I've
either walked into a nightmare, or my greatest story ever. And Logan's right in
the center of it. B@stard. I always knew his
holier than thou act was just that.
They
almost shot me. Me, or Sandy. Cold-hearted so-and-so that I've been called, I
couldn't let them do that. I covered her with the only thing I had: me. I've
risked my hide for a story before, but rarely for another person. It feels
strange. Especially since this is a child, supposedly an innocent. Is this what
motherhood feels like, even vaguely? No wonder I avoid it like the plague.
Sandy
is clinging to my leg, and I can feel her trembling. I can't blame her. It's
been a helluva week.
"You
people are insane!" I holler as I comfort the poor kid. She clings to me as if
she'll be dragged into hell if I let go, and I feel something in my chest snap
as I hug her tightly. Poor kid.
I
glare at them all, especially Logan. He's too busy with what looks like an
epileptic to notice. I think about trying to help, but all my training didn't
cover much on that. Basic triage first aid, that's all.
A
buxom blonde is cooing over Sandy, who tightens her grip on my leg, threatening
to cut off circulation. But her eyes are on the girl, who seems to have a
strange rapport with her.
A
black woman says, "This b!tch is finished," and tosses what looks
like an empty first aid kit aside. The blonde has charmed Sandy to the point
where she's let go, and I rub my leg as Logan convinces his man Bling to go
after another kit. I walk over to him as he tends to the dark haired girl, the
same one I noticed in the hospital with him and the blonde kid. A little young
for Logan, but the way he cares for her speaks volumes. I know //I// wouldn't
rate such TLC.
And
the way she looks at him makes me want to blush, if I still could. In calmer
times, I'd be muttering, "Get a room." I settle for resting on my haunches,
beside him. "Everything OK?" I ask him, glancing with concern at the girl. She
seems to be settling down.
His
eyes never leave her. "She'll be all right," he said, distracted, a hand
brushing a curl from her forehead. She looks awful, but you couldn't tell that
from his eyes. Bruised and battered, and being cared for with gentle hands. I
stand, feeling like an intruder.
Everyone
is looking at everyone else, trying to figure out what to do next. Outside, a
strange roar and noise catches my attention. I'm standing there, trying to
figure out what's happening, when it happens again. And I realize I have legs,
I can go see what's up. So I start moving, telling Sandy, "Stay here!" The
blonde obliges by hugging her.
I move outside, seeing the man from the bar, the one who was a walking threat,
standing atop the wreck of a Humvee, staring at the moving brush. Bling, the
man who works for Logan, asked him, "What are you looking for?"
Tread?…I
think that was his name…was sticking out his tongue. I filed that away for
reference as he replied in a voice that chilled my blood worse than anything
I'd seen today, "I'm going after them." For a moment, they stand frozen. Then
Tread stares directly at //ME//, with a look that made my blood pass chill and
turn to ice. An eternity passed in an instant with our gazes locked. I could
swear I heard him growl, and it raised gooseflesh on my skin. Then he leaped to
the ground heavily and lumbered off into the foliage.
I turned to a disturbed-looking Bling, who was staring at the spot where Tread
had been a moment before. I was shivering with the memory of the look I'd been
given, and full of questions.
He
spoke before I could ask them. "We need to get the first aid kit back inside."
And he reached into the Humvee, with a determination that allowed no questions.
I trailed behind him, trying to make sense of what I'd seen and knowing it was
going to take a while.
Point of View: LOGAN****************************************
Thank
God I got the pills down Max's throat. For a minute, she didn't seem to
recognize me, recognize anyone.
Her
shaking eases enough to start tending to the rest of her injuries. There are so
many, they each look minor, but what the hell do I know. I'm not good at this,
and Bling's out looking for another medical kit. There are other hands helping
me with the swabs and antiseptics and bandages. Cindy, Kendra, probably, but
I'm not even sure.
I
can't take my eyes away from her for a second. She's looking at me like I'm the
last man on earth. Like I'm the only one who can save her. It's all I can do to
keep my hands from shaking.
I
hear Lacey screaming something. She and Bling go outside, there are more
crashes. Whatever it is, I hope Bling is up to it. I'm not moving.
Max
is still watching me. "Manticorny. Classified papers, Logan, get them. I
can wait." Her hands are bandaged. I don't give a damn about any papers
right now, but she shouldn't be upset. Her serotonin's in bad enough shape
right now.
I'm
going to have to get them myself. I'm going to have to reach into her shirt and
pull them out. She's injured, she's a patient, I should be objective about it.
I'm not.
I
think of it as that game I had as a kid, Operation. Go in and get the object
without touching anything else. It's the only way I can keep my sanity. I've
got my hand down her shirt and she's looking at me with those trusting eyes and
she's hurt and that's all I should be thinking about.
I
get the papers out and drop them to the floor. Bling is back. He hands Cindy
the second first aid kit. "Logan, Tread just crawled from under a Humvee
and went looking for Lydecker and the others. I'm taking the gun and going
after him." After Tread? After Tinga, more likely. Poor b@stard.
As
we rip open more wipes and continue cleaning dried blood from Max's skin, Bling
asks me where the rest of the ammunition is. I nod in the direction of the
cabinet. He takes what he needs and leaves without another word.
Kendra
picks up the papers I dropped on the floor and rummages through them.
"Logan, I don't know what's going on here, but I think you should read
this."
I
tear my eyes away from Max for a second, and reach out for the documents. Max
moans, softly, trying to keep it in. I drop the papers again.
I'm
sure they're important. Vital. But if I can't patch her up, I don't give a
sh!t. Saving the world just became less important than saving one girl.
So
much for being a hero.
Point of View: KENDRA***************************
I
hear Max mumbling about papers that are in her shirt. She says they are really
important. I ignore her and grab a swab and starting cleaning Max's cuts. Max
is trying to get up and moving about. She isn't making this easy. She is loosing
a lot of blood and needs to stay still. Bling offers to go to the car and get
the other first aid kit. I've got to admit, I have a lot of respect for him. I
wouldn't go out there; it sounds like a war zone.
Logan
gets the papers from Max and drops them on the floor. Max is saying how
important they are so I pick them up. I look over at Lacey; the little girl is wrapped
around her leg. She brings the girl over to me and tells me to watch her. I
skim through the papers. I'm not sure exactly what they are talking about.
Herbal Gummies ... Zack ... I think to my self, what the hell is going on
here?? I figure I should give this to someone that knows what they are doing.
So I holler at Logan,
"Logan, I don't know what's going on here, but I think you should read
this." He grabs the papers from me and then looks over at Max. He drops
them on the floor and mumbles something that sounded like "This is going
to have to wait".
I
can't really help with Max since I have the girl hanging on me. Poor thing she
must be scared to death. I look up and I see Bling digging through a drawer. He
picks up a box of ammo and heads back out of the cabin. I think to myself, ...
dam he's got a fine butt. Wait a second. Were in a middle of a catastrophe.. I
shouldn't be thinking this. I've got to find a way to get this girl off me so I
can help Max. Getting more annoyed at her by the second, I say "Where the
firetruck did Lacey go?"
Logan
looks up for a brief second and scans the room, shrugs then turns back to Max.
Not that I blame him or anything. It's pretty obvious that he loves her.
I
decide to go and look through the cabin. Maybe there will be something in here
that will amuse that girl. I find an empty bedroom and tell the girl "It's
nap time, I'll be back later to check on you. If you need anything come and get
me." Well that solves the problem for now. I head back to the main room
and grab another swab. Max still needs a lot of work.
Point
of View: TINGA*************************************
Everything's
fuzzier than it was before, if that's possible. And my head hurts worse. My
stomach churns with every jolting footfall as I trot behind
Zack-with-Lydecker's face.
It's
strange. I know Zack can move faster than this. He'd be the one setting the
grueling pace back in the bad ol' days. But even as off my game as I am, I can
keep up with him without breaking a sweat. I have the faintest stirring of
disquiet about this. It seems like I should be alarmed, but just then Brin
stirs on my shoulder, moaning and thrashing a bit.
And
suddenly I'm back at Manticore with Lydecker yelling at us. Telling us there
will be times when we must care for the other X-5s, but we must know when to
give aid and when to cut our losses and run. And then he hands out the
assignment cards and tells us to start the exercise. I feel the pounding of my
heart as I turn over the card, to see if I'm alive or dead, rescuer or
victim...
I
snap back into reality, stomach wrenching in protest. Lydecker--Zack is
standing up, in full view of a nearby road, gesturing impatiently to me and
YELLING! He's YELLING! On an Escape And Evade! Has he lost his mind? Or is this
another test?
"C'mon,
Tinga, get your @** in gear! Let's MOVE!" he's yelling out to me. I do
what I can, with Brin's dead weight over my shoulder, to signal him DOWN and
QUIET. But he pays no mind.
A
truck rolls by as he's speaking. With growing horror, I notice two figures
huddled on the back. Two figures whose heads suddenly snap around and track us.
In a flash, they're off the end of the truck. One tumbles off the truck and
sprawls on the ground, scrambling up almost instantly. The other tries for a
flawlessly graceful move, but one leg folds under her and she grasps it in
pain. The man is instantly by her, but she's up and standing in almost the same
move. They both look our way...
And
I realize I must be hallucinating, because the face I see is Zack's. The
woman's face is vaguely familiar...and I stare from them, to the Zack with
Lydecker's face, to Brin on my shoulder, and I wonder who's real. I start
towards them, Brin bouncing a bit as I up the pace. She certainly //feels//
real enough.
Zack
with Lydecker's face breaks out into a grin as I stride towards him. He turns
and starts toward the road, and I see his face change from the happy light, to
puzzlement, to utter confusion. He looks back at me with real panic in his
eyes. "Tinga?" he asks me, and I can hear the world of questions in
the one word. I sweep past him and to the edge of the road, where the other
Zack and the woman were standing, Zack now dropping into a defensive crouch,
protecting her. I halt roughly halfway between the two of them.
"Zack?" I ask, looking from one to the other, unsure of who I'm
asking.
Both
of them look at me, the familiar Zack face with the hardened, bottom line look
I recognize from the Zack I've known lately, the Lydecker face with a more
youthful, somewhat hopeful look of the Zack I used to know. The Zack I used to
look up to, and go to for praise and acceptance. The Zack from the days when we
were a family...before he rejected me. I miss that. I miss it horribly. But
it's not reality...is any of this?
They're
both like fathers to me. But the one I wanted didn't want me, and the one I
didn't, was willing to welcome me back on my own terms. And they both are
facing me. But I don't know who is who anymore.
Zack...the
one that looks like him, starts forward aggressively, putting weight on one
leg, and then winces and grabs it as he falters. The woman is by his side,
while the Zack that looks like Lydecker is yelling behind me. As time slows and
I feel myself break into full awareness for the first time in I don't know how
long, I hear him clearly but it's as if he's miles away.
"TINGA!
He must've had the same surgery as me! It's Lydecker, it's got to be! GET AWAY
FROM HIM!" I don't know what his game is, but I know, with complete
certainty, as Zack grabs the leg--the same leg the glass shard was embedded
in--who is who.
On
my shoulder, Brin stirs. I can feel her lift herself up slightly. "What's
going on," I can hear her murmur. With a tinge of real fear in her voice,
she continues on, "Who are you people?"
Some
days, I wonder that myself.
Point of View: JONDIE**************************************
Jumping
on the back of that truck had been Zack's subtle way of watching out for me. He
knew that I definitely could not make it on foot to the cabin, even though we
would have had a lot of questions to answer had we been spotted on the truck.
"We're
almost there," he says as we turn off the main road. I look up and see a
woman with another girl thrown over her shoulder and a man that I would have
sworn was Lydecker standing by the road.
"Am
I losing my mind?" I wondered for a split second before Zack gave the
order to jump. I felt like we'd been riding forever and I was starting to
cramp, but leaping off onto my hurt foot was not something I particularly
wanted to do. I try to leap gracefully from the truck without hurting myself
and fail miserably. Before I hit the ground I see Zack go down grasping his
hurt leg but he rolls to his feet and rushes to my side. Not wanting to look
weak, I jump to my feet but he steps in front of me, dropping into that all too
familiar fighting stance.
The
man, whom I've realized with terror, actually is Lydecker turns to the other
girl and yells, "TINGA! He must've had the same surgery as me! It's
Lydecker, it's got to be! GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
I feel my mouth drop open as I stare at Lydecker and the two girls. I try to
find my voice and say something, anything, but I'm in total and complete shock.
Zack, not being afflicted with my inability to speak, has a slightly more
colorful response.
"Tinga!
What the hell are you doing? Brin is in no condition to be moved, and WHAT is
going on with him???" he yells, incorporating in a few more inventive
expletives.
"Tinga?
Brin?" My mind is reeling as find myself face to face with two of my
sisters and my own personal anti-Christ who seems to think that he is Zack.
"What
the f*** is going on here?" I demanded, finally finding my voice.
Zack
shoots me the "not now" look as he takes Brin from Tinga. My cat DNA
comes into play and I can practically feel my fur bristling at that look. I
hate being dismissed: even by Zack.
Brin
had begun to stir before Zack took her and I heard her muttering something that
sounded like "what's going on?" and "who are you people?"
her voice filled with fear. You and me both Honey, I think before I see Tinga
go into a blur of motion. In one fluid movement she flew at Lydecker with a
furious set of kicks and punches.
"Help
her!" Zack barks at me in his best 'alpha male' voice.
I
give him a look that would have made any man but Zack back down, but he does
flinch a little. "Is Zack, Mr. Do Everything By The Book Soldier, going
soft?" I wonder as I race after Tinga and Lydecker.
Even
though neither one of us is in the best of shape, between the two of us we
easily manage to take Lydecker down. We shove him onto his stomach and I wrench
his arms behind his back, pining him to the ground. Tinga is still in full
attack mode and I reach out with one hand to shove her away and hold onto
Lydecker's arms with the other. In her weakened state, my push makes her fall
backwards but she quickly jumps up and prepares to attack.
"TINGA!"
Zack yells walking over still carefully holding Brin who is slowly regaining
consciousness.
She
backs down at his words, but I can still feel her glare and I could almost
swear that she growled at me.
"I
don't know what is going on here, but we don't have time for questions. Brin
needs help and she needs it now. We're taking her to the cabin," he says
and then pauses as he looks over at Tinga. "Help your sister with
Lydecker," he snaps.
She
turns to me, her face mirroring the look of shock I must have had earlier.
"Jondie?"
"What's
up big sis?"
Point of View: BRIN*************************************
I
wake up to find myself unceremoniously being bumped along over someone's
shoulder. I can hear arguing. "What the f*** is going on here?" one
person asks. Good question. I'd like to know too.
Although
I'd settle for just knowing my name. It really is disturbing when you can't
remember who you are
"What's
going on," I murmur, "Who are you people?" There's no response.
The people I can see are arguing about who is who. Oh great, they don't know who
they are either?
Strong
arms pick me up. It's the blonde guy. What did they call him? Mack? Zack? Yes,
Zack. "I don't know what is going on here, but we don't have time for
questions. Brin needs help and she needs it now. We're taking her to the cabin.
Help your sister with Lydecker," he says.
Brin?
Who's Brin? Is that me?
"What
did you call me?" I say.
I
didn't think he heard me, but his head turns away from the two women who are
staring at each other to look down at me. "Baby Sister," he says, "You
don't remember?"
I
shake my head. Ouch, that was a mistake. Moving any part of my body hurts like
a b!tch. How did I get this way? What happened to me?
"Hang
on," he whispers, holding me tighter against his chest. "Tinga,
Jondie," he calls to the two women, "We'll have plenty of time to
play X-5 reunion at the cabin. But Brin needs to get there stat, so get you're
a**es in gear and let's go."
Grumbling
slightly, the two women pick up the older man and carry him between them. Zack
carefully holds me while he leads the march back to the cabin.
The
Cabin. What a vague name. I suppose this should mean something to me, but I
can't remember. And that's what scares me. I don't know what any of this means
. .
I
bump lightly against an alleyway wall as I slow to walking, and panicked as I
thought of my baby...still breathing and not injured...I can't believe I keep
doing that. I slow walking and stop behind a dumpster, and pull the five month old
girl from my back. She looked disturbed, but as soon as she saw my face she
giggled and shut her eyes...I remember being kid...and being in Manticore.
Footsteps...I
grab the now sleeping baby and hug her to my chest as I leap up on the
dumpster, and on to the fire escape of the building next to it.
Damn
kid.... I think with a smile on my face.... got me tired out, me being the 24
hour milk service.... top floor, coming up.... I don't think that I will ever
get used to this extra weight...
The
concrete roof is so cold.... I laugh at myself as I throw down a rug.... a
mother is prepared at all times...I stop.... shouldn't that be a solider is
prepared at all times...shut up Jace...
My
baby...sleeping so peacefully...of course she has had the last few months easy.
Birth was difficult, a few complications...she was going to come out headfirst
but being a 'clever' little kid she switched position, much to the discomfort
of her mother. Max gargled as I stroked her cheek the first time.... the two
months after went smoothly...except for the constant crying for attention and
milk. It was only the next three months...damn my next door 'friends'. They
came so close to taking her away.... I hate normal people sometimes.... I was
taking care of my kid.... I nearly lost her. But coming back to Max was a good
idea. No one knows I'm here and no one should be looking for me...
