Chapter 1-To Dream or Not To Dream
Max screamed down the highway on her bike, Logan hanging on behind her. It felt good to be back with him from Manticore, and it felt really good to have his arms wrapped around her waist. She liked it even more when she'd ride on one wheel, because it'd make him hold on tighter. All Max could think about was his hands.
About ten minuets later, Max and Logan were standing on top of the space needle, looking down at the people.
"You remember, Logan," Max asked now staring up at the stars, "when we were up here last,?"
"Yeah."
"And you said I'd never be a regular anything?"
"What about it?"
"I think you're right" I mean who all in this world has done the crap I have done?"
Logan put his arm around Max and gently squeezed her shoulder. 'So what, that makes her special. Why is this bothering her so much?' Lagan thought. 'Alright, so ask her.' Instead, he pulled her closer and gave her a big hug. Max just hugged him back, never wanting to let go.
But Logan did let go. He left one hand on her back and started walking back. On the way there he stopped, about ten feet away from the edge of the needle.
He whispered in her ear, "I have a surprise for you." Max looked into his eyes, searching for an answer. Without taking his hand off her shoulder, Logan bent down and swiftly picked Max up off of her feet.
"But, but... Max again looked deep into his eyes. She had heard the story about that night, she knew his exoskeleton couldn't do this.
"I guess my body is s slow learner, doctors say it accepted your blood."
Max could only smile and kiss his cheek.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She couldn't open her eyes, but she was awake, and she was in pain. Max smelled the pillow she was lying on. She knew it was a familiar place, but her head hurt so much that it actually hurt to inhale, somehow. She tried to go back to her dream, she really wanted Logan to be able to walk without assistance, but that would probably never happen. She thought to herself, 'Great, I got my a$$ kicked by a nine year-old.' She finally fell back into a restless slumber.
Logan was standing in the doorway. 'It's been two days since she even moved. Way to go Logan, save her from Manticore, have her get killed by her clone, again.' He knew she was really alive; even though she really didn't look like it, because he was listening to her breathe.
About an hour later, Max slowly turned around to her other shoulder. That was a bad idea because that wrist was broken. But from her keen sense of hearing, she knew someone was behind her, and she figured it was Logan. Max rubbed her face and very, very slowly sat up in the bed.
"Well, good morning sunshine." Logan said sarcastically. After looking at the clock he added, "Or good night."
Max didn't say anything, she couldn't. She just looked at Logan with a questioning expression.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Max laid back down on Logan's soft bed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, it was a lot darker and Logan had left the hallway. Max could remember everything, she didn't necessarily want to, but she did. Logan, Krit, Syl, Trace and Lydecker had come to her rescue after being 'recaptured' or um… killed by her X7 clone. 'Man,' Max thought. 'I got my @ss kicked by a nine year-old.' Max had been drugged by a guards tranquilizer gun just as she was getting into the hummer that Logan was driving. Within five minuets, She was out like a light.
She thought about the dream she had just had. 'Damn. If only Logan could walk, I'd feel so much better about my self. He an I both know that I'm responsible for his 'accident'.' Quiet settled in the house. Max studied the shadow cast in the doorway from the bathroom. She could tell that Logan was holding his face in his hands in front of the mirror. Max closed her eyes and heard the shower water start to run. She opened them and saw Logan's shadow disappear to the sound of a moving shower curtain. 'Now's my chance,' She thought. 'I can get out of here without having to face him. I can't do that right now.' She limped to the living room and peeked around the corner to see if Bling was anywhere around. Nope. 'Oh darn, I get to miss a lecture. I'm sure he'll make up for it later.' Max walked through the kitchen and swooped up her coat and boots from off the table. She set them back down and looked at a tabloid lying on the counter.
'SECRET GOVERNMENT AGENCY FOUND CORRUPTING CHILDRENS' MINDS WITH KILLER INSTINCT!'
Max grinned a little and picked up an apple and threw it into the air. She rubbed it on her sleeve, then set it back down- deciding that she wasn't hungry. 'Alright, as far as I can tell, I have a sprained knee and a broken wrist, and a broken heart'
"Stupid nine year-old." Max accidentally said out loud.
"Well, I thought she was pretty smart." Logan surprised Max.
"Yeah well, that's you. You don't coun..." Max winced when she saw Logan standing in the hallway in his white t-shirt and a pair of plaid boxers. That's all. No exoskeleton. No help. Logan could walk! "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Well, I am standing in the living room."
"STANDING? MY ASS!!" Max watched an smirk start to form on Logan's face. "How the hell did this happen?"
"Well, the doctors say..."
"That you finally accepted my blood and you guess your body is a slow learner. Right?"
"How did you know that?"
"Had a... I guess you could say I had a hunch." I guess dreams can come true.
"That's what I thought."
"Really?"
"Sebastian called while you were out. Said there was a mysterious explosion a Manticore and everything was leveled. Only one soldier escaped along with one staff member. Sources say Lydecker and get this X7-452."
"Crap. I can see the headlines now. 'Twenty year-old got her @ss kicked by her killer nine-year old clone... again.' So how should we celebrate 'The End'?"
"I've got some champagne."
"Decent."
Logan went out of the room and came back with some white champagne. He went to pop the cork and when he got it out, Max let out a yelp of happiness. She sat down on the couch and let out a big sigh. Logan brought her a china stem glass full of the bubbly drink. He handed it to her of her head and then before letting go, he kissed her on the cheek and Max brought her hand over to his cheek and gently caressed it.
There was an unexpected knock on the door, and Logan just looked at it, then to Max.
"Logan, I have a bad feeling that it's Zach." Max whispered.
"He's dead, Max."
"Yeah well, how many times before has he been dead?"
"Good point, but he's never knocked before." Logan walked to the door and opened it, expecting to see anyone besides Zach. It was Lydecker, with an X7 behind him. "Howdy doo." Logan said sarcastically. "Alright, listen, no bad news, no ass chewings, I'm in a good mood, and I really, REALLY don't want that to change."
"We came here to see about..."
"Passports and fake I.D.s? Yeah, I'll get on it."
"Damn, I really wished that the 'source' of Logan's was wrong. But NO, you're still alive along with this little ass kicker." She was talking to Lydecker and the X7.
"This is uh, Max." Lydecker informed Max about the X7.
"Oh, no it's not. She'll be- Logan!!" Max shouted in the direction of the computer room. "Give me a name!"
"Evana"
"Good 'nough. Your new name is Evana." Evana nodded. "Poor thing- hey I'm really not such a bitch, ya know. I'm sorry 'bout the name thang, but I like bein' original."
"Sure." Evana said. "Hey, I'm sorry I um... Killed you."
"Just doing your job. I don't blame you for any of it, I blame your jackass colonial here. You know he's the one who-" Max suddenly stopped talking and listened intently. Evana listened too, and they both looked at each other. "Shit!!" Max grabbed Evana and ran to the other end of the apartment and hid in a closet with her. Max opened the door and shouted, "We were never here!" Then slammed it shut.
Logan had no clue what to think. 'What the hell is wrong with them? What'd they hear?' About two minuets, Logan's door was kicked down. Four soldiers stood about two inches from him with loaded guns pointed at him.
"WHERE IS SHE?!?" One of them shouted.
Logan saw a 'M' sewn into each of their sleeves and the front pockets said 'Special Ops'. "Who?" Is simply all he said.
"The girl!! WHERE IS SHE?"
"Well, I have met a lot of girls in my time..."
"Smartass!!" The guard just completely exploded and hit Logan hard in the back of the head with his gun. Logan lay motionless on the ground. Lydecker had managed to escape while the guards were yelling at Logan.
Max had heard everything, even when they hit him in the back of the head. She now crouched in the closet silently sobbing with on arm around Evana's waist and one hand over her own mouth.
"Why are you crying?" Evana almost silently whispered. Max could only shake her head for fear of if she said anything while shy was crying, it would come out as a loud squeak. But Evana understood. That was odd because Max didn't.
'He's only Logan- only Logan? What an understatement. I keep getting him in into trouble, and I'm gonna end up getting him killed. Maybe I should just leave him alone, and split. I won't need to split, these guards will do the dirty work for me.'
Just then the guard opened the closet door. "OOOh, ya think you can hide from me, huh?'
Max simply bowed her head and followed. Evana was at least trying to fight them, but Max just followed. When they reached the living room, she saw Logan lying helplessly on the floor. Max began sobbing again and very quietly whispered, "Good-bye, Logan." And she was gone.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Max screamed down the highway on her bike, Logan hanging on behind her. It felt good to be back with him from Manticore, and it felt really good to have his arms wrapped around her waist. She liked it even more when she'd ride on one wheel, because it'd make him hold on tighter. All Max could think about was his hands.
About ten minuets later, Max and Logan were standing on top of the space needle, looking down at the people.
"You remember, Logan," Max asked now staring up at the stars, "when we were up here last,?"
"Yeah."
"And you said I'd never be a regular anything?"
"What about it?"
"I think you're right" I mean who all in this world has done the crap I have done?"
Logan put his arm around Max and gently squeezed her shoulder. 'So what, that makes her special. Why is this bothering her so much?' Lagan thought. 'Alright, so ask her.' Instead, he pulled her closer and gave her a big hug. Max just hugged him back, never wanting to let go.
But Logan did let go. He left one hand on her back and started walking back. On the way there he stopped, about ten feet away from the edge of the needle.
He whispered in her ear, "I have a surprise for you." Max looked into his eyes, searching for an answer. Without taking his hand off her shoulder, Logan bent down and swiftly picked Max up off of her feet.
"But, but... Max again looked deep into his eyes. She had heard the story about that night, she knew his exoskeleton couldn't do this.
"I guess my body is s slow learner, doctors say it accepted your blood."
Max could only smile and kiss his cheek.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She couldn't open her eyes, but she was awake, and she was in pain. Max smelled the pillow she was lying on. She knew it was a familiar place, but her head hurt so much that it actually hurt to inhale, somehow. She tried to go back to her dream, she really wanted Logan to be able to walk without assistance, but that would probably never happen. She thought to herself, 'Great, I got my a$$ kicked by a nine year-old.' She finally fell back into a restless slumber.
Logan was standing in the doorway. 'It's been two days since she even moved. Way to go Logan, save her from Manticore, have her get killed by her clone, again.' He knew she was really alive; even though she really didn't look like it, because he was listening to her breathe.
About an hour later, Max slowly turned around to her other shoulder. That was a bad idea because that wrist was broken. But from her keen sense of hearing, she knew someone was behind her, and she figured it was Logan. Max rubbed her face and very, very slowly sat up in the bed.
"Well, good morning sunshine." Logan said sarcastically. After looking at the clock he added, "Or good night."
Max didn't say anything, she couldn't. She just looked at Logan with a questioning expression.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Max laid back down on Logan's soft bed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, it was a lot darker and Logan had left the hallway. Max could remember everything, she didn't necessarily want to, but she did. Logan, Krit, Syl, Trace and Lydecker had come to her rescue after being 'recaptured' or um… killed by her X7 clone. 'Man,' Max thought. 'I got my @ss kicked by a nine year-old.' Max had been drugged by a guards tranquilizer gun just as she was getting into the hummer that Logan was driving. Within five minuets, She was out like a light.
She thought about the dream she had just had. 'Damn. If only Logan could walk, I'd feel so much better about my self. He an I both know that I'm responsible for his 'accident'.' Quiet settled in the house. Max studied the shadow cast in the doorway from the bathroom. She could tell that Logan was holding his face in his hands in front of the mirror. Max closed her eyes and heard the shower water start to run. She opened them and saw Logan's shadow disappear to the sound of a moving shower curtain. 'Now's my chance,' She thought. 'I can get out of here without having to face him. I can't do that right now.' She limped to the living room and peeked around the corner to see if Bling was anywhere around. Nope. 'Oh darn, I get to miss a lecture. I'm sure he'll make up for it later.' Max walked through the kitchen and swooped up her coat and boots from off the table. She set them back down and looked at a tabloid lying on the counter.
'SECRET GOVERNMENT AGENCY FOUND CORRUPTING CHILDRENS' MINDS WITH KILLER INSTINCT!'
Max grinned a little and picked up an apple and threw it into the air. She rubbed it on her sleeve, then set it back down- deciding that she wasn't hungry. 'Alright, as far as I can tell, I have a sprained knee and a broken wrist, and a broken heart'
"Stupid nine year-old." Max accidentally said out loud.
"Well, I thought she was pretty smart." Logan surprised Max.
"Yeah well, that's you. You don't coun..." Max winced when she saw Logan standing in the hallway in his white t-shirt and a pair of plaid boxers. That's all. No exoskeleton. No help. Logan could walk! "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Well, I am standing in the living room."
"STANDING? MY ASS!!" Max watched an smirk start to form on Logan's face. "How the hell did this happen?"
"Well, the doctors say..."
"That you finally accepted my blood and you guess your body is a slow learner. Right?"
"How did you know that?"
"Had a... I guess you could say I had a hunch." I guess dreams can come true.
"That's what I thought."
"Really?"
"Sebastian called while you were out. Said there was a mysterious explosion a Manticore and everything was leveled. Only one soldier escaped along with one staff member. Sources say Lydecker and get this X7-452."
"Crap. I can see the headlines now. 'Twenty year-old got her @ss kicked by her killer nine-year old clone... again.' So how should we celebrate 'The End'?"
"I've got some champagne."
"Decent."
Logan went out of the room and came back with some white champagne. He went to pop the cork and when he got it out, Max let out a yelp of happiness. She sat down on the couch and let out a big sigh. Logan brought her a china stem glass full of the bubbly drink. He handed it to her of her head and then before letting go, he kissed her on the cheek and Max brought her hand over to his cheek and gently caressed it.
There was an unexpected knock on the door, and Logan just looked at it, then to Max.
"Logan, I have a bad feeling that it's Zach." Max whispered.
"He's dead, Max."
"Yeah well, how many times before has he been dead?"
"Good point, but he's never knocked before." Logan walked to the door and opened it, expecting to see anyone besides Zach. It was Lydecker, with an X7 behind him. "Howdy doo." Logan said sarcastically. "Alright, listen, no bad news, no ass chewings, I'm in a good mood, and I really, REALLY don't want that to change."
"We came here to see about..."
"Passports and fake I.D.s? Yeah, I'll get on it."
"Damn, I really wished that the 'source' of Logan's was wrong. But NO, you're still alive along with this little ass kicker." She was talking to Lydecker and the X7.
"This is uh, Max." Lydecker informed Max about the X7.
"Oh, no it's not. She'll be- Logan!!" Max shouted in the direction of the computer room. "Give me a name!"
"Evana"
"Good 'nough. Your new name is Evana." Evana nodded. "Poor thing- hey I'm really not such a bitch, ya know. I'm sorry 'bout the name thang, but I like bein' original."
"Sure." Evana said. "Hey, I'm sorry I um... Killed you."
"Just doing your job. I don't blame you for any of it, I blame your jackass colonial here. You know he's the one who-" Max suddenly stopped talking and listened intently. Evana listened too, and they both looked at each other. "Shit!!" Max grabbed Evana and ran to the other end of the apartment and hid in a closet with her. Max opened the door and shouted, "We were never here!" Then slammed it shut.
Logan had no clue what to think. 'What the hell is wrong with them? What'd they hear?' About two minuets, Logan's door was kicked down. Four soldiers stood about two inches from him with loaded guns pointed at him.
"WHERE IS SHE?!?" One of them shouted.
Logan saw a 'M' sewn into each of their sleeves and the front pockets said 'Special Ops'. "Who?" Is simply all he said.
"The girl!! WHERE IS SHE?"
"Well, I have met a lot of girls in my time..."
"Smartass!!" The guard just completely exploded and hit Logan hard in the back of the head with his gun. Logan lay motionless on the ground. Lydecker had managed to escape while the guards were yelling at Logan.
Max had heard everything, even when they hit him in the back of the head. She now crouched in the closet silently sobbing with on arm around Evana's waist and one hand over her own mouth.
"Why are you crying?" Evana almost silently whispered. Max could only shake her head for fear of if she said anything while shy was crying, it would come out as a loud squeak. But Evana understood. That was odd because Max didn't.
'He's only Logan- only Logan? What an understatement. I keep getting him in into trouble, and I'm gonna end up getting him killed. Maybe I should just leave him alone, and split. I won't need to split, these guards will do the dirty work for me.'
Just then the guard opened the closet door. "OOOh, ya think you can hide from me, huh?'
Max simply bowed her head and followed. Evana was at least trying to fight them, but Max just followed. When they reached the living room, she saw Logan lying helplessly on the floor. Max began sobbing again and very quietly whispered, "Good-bye, Logan." And she was gone.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~