Part .06
Lydecker did notice when the broadcast was run a third time. By then, Logan was checking his voicemail at ten minute intervals. The minute he heard Lydecker's voice, ("This is Colonel Lydecker here . . ." came the greeting) Logan gave a sort of strangled yelp and got a pen and paper. Cradling the phone between his head and neck, Logan went over to stop the computer program from running the next broadcast.
Zack and Original Cindy had jumped up at Logan's utterance. At the present moment, they were standing on either side of Logan, watching him press the number two three one on his phone, then put it hurriedly to his ear. Muttering, Logan wrote down the numbers on a pad of paper.
Placing the phone in it's cradle, Logan turned to the expectant faces of Original Cindy and Zack. Smiling a rather sardonic smile, he told them, "Lydecker wants a meeting with us, Zack." Logan turned back to the computer.
Zack shook his head slowly. "It's as much as I expected," he said. "They want to use her as a bargaining chip."
"It wont work, boo," Original Cindy said. "We all know that you've got no spot in the world that'll start you up and squealing."
"You make me sound like a pig in some kind of armor," Zack said dryly.
"Maybe you are, boo," Original Cindy picked up her piece of paper. "While out guy Logan is making arrangements," -- Logan was typing away on the computer, shaking his head -- "you and Original Cindy will put their clues together. This is what she's got . . . snowy . . . something that looks like NMA . . . Normal, she thinks . . . Normal conditions? Wait, it's a place . . . wasn't there a show in the nineties called Normal, Ohio . . . check that out . . . does it snow in Ohio . . . check that out, too . . . "
Zack just stared at her. "You realize that you spoke about a dozen sentences with no real beginning or ending, don't you?" he finally asked in a quiet voice. Original Cindy stared at him.
"Original Cindy thinks its time for her boo Zack to have his nervous breakdown," she said with a very soft smile. Zack turned and left the house. Logan glanced up once before slumping over his chair, head in his hands. "That can wait for tomorrow, boo," Original Cindy said firmly. Logan stared at her for a moment before closing his programs. "Bedtime . . . " her voice was syrupy sweet, just hiding the emotion she felt.
Original Cindy leading the way, Logan somehow got into his room. Original Cindy made certain that the answering machine was on, then went to her room, almost dragging her feet. "This girl has got too much on her feet," she said aloud as she sat down on her bed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The next morning, Logan was the usual resolute self that Original Cindy knew so well and Zack was the usual asshole that everyone else knew so well. Determinedly, Zack and Original Cindy tried to finish deciphering the clues to Max's location.
Logan, however, was on the phone with Lydecker's men. Trouble-men, Original Cindy had replied. After an hour of speaking to them, he got no closer to any contact with Colonel Lydecker. Original Cindy and Zack had definitely ruled out Ohio as the place where Max was being held -- the temperatures didn't seem to work -- when Logan finally said, loudly, "Colonel Lydecker. How nice to finally get to speak to you this morning . . . Yes, I am aware you are a busy man, but that doesn't give . . . cut the crap. Where is she? . . . Oh, she's dead, is she? Sorry, 'Deck, but I've got some things that say otherwise . . . where did I get them? Now who would I be to rat out an innocent source . . . not very nice words, you know . . . Arranged the same as last night, let me give you the address . . ."
Logan fired off an address, where, as everyone in the room knew, there would be equipment, all in readiness for Lydecker. Making calls and getting favors done was Logan's best thing. "Time . . . time . . . " he muttered, frowning into his thoughts. "How about eight thirty, tomorrow night? That'll give you sufficient time to come up with bullcrap, that'll give me sufficient time to counter attack. Good-bye."
Lydecker did notice when the broadcast was run a third time. By then, Logan was checking his voicemail at ten minute intervals. The minute he heard Lydecker's voice, ("This is Colonel Lydecker here . . ." came the greeting) Logan gave a sort of strangled yelp and got a pen and paper. Cradling the phone between his head and neck, Logan went over to stop the computer program from running the next broadcast.
Zack and Original Cindy had jumped up at Logan's utterance. At the present moment, they were standing on either side of Logan, watching him press the number two three one on his phone, then put it hurriedly to his ear. Muttering, Logan wrote down the numbers on a pad of paper.
Placing the phone in it's cradle, Logan turned to the expectant faces of Original Cindy and Zack. Smiling a rather sardonic smile, he told them, "Lydecker wants a meeting with us, Zack." Logan turned back to the computer.
Zack shook his head slowly. "It's as much as I expected," he said. "They want to use her as a bargaining chip."
"It wont work, boo," Original Cindy said. "We all know that you've got no spot in the world that'll start you up and squealing."
"You make me sound like a pig in some kind of armor," Zack said dryly.
"Maybe you are, boo," Original Cindy picked up her piece of paper. "While out guy Logan is making arrangements," -- Logan was typing away on the computer, shaking his head -- "you and Original Cindy will put their clues together. This is what she's got . . . snowy . . . something that looks like NMA . . . Normal, she thinks . . . Normal conditions? Wait, it's a place . . . wasn't there a show in the nineties called Normal, Ohio . . . check that out . . . does it snow in Ohio . . . check that out, too . . . "
Zack just stared at her. "You realize that you spoke about a dozen sentences with no real beginning or ending, don't you?" he finally asked in a quiet voice. Original Cindy stared at him.
"Original Cindy thinks its time for her boo Zack to have his nervous breakdown," she said with a very soft smile. Zack turned and left the house. Logan glanced up once before slumping over his chair, head in his hands. "That can wait for tomorrow, boo," Original Cindy said firmly. Logan stared at her for a moment before closing his programs. "Bedtime . . . " her voice was syrupy sweet, just hiding the emotion she felt.
Original Cindy leading the way, Logan somehow got into his room. Original Cindy made certain that the answering machine was on, then went to her room, almost dragging her feet. "This girl has got too much on her feet," she said aloud as she sat down on her bed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The next morning, Logan was the usual resolute self that Original Cindy knew so well and Zack was the usual asshole that everyone else knew so well. Determinedly, Zack and Original Cindy tried to finish deciphering the clues to Max's location.
Logan, however, was on the phone with Lydecker's men. Trouble-men, Original Cindy had replied. After an hour of speaking to them, he got no closer to any contact with Colonel Lydecker. Original Cindy and Zack had definitely ruled out Ohio as the place where Max was being held -- the temperatures didn't seem to work -- when Logan finally said, loudly, "Colonel Lydecker. How nice to finally get to speak to you this morning . . . Yes, I am aware you are a busy man, but that doesn't give . . . cut the crap. Where is she? . . . Oh, she's dead, is she? Sorry, 'Deck, but I've got some things that say otherwise . . . where did I get them? Now who would I be to rat out an innocent source . . . not very nice words, you know . . . Arranged the same as last night, let me give you the address . . ."
Logan fired off an address, where, as everyone in the room knew, there would be equipment, all in readiness for Lydecker. Making calls and getting favors done was Logan's best thing. "Time . . . time . . . " he muttered, frowning into his thoughts. "How about eight thirty, tomorrow night? That'll give you sufficient time to come up with bullcrap, that'll give me sufficient time to counter attack. Good-bye."
