"Something like that." He jotted a not for Logan and dropped it on the counter. "See you later, Max."

Max sat quietly at the kitchen bar, nursing the remaining bit of her breakfast. Finally, she finished and carried her plate over to the dishwasher and dropped it in. She glanced over to Bling's now-vacant spot. His plate was still on the counter. She picked it up too, and as she carried it over to the dishwasher, she heard a knock on the door. She shrugged, deposited the plate into the sink, wiped off her hands, and headed for the door. She fiddled with the locks, then swung the door open to reveal Eva.

+++

Eva at first looked surprised, then a bit confused. Finally, she said "Is Logan here?"

"Ummmm….No. He had a meeting…or something."

"Oh. Well, I think I left my planner here. Do you care if I look around?"

"Nope. Go crazy." Max realized Eva had no idea who she was. She opened the door wider and let Eva in. She stared at Eva as she breezed past. She was dressed in a batik-print skirt and a tank top. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. There was her barcode, naked and exposed, trailing across her neck. Anybody could see it. She wasn't hiding. She didn't care.

Eva walked over to one of Logan's computer desks and began rooting through piles of papers. She made an exasperated noise.

"I swear I left it here. Have you seen it? It's brown leather, about this big," she motioned with her hands.

"Umm..no."

"Damn. I really need it. By the way, who are you? I don't think we've met. Or have we? You look kind of familiar…"

"Uhhhh….is that it?" Max asked, pointing.

"Oh, great! Thanks so much!" Eva bent to retrieve the leather-bound planner from a pile of pamphlets and papers. Her hair rolled off to one side of her neck.

"Hey, um…that's a cool tattoo." Max said lamely, as her hand instinctively went to her own hair, making sure it was covering her neck.

Eva pulled her ponytail up. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah. Does it mean something?"

"Kind of. It was a symbol for a group I was part of. I've got another one, too," Eva said as she pulled her tank top up with her free hand. An ankh was tattooed on her lower back. "I got this done last week, but it's just henna," she said, turning to reveal a brown batik sun encircling her navel. "I though about getting this one removed," she said, dropping her tank top and motioning to her neck, "But I though, hey, it's kind of cool. You know?"

"Yeah." Max was surprised. Eva was so animated, so excitable. She was trusting.

"I'm Eva, by the way," Eva said, extending her arm. A silver Swiss Army watch slid down her tanned, freckled wrist. Max took her hand. It was strong, warm, and dry.

I have to introduce myself, Max though. What am I going to say? She's going to find out anyway.

"Max."

"Max, huh? I used to know a girl named Max," Eva paused. "I always thought she was the only girl named Max. Unusual name for a girl. But I guess not. So how do you know Logan?"

"Ummm….let's see. I guess he's just a friend. We sort of…ran into each other a while ago."

"Hey, he's something else, isn't he? I just think he's so strange, staying up here in this big apartment all the time. It's like he's a recluse or something. But he's not really a recluse because, hey, he's not here today, which means he's somewhere else and don't recluses never go out? And he cooks. I always thought that was strange. Has he ever cooked for you?" Eva didn't pause to let Max respond. "He cooks really good, though. He always plays with is computers, too. Oh, but he's so nice, and he's really hot, too. You know, he's… I don't know. Oh, God, listen to me. I don't really talk this much, usually. Don't tell him I said anything," Eva grinned and bit her lip. "I honestly don't really talk this much."

"It's okay. So how do you know Logan?" Max was fascinated by her. She really wasn't afraid, not at all. She was never looking over her shoulder – her life was an open book. I could probably ask her about Manticore, Max thought, right here, right now, and she'd tell me everything.

"Oh, he's helping me look for some people. Actually, he's supposed to be finding Max. My Max, I mean."

"Maybe he did. Maybe it's me."

Eva responded to this with a nervous laugh. "Oh, I doubt it. He said he had a lead, but no luck. But then that's always been the story – Lead, no luck, lead, no luck, you know?" She scuffed the toe of her sandal on the floor, looking down. "It gets hard sometimes. I really want to find her. There's others I'm looking for, too. But it's all the same."

"What if you did find one of them?"

"Oh, Jesus, I don't know. You know, I've been looking so long, it's almost like I've given up. I just keep looking because I don't know what else to do. I really thought Logan was the one who could find them, you know? He really seemed like he could do it."

"Eva, he did do it."

"What? Wait, what?"

"I'm Max. It's me."

"Prove it."

"It's me."

"Don't mess with me. I really don't appreciate this." Eva was growing visibly agitated. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Max gave an inward sigh. She felt bad for Eva. Last night, this had been her. She gathered her hair in her hand, lifted it slightly, and turned.

"Oh, God. Oh….Oh my God. Shit. It is you." Max turned around again. Eva's eyes were tearing up.

"Oh, God. Max!" Eva practically lunged at her, embracing her in a hug. Max wrapped her arms around the girl. It was good to finally touch her - she was real. Max's feelings of elation of this discovery were still invaded by a pang of regret. Eva was just one - there were still so many Max hadn't found - might never find. But Eva is here now, she though. This is what's now.

"I have to tell Don. He'll be so excited."