VIA MEMORIUS - MI ALMA EL TUYO
"Slow down a little, Alec. I think we're almost there." Max grabbed the map from the dashboard and opened it, turning it around a few times to orientate it properly. Though to Alec the only purpose of driving was to do so very, very quickly, he obliged and slowed the convertible closer to the actual speed limit posted on the side of the highway.
"Thanks." she said sarcastically, finally finding the place she was looking for on the map. She glanced up at the road. "Turn here." she said, and a quarter-second later a street sign that proclaimed 'East Fairhaven Avenue' in big block letters shot by the window.
"That was the one!" she protested.
"That one?" he turned to give her a very fed up look. "Do you think you could have given me a little more warning?"
"I just looked at the map."
"And that's my fault how? I'm going about 60 miles an hour, here."
"I told you to slow down!"
"We were at the intersection when you said it!" he protested. Max calmed herself before retorting a reply.
"Sorry." she feigned sweetness. "Please turn the car around."
"I like it better when you yell at me." he told her warily.
"You're never satisfied." Max said sarcastically; he stopped the car and turned it around, heading down East Fairhaven Avenue. Max looked at the map again, glanced up at the road, and smiled to herself.
"You just passed the next turn-off, too." she said. Alec turned the car around wordlessly and headed down the street marked Cascade Highway.
"Do you want to drive?" he asked. "Because I know I can give better directions than this."
"Oh, now you want me to drive?" She patted his arm. "No thanks." Looking down at the map again, she told him, "Just keep on this road for about ten klicks. The next intersection we have to turn onto isn't till then, so don't worry, I'll give you plenty of warning next time."
Alec wasn't listening to her. He was focusing his enhanced vision on the face of the driver of the truck approaching then; he saw a young, blond man behind the wheel of the red pickup, a young woman beside him, before the truck shot by them. Alec glanced in the rear view mirror to study the back of the man's head, and then he turned to his passenger.
"Hey, wasn't that-"
"Shh." she said, staring down at the map. "Let's see, is that right? Or should it be this one...?" Max muttered to herself as she traced their path on the map.
"Uh... Max?"
"Just a second, I've almost got it." she said, waving a hand at him.
"But Max-"
"Shut up, I have to concentrate." she interrupted.
"All right, fine." He said, shrugging and continuing to drive.
If she got to Zack's house and he wasn't there, he thought to himself as he drove along, she would probably start crying. That would be no fun for Alec, and would also likely lead to him getting his ass kicked after she stopped crying. Then again, if he told her that he'd seen Zack in time for her to meet up with him, then he would come off like someone who gave a damn, and he didn't see how that would benefit him in any way. Hmm... he weighed his options carefully in his mind, but finally decided that not getting his ass kicked should be his top priority.
"Max." he said as she continued to stare at the map. "Look, I-"
"I said shut up! It's hard enough to concentrate in here with that engine roaring without your endless chatter."
"Fine!" he exclaimed, irritated now. You try and do something nice for someone, and they bite your head off! What was with this world? "I was just going to tell you that your precious brother isn't there. So sue me if I thought you'd be interested." he muttered under his breath, forgetting for a moment as he often did that she could hear just as well if not better than he could. Max slowly turned to him, and she looked hesitant. Alec's smirked; ahh, now there would be fun.
"What did you say?" she asked slowly. Alec smiled and rested his elbow on the door of his car.
"Oh, so now you're willing to listen to me?" he asked. "Well, I don't know if I feel like talking." She looked about ready to kill him, but smiled, making the situation even more humorous to him than it already was.
"Alec, please," she began sweetly, reaching over to pat his arm. Then her facade slipped off and she squeezed his bicep so hard he thought it might squish into jelly. His smile faltered. "Tell me what the hell you're talking about or I'll rip your pretty little head off!"
"I saw Zack back there driving a truck." he spat out quickly. "He passed us a few minutes ago." He instantly regretted that he hadn't told her when her anger fell away and her face paled. Is she going to cry? He winced at the thought. Oh, God, please don't let her cry. I really wouldn't know what to do if she cried.
Alec came to a stop that burned rubber and did a u-turn on the country road; momentarily, Max was distracted enough to simply gasp and hold on for her life- as well as not cry, much to Alec's relief. He proceeded to drive in the direction the truck went, doing about 100 miles an hour.
"Alec, I appreciate what you're trying to do and all, but maybe you ought to slow down!" Max yelled over the roaring engine. "And put on your seatbelt!"
"You're never happy, Max." he quipped, but obliged her and slowed to 85; he ignored her second request. What does a genetically enhanced killing machine need a seatbelt for? It's that kind of stuff like that takes all the fun out of life. Safety, he thought. Who needs it?
Taking a turn in the road sharply, the car nearly rolled. Nearly, but didn't, and that would have been fine except that as soon as they cleared the bend he saw that Zack's truck was stopped about half a metre in front of them. Alec shot his hand out and shoved Max back against her seat as his eyes widened, and the convertible screeched its breaks, twisting on the road as he tried to avoid the truck.
But too late. The car rammed into the pickup, sending it into a tailspin, almost flipping over. Alec shot out of the car and hit the pavement hard, rolling several metres from the force of the impact; Max's seatbelt held her back as she grabbed the wheel to try and manoeuvre the car away from trees and Alec's crumpled body. The vehicle drove out of control down the street until finally slamming its front-end into a tree. Again, Max had her seatbelt to thank for her life.
Inside the truck, Zack had heard the screeching tires of the convertible
car behind them as it nearly rear-ended them, and Alyssa had let out a shrill
scream. Zack watched the car careen away from them and almost flip, then saw the
driver fly from the car. He watched tensely as the passenger still left in the
car managed to steady it as it shot down the road. Alyssa was already jumping
out of the car, and she ran to the body of the young man on the road, feeling
for a pulse.
"He's alive." she said with relief as Zack joined her. Several metres down the road, the convertible slammed into a tree. Zack stood to see if the passenger was hurt, but the car was empty. He narrowed his eyes in confusion and suspicion; where was the other person?
"Can I help?" he asked, looking down at the man.
"He's unconscious, but he's breathing. He's lucky his neck didn't break. His arm wasn't so fortunate, though." she said as she looked him over. "It looks like his shoulder's dislocated, too." Zack stared at the man face down on the road as Alyssa said, "Help me turn him over."
"Alyssa..." Zack breathed. "He has a barcode on his neck." She looked, and her eyes widened.
"Do you recognize it?"
"No, I can't remember specific barcodes." That frustrated him incredibly. "Help me turn him over." she said again, and he did. When he saw the man's face, a lump caught in his throat.
"Tell us the story, Ben."
"Only the best soldiers get to go to the Good Place. The ones who fail... you know what happens to them?"
"They disappear."
"To the Bad Place."
"Ben." he breathed. Alyssa looked at him.
"Are you sure?" she asked carefully. Ten years later and Zack's brother just happens to collide with his truck on the very day that Zack has remembered his existance? That was just a bit to easy. Zack looked at her.
"We didn't go to the High Place tonight."
"The Blue Lady will understand."
"I don't think she will."
"Go to bed, Ben."
"I'm sure." He reached out and stroked the young man's head tenderly, and
withdrew his hands when he felt his fingers become coated with blood. Alyssa
touched his arm gently as he swallowed back the lump that had gathered in his
throat.
"He's going to be okay, but we have to get him to a hospital."
"This is my fault."
"No it's not."
"I could have saved him."
"Zack, that's ridiculous. We had our hazard lights on. He was speeding."
"That's not what I'm talking about. I should have been there to help them. They need me. All this time I've been sitting on my hands at that stupid ranch-" he broke off, swallowed hard, ran a hand through his hair.
"You couldn't remember anything. That's not your fault. Now we have to get him to a hospital. Come on, help me."
"I am going to kill him." was Max's first thought after she tested
her limbs to see if she could move them, and finally unbuckled her seatbelt. She
pulled herself from the car and onto the road and suddenly froze as she caught
sight of Alec's broken body, with Zack and a young woman tending to him. She
swallowed hard and hurried toward them, dazed and as she realized that she was
about to see her brother again, who would not know who she was, and hoping Alec
was alive. She dropped to her knees beside them; immediately, Zack turned to her
and managed a smile despite the situation.
"Max." he said, startling her. He recognized her? How was that possible? She stared at him, unable to speak.
"Zack, help me." the girl with him said. Max looked at her. How did she know his real name? No one was supposed to known Zack even existed- he was Adam now. Immediately Max became suspicious. Who was this woman, and what was she to Zack? She'd better not be from Manticore.
"Is he alright?" Max asked, finally regaining her voice.
"He'll be fine." Zack told her immediately. "We have to get him to a hospital." He took Alec's limp hand in his, startling Max. "Don't worry, Ben." he whispered.
"Wha-?" she started, then bit her tongue. She didn't know how much Zack remembered yet: he thought Ben was still alive, and that said something. She couldn't risk saying something that would confuse him, or make him violent again. "Oh... Ben. Of course. Come on, let's help him." The girl with Zack- who was she, anyway?- gave her a strange look, but she was too stunned from the accident and the fact that Zack remembered her to care. Zack lifted the unconscious Alec up in his arms and glanced over at the convertible, smashed up against the tree.
"That'll never run." the girl said. "We'll take the ranch truck."
"It looks like it only seats two." Max said. Zack nodded.
"One of you will have to sit in the back with Ben."
"Right." she stammered. "Of course. I'll do it." IF Alec woke up, she had to be the one there with him so she could tell him what was going on, and so when Zack called him Ben he wouldn't say something stupid, like he always did. Her head spinning, she climbed into the back of the truck, wrinkling her nose as a horrible smell assaulted her.
"Sorry about that, Max." Zack apologized as she sat down. He laid Alec next to her, putting his head safely in her lap. "I was going to deliver this manure but, well, the accident." He shrugged. "Anyway, it's only an hour or so into Seattle from here."
"I'll survive." she said; he turned away. "Zack-?" she called him back.
"Yeah?"
"Who's your friend?"
"Alyssa." he said, turning back to look at her. Max didn't think that explained much, but they didn't have time for explanation. At least the mystery woman had a name now.
"It's good to see you." she managed, though it sounded lame to her ears. She was actually ecstatic to see him, and that he remembered her. Zack reached out and touched her cheek, then smiled tenderly at her and pulled her into an embrace.
"You, too, Maxie." he said softly, and she felt tears prickling her eyes. He let go of her and went to the front of the truck, climbing into the driver's seat beside Alyssa. But before he started the car, he turned and slid open the cab's back window. "Where're we going?" he asked.
"Metro Medical Hospital." Max answered. "There's a doctor friend of Lo- of mine there, knows all about us. Doctor Carr. He's trustworthy." She breathed an internal sigh of relief. Alyssa had stared at her fearfully as she almost mentioned Logan's name. She couldn't believe she had done that, but Zack didn't seem to have noticed. He just nodded, and started the car.
When they got to the hospital, Max sent Zack off to buy them all coffee from the cafeteria, and finally got a chance to talk to Alyssa. The two women sat down in the waiting room, and Max turned to her.
"So..." she began awkwardly. What could she say? She didn't want to say anything specific in case Alyssa really wasn't on their side.
"You don't know who I am." Alyssa started the conversation for her, and held out her hand, which Max shook. "Alyssa McLean. Logan got me a job at the ranch just before Adam- Zack came. I'm a clinical psychologist specializing in victims of head trauma. I've also dealt with amnesiacs before."
"Ah." Max said; that explained a lot. They talked some more; apparently Alyssa had been at the ranch to help Zack regain his memories, which he had been doing all day. "You don't mind if I confirm all this with Logan, do you?" Max asked; Alyssa smiled.
"Not at all. I thought you'd want to." she said, smiling; Max headed to a pay phone with a lot of questions for Logan, and dialed his number. On the second ring, he answered.
"Hello?"
"Hello yourself."
"Asha?"
"Logan!" Horror and poorly-veiled disgust filled her voice.
"Oh, sorry. Max. I just wasn't expecting you. You said you'd be gone for a few days."
"Yeah. Well, I'm sitting here talking to someone who says she's a friend of yours. The name Alyssa McLean mean anything to you?"
"I see you found Zack. I thought you weren't going to talk to him."
"We had a little mishap." Max said.
"Doctor Ross to emergency; Doctor Ross to emergency." the PA system.
"Why are you at a hospital?"
"Got in a car accident." she said, then quickly added, "I'm fine. Alec isn't so hot, though. He's probably going to be complaining a lot when he comes to." She smiled slightly at the thought.
"Sounds like you two aren't killing each other." Humour touched his voice. "I was worried."
"It's come close a few times." she said. "Anyway, tell me about this Alyssa person. She says you hired her on to help Zack? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to get your hopes up, in case he couldn't be helped."
"That's sweet, but I would have liked to know." she said stiffly.
"I know; I'm sorry. I thought about telling you before you left, but... well, I wasn't sure if she'd gotten through to him this early and I couldn't get hold of her."
"Oh, she's gotten through to him alright."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He remembered me right off the bat. She says he's been having memories all day. Except I don't think he's remembered everything yet. He thinks Alec is Ben."
"Oh." There was a pause. "You okay?" Max shrugged even though she knew he couldn't see her.
"I went along with it. I don't know if he even ever knew Ben was murdering people. Or that I killed him." Her voice caught. "We never talked about him, not once. It was like he never even existed." She swallowed. "Until today."
"That must have been hard." Logan said gently. Max saw Doctor Carr enter the waiting room and Alyssa stand up to talk to him.
"I gotta go, Logan, the doc's here." she said quickly.
"Oh- Okay. Bye."
"Bye." She hung up and hurried over to them.
"He's going to be fine." Doctor Carr told her. "He actually fared exceptionally well. I put a cast on the broken arm, and fit his shoulder back into place. I've asked a nurse to bring him out; he should be here momentarily."
"So he's awake, then." Max said.
"Awake and complaining." The doctor smiled.
"Why am I not surprised?" she asked the ceiling. The doctor turned and saw a nurse pushing Alec into the room in a wheelchair. Then she left with Doctor Carr.
"Come on." Max said. "We'd better go talk to him before Zack gets back."
"Too late." Zack's voice from behind her startled her so much that she jumped.
"Oh! Zack." He was looking at her oddly. "Ben-" She got a handle on herself and smiled. "He's going to be fine." At this, a relieved smile spread over Zack's face; he caught sight of Alec and handed them their coffees before heading over to him. Alyssa went outside to pull the truck around.
"Ben, you're alright." Zack said softly as he saw reached Alec, Max close on his heels.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Except for the fact that I-" Alec broke off his complaint and thought for a second. "Wait, what?" He shook his head. "No, I'm not-"
"Yeah, I'm glad you're okay, too." Max cut him off quickly, pulling him into an awkward embrace. "I'm so glad you're okay, Ben."
"What-?" he said into her shoulder. "Ben? What are you-? Ah, ah, ah!" Max's hands dug into the shoulder-blade of his uninjured side, then she released him.
"Ben?" Zack asked, concerned at his outburst. Alec glanced at Max, who gave him an evil look, and he caught on.
"Oh..." He smiled a little at Zack. "Uh, yeah, that's my name. Don't... wear it out." he finished lamely; Zack didn't seem to get the joke, but Max took his arm and led him a short distance away. Alec added under his breath, "What the hell was that?"
"So, Alyssa..." Max said to Zack on the other side of the room. "She
nice?"
"Yeah. She's helped me."
"I've heard." She paused. "How much have you remembered, Zack?"
"A lot of it. I mean, it's still jumbled." He looked at her. "I remember you. I remember you when we were little. I protected you."
"You looked out for all of us."
"I was the CO." he agreed.
"You were our big brother." She touched his arm and he smiled slightly at her. "You still are." Slowly, his smile faded.
"I remember Eva. She died."
"Lydecker killed her." Max said softly. "It was ten years ago, but I still miss her."
"I remember Brin dying. We couldn't save her. We let them take her back."
"Yes. We saved her life."
"We betrayed her."
"No."
"I'm sorry. If I had just done my job-"
"Zack, don't." she interrupted, reaching for his hand. "You can't be everywhere at once."
"Look where I've been for the last two months!" he was angry; he pulled away from her. "Who knows what's happened to them?"
"They're okay." Max said, though she really didn't know if they were. She hadn't even seen some of them since the night of the escape; didn't even know who those brothers and sisters were. Some, she did know of. Like Syl and Krit, safe. But Tinga was dead. And Ben... she would have to tell him about Ben eventually.
"At least Ben's okay." She heard Zack say.
"Yes." she said softly. "Ben's okay."
Across the room, in his hospital bed, Alec sniffed the air a few times,
then made a face.
"Max, can I grab you for a second?" he called over to her. She looked annoyed, but put a smile on and walked over.
"What?" she asked.
"What did you do to me, Max?" he told her, sounding disgusted. "I stink!" Max blinked, then smirked at him.
"Oh, so you've finally admitted it." She started to walk away. He grabbed her arm.
"Ha, ha, very funny." he said. "No, I mean I stink." She leaned in to him.
"Sometimes that happens when you lie unconscious in a pile of manure for an hour being taken to a hospital. But you're welcome, Alec; don't mention it."
"A pile of-" he started to repeat, then stopped and sniffed again. "Ahhg! You stink, too!" he gave her a shove. "Get away from me already!"
"The car's here." Zack called, heading for the door; Max glared at Alec and took hold of the handles of his wheelchair, pushing him after her brother.
"Where's my car?" he exclaimed suddenly, surveying the parking lot and looking suspiciously at the red pickup truck waiting in front of them.
"Oh, we had to leave it on the side of the road." Max said, watching his eyes fill with horror. "It was stuck to a tree."
"I'll stick you to a tree..." he muttered, getting shakily to his feet. He noticed the young woman in the driver's seat and walked unsteadily over to her and smiled, opening the passenger door. "And who might you-" Max slammed the door before he could get into the car. "What?"
"You'll have to sit in the manure with me." she told him cheerfully, reaching out a hand to steady him even as teased him.
"I have to?" he exclaimed. "I'm the one with a freaking concussion, here!"
"If you're well enough to complain you're well enough for anything."
"No, you see that's where you're wrong. I can complain even while unconscious. It's a very basic thing for me. It doesn't reflect on my well-being by any stretch of the imagination."
"Besides," she continued, ignoring him. "You already stink." Max added sweetly, "Now get in." Reluctantly, he climbed into the back with her and sat there disgustedly for the half an hour it took them to drive to Max's apartment.
"What the hell is up with the Ben thing?" he asked loudly as they drove; the window of the truck's cab was still open. She barely stopped herself from hitting him right in his stupid, concussed head.
"Shut up." she hissed at him.
"I think it's a valid question." he protested.
"I'll explain later." she told him softly, then glanced up to see Zack looking at her in the rearview mirror with a strange expression on his face.
When they reached her apartment, Alyssa let Max and Zack off before driving Alec to wherever it was that he was living this week. Max didn't even know, nor did she want to know. She was glad that he was okay, though, as much as she hated to admit it.
"This is home." she told Zack as she opened the door. She led him inside just as Original Cindy came walking in from her bedroom. She started at the sight of Zack.
"Hey there." she said after she'd recovered herself. Zack narrowed his eyes at her.
"I remember you."
"Good memories, I hope."
"Oh... yeah. Of course." he answered awkwardly. In truth she was just familiar, not with any specific memories attached to her, but he didn't have any negative feelings toward her, so he supposed that was good. Cindy went into the kitchenette, bending down to get something to eat out of one of the lower cupboards. "So, boo, you takin' him to Logan's?" Max's eyes widened in horror as Cindy slowly stood, realizing what she'd said. Max turned to her brother, praying that he hadn't heard; there was dead silence in the apartment for almost thirty seconds.
"Logan." Zack said slowly. Max's face paled. I can't believe you just said that! she screamed at Cindy with her eyes. Cindy looked as sorry as she was scared, and they both stared at Zack to see if he would make the dreaded connection. His face had gone slack; another flashback was hitting him, though the two women didn't know this.
Zack was in a very nice apartment, looking at the back of a man in a
wheelchair, who sat in front of a computer. Zack felt overwhelming hostility
toward this guy, but wasn't sure why. Then the man turned around, and suddenly
the hatred wasn't only that of his memory-self, but present-day Zack as well.
Words flashed through his mind: Bad, heinous, evil, traitor. This man was
someone who wanted to kill Zack and hurt the ones he loved. Or, more
specifically, a certain one he loved: the brown-eyed child, his littlest sister.
Max.
"It's my responsibility to look after all of them." he looked away from
Logan. "If I would have done my job, Brin wouldn't be in this jam." He cleared
his throat. "So, what is it between you and Max?" He had to know, but didn't
want to.
"I don't know." Logan said in a tone of voice that made Zack's skin prickle. "Something. I just don't know what."
"You really worried about Max?" Zack snapped. "The biggest threat to her
safety is you."
"How do you figure?" Logan thought he was so right that he was actually smug. Zack hurried to set him straight.
"She should have gotten the hell out of Seattle a long time ago. She knows it's not safe here, but she stayed anyway, because of you." He was angry. "She ignored her training and let her judgement be clouded by feelings and emotions. And one day it's going to get her killed." For once, Logan had no clever answer, and Zack, satisfied, walked away.
"I'm going back." Max was defiant, crazy, a rogue. Zack was angry. She was going back? To Logan? Was she insane?
"No way."
"I need to be there for him."
"The mission is to get you over the border and into safe territory."
"Yeah, well, I'm changing the mission." Foolish, stupid, weak. It was going to get her killed.
"Don't be crazy." He was angry, she was stupid, he was scared, he loved her. He was desperate. "Lydecker's got the entire city looking for you."
And she'd left, gone back to him, to Seattle. And Zack had be recaptured, sacrificed himself for her and went back to Manticore. She would be safe but he was hurt, abused, tortured.
"So, how come you didn't give me this contact number of yours so I could
find you if I needed to?" Max, her voice wry. He looked at her.
"You know why."
"Because I haven't been a good little soldier?" she asked; he smiled slightly.
"Something like that." he said.
"Guess I won't be invited to the next x5 reunion." she muttered. He sighed.
"You're too reckless, Max. I couldn't risk giving it to you. What if you got caught and Lydecker got it out of you?" He'd hurt her with those words.
"I'm too much of a liability to be trusted, is that it?"
"If you want to get on board with the way I do things it's not too late. First step, though, is leaving Seattle." He waited, and Max averted her eyes from him. Of course not. She would stay with Logan, even though he knew it would eventually get her killed.
Zack pointed at Logan. His eyes were angry as he looked at the man, and
his body was injured. "Stay out of this." he snapped.
"He's been working against us the whole time!" He was yelling at Max; he
was angry, he was devastated. She didn't understand. She was locked up, he would
have saved her, but she was against him. Why was she against him? He loved her.
"That's the reason the mission went wrong!" His mind screamed, It's the reason
you and I died, Max!
"Just undo these handcuffs." she said slowly. "We can talk about it." Anger overwhelmed Zack. What was wrong with her?
"He's a traitor! Why don't you believe me?"
"You've got it all wrong!" her voice was desperate. "They did something to you back at Manticore!" Sorrow engulfed him. Yes, they'd tortured him at Manticore. Because of Logan. It was all Logan's fault, why couldn't she see that? It was his fault that he'd become the monster he was.
"I died for you!" Zack screamed, and she recoiled from him in pain.
"Max!" Zack was on a gurney, being wheeled into a hospital room. Max was
on another gurney; he heard a flatline from her heart monitor. Hands were
pushing him down; he struggled against them but he was too weak.
"Internal paddles." One of the doctors said. How could they be so calm? She was dying!
"Charge to 30." Another doctor.
"Charged."
"Clear."
He heard them administer the paddles to her, and the jolt of electricity shot through her body. The flatline tone continued.
"30 again." the second doctor said. The first one prepped the paddles again. "Clear." They shocked her again, but still the dead sound of the heart monitor droned in the room. Zack watched on, panicked. He saw a woman walk into the room, stared at her, willed her to save Max.
"What's her condition?" the woman asked as she gazed at Max, ignoring him. Zack held his breath.
"The bullet went clean through." the first doctor said. "Her right ventricle is collapsed. She's gone." No, no, no, no, Zack's mind cried. He looked at the woman. Save her!
"Is there damage to any other organs?" the woman asked; her voice shook slightly. The doctor shook his head, and she nodded brusquely. "Prep her for harvesting." A surge of horror and adrenaline shot through Zack; he ripped the flimsy gurney-straps holding him back and sprung to his feet, incapacitating a guard and sweeping up his gun. Then he managed to grab the woman even as she fled from the room, and held the gun on the doctors.
"Bring her back!" he yelled.
Though the memory stopped there because he couldn't face the rest of it,
he knew: he'd died. Sacrificed himself to save Max. And now he knew: the reason
that he'd had to die was because of him. Logan. Vile, treacherous, bad, evil,
heinous.
"Logan." he said, hatred burning within him. He turned from the apartment, leaving the two women standing there, shocked. Heading into the hall, he was already formulating a plan to complete the mission he had only just remembered. Logan. Logan had hurt Max, hurt him; killed them both. Yet somehow Max didn't realize this. But no matter; he knew what his mission was now, and he wouldn't allow Logan to hurt any of them ever again.
