Welcome to 'Past Difficulties' It's totally unrelated to Child's Play and Child's Play 2. Like those, I own nothing but the plot and a few minor characters, I am but a poor Canadian, please do not sue me. Hope you enjoy it!
-egbkid
"Hey Logan, you ready to go?" Max walked into Logan's penthouse apartment, throwing her duffel on a chair. He didn't see him, so she walked into the computer room and found Logan typing. She put a hand on his shoulder and he jumped.
"Max!" He yelled, turning. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."
"Whatcha working on?" Max asked, looking at the monitor.
"Just some last minute research before we take off. Are you ready?" He turned back to the computer, typed in a few more words then shut the program off.
"Yeah, I'm all ready. Let's go."
"Just let me pack a few things." Logan went down the hall to his bedroom, Max following but stopping at the door.
"You mean to tell me I've known about this trip for three days, you've probably known about it even longer, and you haven't even packed yet?"
"It doesn't take long to pack for one night." Logan said from his dresser. He threw some clothes on his bed then went into the adjoining bathroom, coming out with a few things. He then went to a closet and grabbed a backpack and stuffed everything inside it, added his laptop and a glasses case then zipped it closed. "See? Five minutes, let's go." Max followed Logan out of the apartment and into the elevator, astonished at how long it took him to pack. It took her almost two hours to pack for their excursion. Logan had to go meet someone at a hotel in a small town a few hours outside Seattle, so he had invited Max along after she complained that all her friends were going to be busy that weekend.
The drive to the hotel took longer then expected, because of a stubborn policeman at a checkpoint, but Logan arrived on time for his meeting. As he attended it, Max checked out what little the hotel had to offer, and while Logan slept, she checked out what the small town had to offer. It wasn't much, but she had a good weekend.
They were about halfway back to Seattle when the car suddenly stalled. It rolled to a stop as Logan pulled over to the side of the road.
"Damn!" He shouted, pounding the steering wheel. "I just had it checked out, what's wrong. He put it into park.
"I'll check it out, pop the hood." He obeyed and Max looked at the engine. She couldn't see anything wrong at a glance, so she started poking around. Finding nothing wrong, she yelled at Logan. "Try starting it!" He tried and it started easily. Confused, Max closed the hood and got back into the car.
"What was wrong?" Logan asked.
"Nothing that I could see. It's strange. Maybe something just skipped for a second, and made it cut out. It's working now, let's go."
"Alright. Is it me, or did it just seem to get nicer? The clouds disappeared." Logan observed as he pulled back onto the highway.
"Yeah, it does seem nicer, maybe the sun will actually shine for an entire day."
"What's that?" Logan saw something sitting on the side of the road. As they approached, it looked turned into someone standing, a backpack on and holding a sign that said 'Seattle' in big black letters.
"Think we should pick him up?" Max asked as they approached the young man. "Why anyone would want to go into Seattle, I don't know, but there won't be anyone around for another couple of hours."
"Yeah, maybe we should." He pulled over just beyond the man, who ran to catch up. Max got out of the Aztec and let the guy get into the backseat.
"Nice wheels you have, man." The guy said. "Is it new?"
"No, actually it's fairly old, but I've kept good care of it, so it's like new." Logan answered, looking at the man in the rear-view mirror.
"Thanks for the ride. The name's Riley."
"I'm Logan and this is Max. No problem on giving you a ride, though, another car won't be by for hours probably."
"Nah, that road's pretty well used, but it's the time of year. I should have waited a month, the road will be packed. You live in Seattle?" He asked, running a hand through his shaggy hair.
"Yeah, I have my whole life."
"Yeah? I have to; I'm just off visiting some family. I live in Foggle Towers."
"I don't recall ever seeing you there. That's where I live as well." Logan said. He was starting to get confused. They should have passed a police checkpoint by now, but he hadn't seen one since the car had stalled.
"Weird. Well, we actually just moved in about a month ago. I was only there two days before I left. Now I gotta get a job for the rest of the summer, before I go back to school."
"Good luck." Max mumbled, barely paying attention to anything around her. She was string at the guys strange clothes. He was wearing a very colourful shirt, like one that Herbal Thought would wear; it had a huge smiley face on it. He also wore a pair of faded blue jeans. On his feet were a pair of sandals, something most people wouldn't wear these days, and especially not travel in. His backpack had little key chain toys hanging all over it, Max thought that style went out with the Pulse, because you couldn't get them anymore. "Maybe you should apply at Jam Pony. It's where I work, I could persuade my boss to hire you, but I'll warn you, Normal's a jerk."
"What kind of name is Normal?" Riley asked, giving a weird look.
"It's a nickname. God knows how he got it, cause he's far from normal."
They approached a sign welcoming people to Seattle. Logan was surprised. He recalled them tearing that down to build the checkpoint. 'What is going on?' he thought. As they passed it, Logan spoke up.
"Max. We've only been away twenty-four hours. When did they put that sign up?"
"That sign's been there for almost fifty years!" Riley interrupted from the back seat.
"But I thought they tore it down back in oh nine."
"What are you talking about? 'oh-nine'? Oh, right, sorry, I forgot. Some people are calling the new millennium years oh-whatever, but I hate to break it to ya, but 'oh nine' hasn't come yet. It's still only oh one!"
"Max, I forgot we said we'd stop into my uncle's on our way home. Riley, can you get home from here?" Logan asked, pulling over at the city limits.
"Sure, I guess I can find the way. Can you draw me a map, though?" Max let him out of the car as Logan drew in a notebook Riley had given him. It wasn't far to Foggle towers, so it wasn't difficult to show him the way. After Riley had walked off, Logan turned to Max.
"I think we have a problem, Max."
To Be Continued...
-egbkid
"Hey Logan, you ready to go?" Max walked into Logan's penthouse apartment, throwing her duffel on a chair. He didn't see him, so she walked into the computer room and found Logan typing. She put a hand on his shoulder and he jumped.
"Max!" He yelled, turning. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."
"Whatcha working on?" Max asked, looking at the monitor.
"Just some last minute research before we take off. Are you ready?" He turned back to the computer, typed in a few more words then shut the program off.
"Yeah, I'm all ready. Let's go."
"Just let me pack a few things." Logan went down the hall to his bedroom, Max following but stopping at the door.
"You mean to tell me I've known about this trip for three days, you've probably known about it even longer, and you haven't even packed yet?"
"It doesn't take long to pack for one night." Logan said from his dresser. He threw some clothes on his bed then went into the adjoining bathroom, coming out with a few things. He then went to a closet and grabbed a backpack and stuffed everything inside it, added his laptop and a glasses case then zipped it closed. "See? Five minutes, let's go." Max followed Logan out of the apartment and into the elevator, astonished at how long it took him to pack. It took her almost two hours to pack for their excursion. Logan had to go meet someone at a hotel in a small town a few hours outside Seattle, so he had invited Max along after she complained that all her friends were going to be busy that weekend.
The drive to the hotel took longer then expected, because of a stubborn policeman at a checkpoint, but Logan arrived on time for his meeting. As he attended it, Max checked out what little the hotel had to offer, and while Logan slept, she checked out what the small town had to offer. It wasn't much, but she had a good weekend.
They were about halfway back to Seattle when the car suddenly stalled. It rolled to a stop as Logan pulled over to the side of the road.
"Damn!" He shouted, pounding the steering wheel. "I just had it checked out, what's wrong. He put it into park.
"I'll check it out, pop the hood." He obeyed and Max looked at the engine. She couldn't see anything wrong at a glance, so she started poking around. Finding nothing wrong, she yelled at Logan. "Try starting it!" He tried and it started easily. Confused, Max closed the hood and got back into the car.
"What was wrong?" Logan asked.
"Nothing that I could see. It's strange. Maybe something just skipped for a second, and made it cut out. It's working now, let's go."
"Alright. Is it me, or did it just seem to get nicer? The clouds disappeared." Logan observed as he pulled back onto the highway.
"Yeah, it does seem nicer, maybe the sun will actually shine for an entire day."
"What's that?" Logan saw something sitting on the side of the road. As they approached, it looked turned into someone standing, a backpack on and holding a sign that said 'Seattle' in big black letters.
"Think we should pick him up?" Max asked as they approached the young man. "Why anyone would want to go into Seattle, I don't know, but there won't be anyone around for another couple of hours."
"Yeah, maybe we should." He pulled over just beyond the man, who ran to catch up. Max got out of the Aztec and let the guy get into the backseat.
"Nice wheels you have, man." The guy said. "Is it new?"
"No, actually it's fairly old, but I've kept good care of it, so it's like new." Logan answered, looking at the man in the rear-view mirror.
"Thanks for the ride. The name's Riley."
"I'm Logan and this is Max. No problem on giving you a ride, though, another car won't be by for hours probably."
"Nah, that road's pretty well used, but it's the time of year. I should have waited a month, the road will be packed. You live in Seattle?" He asked, running a hand through his shaggy hair.
"Yeah, I have my whole life."
"Yeah? I have to; I'm just off visiting some family. I live in Foggle Towers."
"I don't recall ever seeing you there. That's where I live as well." Logan said. He was starting to get confused. They should have passed a police checkpoint by now, but he hadn't seen one since the car had stalled.
"Weird. Well, we actually just moved in about a month ago. I was only there two days before I left. Now I gotta get a job for the rest of the summer, before I go back to school."
"Good luck." Max mumbled, barely paying attention to anything around her. She was string at the guys strange clothes. He was wearing a very colourful shirt, like one that Herbal Thought would wear; it had a huge smiley face on it. He also wore a pair of faded blue jeans. On his feet were a pair of sandals, something most people wouldn't wear these days, and especially not travel in. His backpack had little key chain toys hanging all over it, Max thought that style went out with the Pulse, because you couldn't get them anymore. "Maybe you should apply at Jam Pony. It's where I work, I could persuade my boss to hire you, but I'll warn you, Normal's a jerk."
"What kind of name is Normal?" Riley asked, giving a weird look.
"It's a nickname. God knows how he got it, cause he's far from normal."
They approached a sign welcoming people to Seattle. Logan was surprised. He recalled them tearing that down to build the checkpoint. 'What is going on?' he thought. As they passed it, Logan spoke up.
"Max. We've only been away twenty-four hours. When did they put that sign up?"
"That sign's been there for almost fifty years!" Riley interrupted from the back seat.
"But I thought they tore it down back in oh nine."
"What are you talking about? 'oh-nine'? Oh, right, sorry, I forgot. Some people are calling the new millennium years oh-whatever, but I hate to break it to ya, but 'oh nine' hasn't come yet. It's still only oh one!"
"Max, I forgot we said we'd stop into my uncle's on our way home. Riley, can you get home from here?" Logan asked, pulling over at the city limits.
"Sure, I guess I can find the way. Can you draw me a map, though?" Max let him out of the car as Logan drew in a notebook Riley had given him. It wasn't far to Foggle towers, so it wasn't difficult to show him the way. After Riley had walked off, Logan turned to Max.
"I think we have a problem, Max."
To Be Continued...