"I have to go, said Max, now 19, as she turned to her friend, Logan Cale.
"Alright, I'll see you later then," he answered casually.
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm going away... out of Seattle... maybe out of the country..."
"W... why?" he asked, feeling like his heart had been ripped out.
"I'm sorry, I have to go now..." With that she turned and started walking away, her form seemingly disappearing in the shadows.
"NO! Don't go!" he pleaded as he tried to follow her, to bring her back, make her stay... But it was as though his feet were glued to the ground. He couldn't stop her. And soon enough, he couldn't see her anymore, she was gone.
"Come back!" he said, although he knew she couldn't hear him.
He sighed, resting there for a few seconds, before feeling someone's presence.
"Hello? Who's there?" he demanded. Finally, the woman came into view. She appeared to be about forty, with long blond hair.
"Who are you?" he asked her. She didn't speak, but observed his face for a few minutes, then finally, her eyes grew wider and she sighed of apparent relief.
"It is you," she said, clearly to herself and not the confused Logan who stood in shock, from his friend's disappearance and the woman's appearance.
"Who are you?" he asked again.
*
The next morning
"Are you okay?" asked Max, checking out Logan's posture.
"It's nothing... I just... had this strange dream last night," he said, thinking back to the woman's request.
"Oh? What was it?" she asked with a grin.
"Nothing you need to know. I got a job for you. Nothing big, just to set up the equipment for a conversation with Eyes Only."
"Oh... Alright," she said, slightly disappointed at the ease of the job. "When does it need to be done?"
"I told them to be there at noon."
"Got it," she said, picking up the slip of paper with the address he gave her and the equipment. "Later," she said. There was something odd about his attitude she couldn't quite explain, but she shrugged it off.
*
At noon (note: I'll be jumping back and forth between the meeting place and Logan's home, so you'll need to pay attention closely)
Max escorted Liz and Isabel into the room. He insisted on coming along, saying that it would be safer, but they all knew it was for another reason. He stayed by the door as the two women sat in front of the camera and screen set up on the table.
"What do we do now?" asked Liz. Just then, the Eyes Only banner came on the screen just like it always did.
"Thank you for agreeing to this," said Isabel.
"It's what I do," he answered.
Back at Logan's home, Max observed him as he began his conversation with the two women. He didn't know she was there as she stood by the door silently. One of them looked familiar, but she didn't know why.
"Care to tell me what this is about?" the man on the screen asked. Liz turned to Isabel, feeling a wave of fright come over her.
"It's okay, you can do it," she told her, taking Liz's hand. She nodded in response, took a deep breath and turned to look at the screen.
Max listened carefully to the woman's story, her skin covering with goose bumps as the tale was told.
"... 1999... Wyoming... Manticore... X5... Lydecker..."
She could tell Logan was troubled as well, because he knew the same thing she did. This woman could be one of the mothers that had carried the X5s... maybe even herself...
"Do you have any proof of this?" said Logan, trying to keep his cool. The woman turned to her friend again and slowly lowered her head to look at what they guessed was her foot. From the noises made, they knew she was removing her shoe and now her sock. She got up on the chair then and rested her left foot on the table, her ankle facing the camera.
And there it was, staring back at them. A barcode. Logan was simply surprised, but Max drew in a breath, which finally alerted Logan to her presence.
"One moment," he told the women, before closing the view on the camera. He then turned to see Max standing behind him completely still.
"Max what's wrong? What is it?" he whispered.
She could hardly breathe, but managed to let out, "Th... that's... MY... barcode."
Logan's eyes grew wide and he suspected his jaw had dropped.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Positive," she said in a shaky voice.
"What if it's a trap?" asked Logan.
"What if it's not?" continued Max.
"So what are we supposed to do?"
"Test her DNA?"
*
The next day
Liz waited impatiently in the hotel room, while the others sat in different areas of it, talking of this and that. They were awaiting a phone call from the man... Eyes Only. When it did ring, all except the kids jumped up.
"H-hello?"
*
"Max, calm down," said Logan, slightly amused.
"How can you tell me to calm down?" said Max loudly, "This is my mother we're talking about here! This is the person I've been looking for ever since I learned about mothers!"
She could barely stand in place. She'd been like a hurricane ever since she found out the woman's DNA had proved her to be Max's mother.
When Max found out, at least when the shock had died down, she'd run home to take a shower and change before running back to Logan's. The woman was to come to Logan's home, apparently with some people, whom she assured were harmless.
"So what do we do?" asked Max.
"All she knows for now is that I have questions to ask her and decided to meet face to face. She doesn't know that you're here. That means I'll need you to stay outside the room until I bring up the subject."
"Logan!"
"I know you're anxious, but we can't just drop this on her."
"I know..."
"Alright, I'll see you later then," he answered casually.
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm going away... out of Seattle... maybe out of the country..."
"W... why?" he asked, feeling like his heart had been ripped out.
"I'm sorry, I have to go now..." With that she turned and started walking away, her form seemingly disappearing in the shadows.
"NO! Don't go!" he pleaded as he tried to follow her, to bring her back, make her stay... But it was as though his feet were glued to the ground. He couldn't stop her. And soon enough, he couldn't see her anymore, she was gone.
"Come back!" he said, although he knew she couldn't hear him.
He sighed, resting there for a few seconds, before feeling someone's presence.
"Hello? Who's there?" he demanded. Finally, the woman came into view. She appeared to be about forty, with long blond hair.
"Who are you?" he asked her. She didn't speak, but observed his face for a few minutes, then finally, her eyes grew wider and she sighed of apparent relief.
"It is you," she said, clearly to herself and not the confused Logan who stood in shock, from his friend's disappearance and the woman's appearance.
"Who are you?" he asked again.
*
The next morning
"Are you okay?" asked Max, checking out Logan's posture.
"It's nothing... I just... had this strange dream last night," he said, thinking back to the woman's request.
"Oh? What was it?" she asked with a grin.
"Nothing you need to know. I got a job for you. Nothing big, just to set up the equipment for a conversation with Eyes Only."
"Oh... Alright," she said, slightly disappointed at the ease of the job. "When does it need to be done?"
"I told them to be there at noon."
"Got it," she said, picking up the slip of paper with the address he gave her and the equipment. "Later," she said. There was something odd about his attitude she couldn't quite explain, but she shrugged it off.
*
At noon (note: I'll be jumping back and forth between the meeting place and Logan's home, so you'll need to pay attention closely)
Max escorted Liz and Isabel into the room. He insisted on coming along, saying that it would be safer, but they all knew it was for another reason. He stayed by the door as the two women sat in front of the camera and screen set up on the table.
"What do we do now?" asked Liz. Just then, the Eyes Only banner came on the screen just like it always did.
"Thank you for agreeing to this," said Isabel.
"It's what I do," he answered.
Back at Logan's home, Max observed him as he began his conversation with the two women. He didn't know she was there as she stood by the door silently. One of them looked familiar, but she didn't know why.
"Care to tell me what this is about?" the man on the screen asked. Liz turned to Isabel, feeling a wave of fright come over her.
"It's okay, you can do it," she told her, taking Liz's hand. She nodded in response, took a deep breath and turned to look at the screen.
Max listened carefully to the woman's story, her skin covering with goose bumps as the tale was told.
"... 1999... Wyoming... Manticore... X5... Lydecker..."
She could tell Logan was troubled as well, because he knew the same thing she did. This woman could be one of the mothers that had carried the X5s... maybe even herself...
"Do you have any proof of this?" said Logan, trying to keep his cool. The woman turned to her friend again and slowly lowered her head to look at what they guessed was her foot. From the noises made, they knew she was removing her shoe and now her sock. She got up on the chair then and rested her left foot on the table, her ankle facing the camera.
And there it was, staring back at them. A barcode. Logan was simply surprised, but Max drew in a breath, which finally alerted Logan to her presence.
"One moment," he told the women, before closing the view on the camera. He then turned to see Max standing behind him completely still.
"Max what's wrong? What is it?" he whispered.
She could hardly breathe, but managed to let out, "Th... that's... MY... barcode."
Logan's eyes grew wide and he suspected his jaw had dropped.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Positive," she said in a shaky voice.
"What if it's a trap?" asked Logan.
"What if it's not?" continued Max.
"So what are we supposed to do?"
"Test her DNA?"
*
The next day
Liz waited impatiently in the hotel room, while the others sat in different areas of it, talking of this and that. They were awaiting a phone call from the man... Eyes Only. When it did ring, all except the kids jumped up.
"H-hello?"
*
"Max, calm down," said Logan, slightly amused.
"How can you tell me to calm down?" said Max loudly, "This is my mother we're talking about here! This is the person I've been looking for ever since I learned about mothers!"
She could barely stand in place. She'd been like a hurricane ever since she found out the woman's DNA had proved her to be Max's mother.
When Max found out, at least when the shock had died down, she'd run home to take a shower and change before running back to Logan's. The woman was to come to Logan's home, apparently with some people, whom she assured were harmless.
"So what do we do?" asked Max.
"All she knows for now is that I have questions to ask her and decided to meet face to face. She doesn't know that you're here. That means I'll need you to stay outside the room until I bring up the subject."
"Logan!"
"I know you're anxious, but we can't just drop this on her."
"I know..."
