The car pulled up in front of a bright-colored building, surrounded by pens and cages.
"Where are we?" Max asked.
"A petting zoo," Logan answered. "They have animals for kids to, well, pet. They also have the last known supply of animal crackers in the area. I'll be right back. Stay in the car."
"This is the first time you've let me out of the apartment," she retorted, "and you think I'm staying in the car? Maybe I want to pet some animals." She stopped as a kid wearing a bright blue suit and...a cape?...ran past the car.
"Uh... Weirdness alert."
Logan followed her gaze. "Superman costume. Pre-Pulse fictional superhero. Kids wear them, Halloween kind of thing, you know?"
She didn't know but she wasn't going to admit it. "Go get my cookies, Logan."
He left, knowing he was probably going to regret it.
Max climbed out of the car, wandering over towards the cages. There was a serious crush of kids in front of a jungle gym. She headed that way, curious.
"I never jumped off the top of this jungle gym," a boy said.
"I did," shouted another kid. "Ten points for me!"
A game, then. Max watched for a while, picking up the fairly juvenile rules. She lost interest when they reached the "I never ate goat poop!" stage. Boys, men, all the same.
She wandered around the compound, patting a sheep and stroking a couple of rabbits. She pulled herself up short when she saw some cute chickens...and didn't even think of them as food.
Soft, she thought to herself, I've gone soft. I'm physically weak and my brain is following. I couldn't take out a piglet, let alone an X7. I'm useless.
Max let her mind whirl on, mentally ranting, working herself up into a fury at her own weakness, Tinga's death, Lydecker, Logan's brotherliness, everything, until she was ready to take out the next thing that touched her.
Something did, nudging her in the small of her back. She spun around, coming face to face with an enormous goat. She needed a target for her rage.
"You'll do," she snapped, shifting into fighting stance. She knew it was ridiculous, but damn it felt good.
"You better ask yourself, punk... Do you feel lucky? Well... Do ya?!"
The goat tilted his head and let out a "baaa."
"Go ahead." Max narrowed her eyes. "Make my day."
The goat reached out over the fence and butted her gently in the stomach.
"I think that deserves a black eye!" she rasped, her muscles tensing.
"Max, if you kill the goat, I'm going to have to buy it. And I don't think you're up for roast goat just yet"
Max jumped as Logan spoke over her shoulder. Embarrassed, she spit out the first excuse that entered her flustered brain. "He was trying to look up my skirt!"
Logan nodded, seriously. "That's pretty rude of him, especially since you're wearing jeans."
Max flushed and attempted to change the subject. "Where are my cookies?"
It worked. "What cookies?," Logan asked loudly, steering her away from the crowd of kids. "I bought all they had," he whispered as they headed for the car, "and unless you want to share with everyone..."
She didn't care, as long as he had forgotten about the goat.
"I want my cookies!"
Logan pulled her the rest of the way. "Shhh!! shhh!! SHHH!! I got a whole bag of shhhh!!! just for you!"
They rode back to the apartment in silence, Max eating, Logan trying not to laugh. A goat!
"Where are we?" Max asked.
"A petting zoo," Logan answered. "They have animals for kids to, well, pet. They also have the last known supply of animal crackers in the area. I'll be right back. Stay in the car."
"This is the first time you've let me out of the apartment," she retorted, "and you think I'm staying in the car? Maybe I want to pet some animals." She stopped as a kid wearing a bright blue suit and...a cape?...ran past the car.
"Uh... Weirdness alert."
Logan followed her gaze. "Superman costume. Pre-Pulse fictional superhero. Kids wear them, Halloween kind of thing, you know?"
She didn't know but she wasn't going to admit it. "Go get my cookies, Logan."
He left, knowing he was probably going to regret it.
Max climbed out of the car, wandering over towards the cages. There was a serious crush of kids in front of a jungle gym. She headed that way, curious.
"I never jumped off the top of this jungle gym," a boy said.
"I did," shouted another kid. "Ten points for me!"
A game, then. Max watched for a while, picking up the fairly juvenile rules. She lost interest when they reached the "I never ate goat poop!" stage. Boys, men, all the same.
She wandered around the compound, patting a sheep and stroking a couple of rabbits. She pulled herself up short when she saw some cute chickens...and didn't even think of them as food.
Soft, she thought to herself, I've gone soft. I'm physically weak and my brain is following. I couldn't take out a piglet, let alone an X7. I'm useless.
Max let her mind whirl on, mentally ranting, working herself up into a fury at her own weakness, Tinga's death, Lydecker, Logan's brotherliness, everything, until she was ready to take out the next thing that touched her.
Something did, nudging her in the small of her back. She spun around, coming face to face with an enormous goat. She needed a target for her rage.
"You'll do," she snapped, shifting into fighting stance. She knew it was ridiculous, but damn it felt good.
"You better ask yourself, punk... Do you feel lucky? Well... Do ya?!"
The goat tilted his head and let out a "baaa."
"Go ahead." Max narrowed her eyes. "Make my day."
The goat reached out over the fence and butted her gently in the stomach.
"I think that deserves a black eye!" she rasped, her muscles tensing.
"Max, if you kill the goat, I'm going to have to buy it. And I don't think you're up for roast goat just yet"
Max jumped as Logan spoke over her shoulder. Embarrassed, she spit out the first excuse that entered her flustered brain. "He was trying to look up my skirt!"
Logan nodded, seriously. "That's pretty rude of him, especially since you're wearing jeans."
Max flushed and attempted to change the subject. "Where are my cookies?"
It worked. "What cookies?," Logan asked loudly, steering her away from the crowd of kids. "I bought all they had," he whispered as they headed for the car, "and unless you want to share with everyone..."
She didn't care, as long as he had forgotten about the goat.
"I want my cookies!"
Logan pulled her the rest of the way. "Shhh!! shhh!! SHHH!! I got a whole bag of shhhh!!! just for you!"
They rode back to the apartment in silence, Max eating, Logan trying not to laugh. A goat!