Morning was coming, and as the knocked-out guy may wake up at anytime, I
have to move. I gather up lil' Max's stuff and pull the sleeping babe onto my
back.
A noise outside…someone has found that guy I kicked. Exit, stage right…
Climbing out a window is hard with a lump stuck on your back. The alleyway is
empty, but someone is coming towards the back room…I can't fit through, and
throwing the kid out the window would not be smart. It is time to stay and
fight…
The person comes in slowly, wise, but they are still gonna end up on their
front, wheezing…I punch the woman as she comes through the door, and jump up
and kick her in the stomach, she crumples down on the floor coughing. I pelt
through the door, and find another guy running toward me with a plank of wood.
I laugh, and still with lil' Max on my back, I jump over him and knock him
soundly in the back of the head. The knocked out guy was just coming round.
Past him and down the alley, heading toward the street toward the phone booths
at the bottom.
No-one has decided to follow, someone is using their brain…Okay, where is
the number…right. The phone is ringing, but, no-one is answering. Great. Max's
'boyfriend' is not in. I have to find her, or Logan. But how? I guess the best I
can do is leave a message…
Point of View: MAX****************************************
It's the bang that wakes me up. I've always been a light sleeper, so I would
have thought that being moved by Logan to the bedroom would have woken me up.
Guess I'm more injured than I thought.
However, I'm feeling better, at least well enough to get up and stagger to
the door. Holding on to the doorframe with all my might, I survey the front
room. Logan, Cindy, and Kendra are all looking out the windows for the source
of the bang. Cindy spots me first.
"Boo! What are you doin' outta bed? Get your behind back in there
before you hurt yourself."
At Cindy's order, Logan and Kendra turn around. "Max," Logan says
as the same time Kendra cries "Back to bed."
I shake my head and take a cautious step forward. "What happened?"
Logan makes a move towards me as if to take me back to bed. I give him a look
saying 'I'm fine'. "Tell me what happened."
"Uh, Tread went after Brin, Tinga and Lydecker. And Bling's gone after
them." Logan's face looks ashen. He knows anything could have happened.
"Bling went after Tread?" Oh no, this can't be good. Even X-5's
can have a hard time with Tread. I don't want to think about Bling fighting him
. . . I take another step towards the door.
"Max, you can't go out there, you're not in any shape to be of any use
and you can barely stand, let alone walk." Logan's face is full of
concern.
"I can too," I say, taking a step forward. But the room spins and
I loose my balance. Logan rushes forward to catch me.
For a moment we're just there, me in his arms, him leaning over me, staring
at each other. Our faces are so close together . . .
The door to the cabin swings open and our heads swivel around to look at it.
A brunette runs in and takes a look around.
"Logan? Logan Cale?" she asks.
"Yeah," Logan replies, "And you are?"
"Jondie."
Point of View: jJACE*************************
Now what?
No Max, no Logan. Damn.
Going back the way I came would be dumb, but, maybe…
I quickly sprint back the way I came, and saw that the guy I knocked out
yesterday was up, and trying to wake up the guy with the plank.
I creep behind him, and cover his mouth, incase anyone else was sneaking
around Jam Pony. He flails around, and I don't have the heart to knock him out
again. I am getting soft…
"Listen to me…" I say in his ear. "I won't hurt you if you supply me with
information."
Looks like the Jam Pony gang is coming to work, and I don't want to be
caught now. What am I going to do, can't fight with a baby on my back, I can't
escape outta the women's bathroom and the backroom is taken by the woman I
winded…damn damn damn…for the first time in my life I am panicking …Okay. I
didn't spend most of my life in Manticore's summer camp to panic…
I drag the guy to behind a stone pillar, and two men walk in and immediately
run over to the guy still on the floor, okay, time to move.
I walk silently out the door, the two guys' backs to me, and pull my
informant into an adjacent alleyway. I grab his coat and shirt, and whisper in
his ear:
"Okay, if you yell for help I will break your neck and I will do the same to
anyone who decides to come to your rescue, understand buster?"
He nods, nervously.
"Okay. I want to know one thing, where is Max?"
Point
of View: JONDIE*********************************
Okay, I was seriously beginning to wish that I'd stayed home. Even waiting
tables and dealing with rowdy drunks who thought coping a feel was part of the
"service" was appealing compared to this freak show.
To begin with, Zack and I had just seriously gotten our a**es kicked by this
Tread guy, one of my sisters had apparently turned, the other one didn't have a
clue who we were, and dammit, my foot hurt!
After Tread had finished "introducing" himself to me and Zack, he
had explained that he was a friend of Max and Logan's and was much more
interested in torturing Lydecker than helping him. I was liking this guy better
and better.
Suddenly our little bonding moment is interrupted by the sound of squealing
tires as a Pontiac Aztec screeches to a halt, covering us all with dust. A
black man leaps from the driver's seat holding a gun and rushes over to us.
Zack and I are immediately on our guard again and Tinga tenses, but Tread just
sneers.
"Bling!" he says almost joyfully. "Back for more?"
"I've come for Tinga and Brinn," he says.
"Now why would you want to do that?" Tread asks. "Don't you
trust me?" I can tell that for some reason he's really enjoying baiting
him.
"They're both hurt and they need medical attention," Bling answers
calmly. "Now you can either let me take them now, or we can deal with this
some other way."
Tread lets his gaze rest on Bling's raised gun for a minute and then shrugs.
"You're either the stupidest person on the face of the earth, or you've
got nerves of steel," he says. Bling doesn't flinch and continues to stand
with his gun trained on Tread. " Probably stupidity, but we'll go with
nerves for your sake. Take them and get them help," he says.
"Max is hurt too," Bling says turning to Zack. "We need your
help."
I see the muscles in Zack's face twitch as he glances around. "Bling,
take Jondie, Brinn, and Tinga back to the cabin. Tinga and Brinn are weak, and
Jondie can help Max. Tread and I can make it on our own, and we'll deal with
Lydecker," he orders.
Tinga dumps Lydecker unceremoniously on the ground and I walk over and take
Brinn from Zack. "This obeying Zack without question is getting to be an
annoying habit," I think as Tinga and I follow Bling. Suddenly Tread jerks
and stares intently at the Aztec. I stop to look at him and then jump out of
his way as he nearly takes us all out in his rush to the car.
"You'd probably be more comfortable if you sat up. Besides, we need the
room," he says as he taps on the rear window.
A woman's head pops up into view and the look on her face is priceless. It's
something between "damn, I got caught" and "who the hell are all
of you?" I can't say that I blame her, we must be quite a sight.
Bling opens the back door for me to put Brinn in. "Move over Lacey,
we've got company," he orders, the frustration evident in his voice.
Lacey crawls wordlessly up onto the seat as Tinga climbs in and I carefully
place Brinn beside her. Bling walks around to the driver's side as I climb in
the front seat. After a quick glance at Tinga in the rearview mirror, Bling
cranks the car and pulls a rather impressive U turn, driving us back to the
cabin at a speed Zack would be proud of. "Wonder what that was all
about?" I mused as we raced down the highway.
Before I even have time to think about the fact that I'm about to see Max
again we're at the cabin. "Go help Max," Bling says as we pull up.
"I'll take care of the others."
I nod my head and jump out before Bling even has time to put it in park. I
raced up the stairs and figuring this is not the time for politeness, I burst
through the front door. A black woman and a blonde both stare at me in shock
but my attention is immediately caught by a man holding another girl up.
"Logan? Logan Cale?" I demand.
"Yeah," Logan replies, "And you are?"
"Jondie," I answer as it suddenly hits me that that's Max he's
holding. "Maxie," I whisper and rush forward to my sister.
"Jondie?" she asks and then faints.
"What's wrong with her?" I ask frantically.
"She's been shot, and she's lost a lot of blood. I think she needs a transfusion, but none of us here have the right blood type to give her one."
"I do."
For a second Logan looks at me like I'm an angel sent from God and then it's
back to business. "The first aid kit is in the bedroom," he says as
he gently lifts Max and starts down the hall. He lays her down carefully on the
bed and pulls out a long tube with needles on each end and a valve in the
middle.
"That's one hell of a first aid kit," I say staring at the
contraption.
"With Max around, you never know what you might need," he says
with a wry smile. "Ready?" he asks holding his hand out for my arm.
"Yeah," I mumble and extend my arm.
He wipes a spot on my arm with a sterilizing pad and then gently slides the
needle in. He wipes Max's arm too and then reaches for the valve. He looks at
me again and I nod as he turns the valve. My blood begins to flow from my arm
filling the tube and pushing the air out. Logan watches closely and inserts the
needle in Max just as my blood reaches the end.
"Are you a doctor?" I ask.
"No," he laughs. "I've just had a little bit of practice with
this."
I smile at him and then watch as his gaze travels back to Max. The worry on
his face is evident as he reaches forward and gently brushes her hair away from
her face.
"She'll be alright," I say, reaching over and taking his hand.
"Max is my big sister and my best friend. I'm not letting her go. Not when
I've just found her."
Point of View: JACE**************************************
I remove my hand from the guys mouth and he whispers nervously.
"I dunna have any idea..." I grab him by the collar and look at
him, "but I have da number of her mates...dis is it"
I took a look at the cell number of a girl called Original Cindy, and
memerised it.
"Okay then..." I turn, about to run back toward the phone booths
but stop, and look back. "Thanks..."
I take off, not caring whether the guy went and called his friends for help.
I run back down, and pick up the phone. I dial, and finally, it rings.....
Point of View: LOGAN*********************************
I can't believe I had a critically ill woman in my arms, and all I could
think about doing was kissing her.
But she looked like she wanted me to...
Forget that. Next time I'll remind myself that I'm not Prince Charming, and my
kiss isn't going to save Sleeping Beauty.
Blood will. Jondie's blood is flowing into her arm. Max's hair falls across
her eyes, and I brush it away. She's going to open her eyes soon, she has to.
"She'll be all right," Jondie says, reaching over and taking my
hand. "Max is my big sister and my best friend. I'm not letting her go.
Not when I've just found her."
I look at her face then, for the first time, and I see Max there. Not in the
bone structure or coloring. Something about the eyes. Something I couldn't find
in Zack, or Tinga, or Brinn.
A certain softness behind the wariness. If not trust, the desire to trust.
Hope.
This one's a sister to my Max, and I smile back.
"Do you know how much blood she needs?" Jondie asks me.
"No, I can only guess. I think we should stop now, see how she does in
the next hour. There's another medical kit, we can always try another
transfusion if she needs it."
Jondie gives my hand a squeeze and lets go. We detach the equipment, roll it
away, and sit, watching Max's face. We each hold a hand, through the bandages.
I don't suppose anything will happen quickly, although I tell myself her color
looks better.
There's a commotion in the outer room, and a phone is ringing. Jondie was
looking at Max with that familiar childlike longing on her face. At the sound
of the voices the Manticore shutters came down.
"I'll see what's going on. Stay with her," she tells me, and is
gone in one quick move.
She's back in a second. "Your friend...Bling?...and that woman, brought
in Tinga and Brinn. He's going to try to patch them up, but he's not going to
be able to control them if they decide to be disagreeable. How much do he, and
the two women who were here, know about us?"
I can't hold back a sigh. "The blonde is Kendra, the brunette is
Original Cindy. What woman came in with Bling?"
Jondie gives me a quick description.
"Lacey. I thought she...never mind. Kendra and Cindy know more than
they should. Enough so that telling them everything won't make a difference.
Lacey, I don't know. She's the last person who should know anything, but we
were stuck with her. With what was going on in Seattle...."
"Forced tactical exposure. I understand. Fine. I'm going out there to
handle Tinga and Brinn while they patch them up. You stay here and take care of
Max."
For an instant that sweet expression crosses her face again, then she whirls
and disappears back into the living room, closing the door behind her.
Max's color is definitely improving, and her breathing is deeper. This time
I'm sure. Holding her hand, watching her face, focusing on her breathing for
long minutes, the events of the day finally get to me and I fall asleep.
I don't know how much later it is when I awake at the feel of a hand
squeezing mine.
I can feel my body again. It's sore, but not like before. Now it's a mending
sort of pain. A good pain, if there is such a thing. I know I'm not going to
get any more sleep.
Logan's head is resting on the bed, near my hand. He looks so sweet asleep.
So peaceful. I almost hate to wake him, but I can't help giving his hand a
squeeze to let him know I'm awake, even if he doesn't wake up.
But his wonderful eyes are suddenly open and he looks up at me at the
slightest squeeze. "Max," he says, his voice still thick with sleep.
He sits up straight in his chair, but still holds onto my hand. "How are
you feeling?"
"Better." Damn, his hair is messy from sleeping and I just want to
run my hands through it. Keep yourself focused, Maxie. "So, how long have
I been out?"
He looks at his watch. "About four hours since Jondie gave you the
transfusion."
"Jondie?" Then I remember. The bang. Stumbling to the front room.
Logan catching me. The brunette girl. "How did Jondie get here?"
"Zack. He brought her here when they couldn't find us in Seattle. They
met up with Brinn and Tinga, and well . . ."
"Where's Jondie?" I try to sit up, but Logan gently puts a hand on
my shoulder, holding me down.
"Shh, don't try to move. You may be genetically enhanced, but I don't
want to risk you opening some almost healed wound." His hand moves to my
face, brushing hair off of my cheek. He's looking down at me with some strong
emotion in his eyes.
"Max," his voice comes out chocked with emotion, "If Jondie
hadn't come, I don't know . . . you were pretty bad." He's looking at me
with the same eyes he had when I was seizing the first time at his place, when
he was holding me in his arms after I fell . . .
"Logan," I start. But I can't get any further than his name. His
head starts tilting down towards mine. Our faces are inches apart and I can
feel his warm breath on my cheek. "Logan."
And then his lips are on mine. Sweet and gentle. It's like the car, but this
time there is no going back. He's showing me exactly what he feels and I'm
responding as I wrap my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.
When it ends we're both staring at each other in shock.
"Logan."
He puts a finger to my lips. "No. I'm not letting you try that again. You
can't tell me that you were just 'emotional'. You can't tell me that you don't
. . ."
"Logan," I say, taking his hand away from my mouth, "I think
this is more of a moment of weakness."
"Max . . ."
This time it's me who initiates the kiss. It starts slow, like the one
before, but this one deepens, releasing a lot of held back emotions.
When we break, Logan reaches out and caresses my cheek. "So whose dream
is this?" he jokes lightly.
"It's not a dream," I say softly.
Some one clears their throat. I look up and see Zack standing in the
doorway, obviously not pleased.
"You're awake." He nods at Logan. "Your first aid kits have been wiped out by Tinga and Brinn. I'm going for more supplies." And then he's gone.
