A/N: Glad to see everyone is still reading. :P Be a few days before the next part is posted, but we'll see where it goes from there. :) Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, and keep the guess work and ideas coming. LOL My muse needs all the inspiration she can get. :P I'm aiming to have this poor little fic finished within a month or so, but we'll just have to see what happens.
As always, reviews here or by email are welcomed, encouraged, and desperately craved. I'm only doing a base beta on these first chapters until the story is better situated in my mind, but things should be fairly well checked over. Also, any ideas that you may have regarding small M/L scenes for future parts would be greatly appreciated as well. I don't tend to write fun stuff, I tend more to dwell on the traumatic psychological fun, so ideas for fluffy parts are always welcome. :)
They're so obviously not mine. I just like to borrow them sometimes and mutate their inner voices. What can I say? It's fun. Meanwhile, Cameron, Eglee and Fox are still getting all the cash.
Fight or Flight
Part Three: Conspiracy Theory
By: Danae Bowen
Email: logansfox@rogers.com
"S'up, boo?"
Max rolled to her side, glancing up at Original Cindy as her roommate's shadow appeared in Max's bedroom doorway.
Max shrugged. "Dunno."
"Okay, that ain't the face of a girl who spent last evening hangin' at her sugar's. Straight up, Max, your boy bein' an idiot again? 'Cause if he is, you know you can count on Original Cindy to get your back. 'Tween you 'n me, boy won't know what came down on his ass."
Max frowned and shook her head. "No, it's not that."
"Then what?"
"I don't know. Something's changed, but I can't put my finger on it."
"For the good or bad?"
Max shrugged helplessly. "For the good, I guess, in a way. He's starting to come on stronger; I mean, I swear last night was a *real* date. It was just weird."
Original Cindy grinned. "And you're not down with that?"
"Am I the only one that remembers a little thing we like to refer to as painful death by retrovirus?" Max sighed, rolling onto her back.
Original Cindy moved to sit on Max's bed beside her, curling her legs underneath her body. "Boo, you got a problem."
"I know, he just doesn't..."
"I'm not talkin' about Logan. See, way I see it is this: your boy is tryin' to do the good here. Take a step forward. Remind you how things were before this bitch evolved and ruined things. Then there's my boo who's too chicken shit to give life a chance 'n just go with the flow. You keep forgettin' what Original Cindy's been tellin' ya, Max; you'll kick this soon, but what's the point if you ain't gonna be able to use it?"
Max stared at the ceiling silently for a few minutes, chewing on her lower lip as she thought over everything Cindy had to say. "Thing is, what if we go for it and we never find a cure? What happens then? We spend the rest of our lives staring at each other wishing for what we can't have? I know Logan's trying to give me hope, but straight up, girl, hope sucks. All that it'll give me is disappointment."
"You tellin' me you givin' up hope entirely?"
Max shook her head, rolling off her mattress to get to her feet and walk towards her doorway. She paused a moment, looking back at Original Cindy who remained sitting on Max's bed. "Nah, girl, I'm saying that I never had it to begin with. We tried, we failed, we'll try again, we'll fail again. If one of these days we try and it works, then great, I'll be your regular little happy go giddy transgenic mutant, but until then, at least I won't get hurt."
Original Cindy sighed as she watched Max walk into the kitchen and begin rummaging through their nearly bare refrigerator. She was on her feet moments later, a hand on Max's shoulder turning the younger girl towards her. "You foolin' yourself, boo. You think you ain't gonna be hurt if you don't get this bitch kicked? What do you think's happenin' now? You hurtin' so damn deep down inside maybe you don't see it yet, but you gonna 'n when you do you gonna know it. Least if you play it Logan's way, when that hurt comes out 'n bites you in the ass, y'all've had some time together. Life ain't a game, boo. You can't win or lose, you can only live."
Max sighed, blinking back tears that were threatening to spill regardless of her emotional barriers. She brushed a hand across her eyes, pressing the back of it to her forehead as she met Cindy's concerned gaze. "So you're saying I should go to dinner?"
"Mmhmm."
"And that I should be nice?"
"You got it, sugar."
Max shook her head, "You tryin' to win the job of fairy godmother?"
Original Cindy laughed softly, running her fingers through her wild hair. "Nah, just lookin' out for my own, know what I mean?"
Max chuckled suddenly. "With my luck, just as I get all into this Asha'll show up or some shit."
Cindy's laughter doubled, and she tossed an apple in Max's direction as she made her way back to her bedroom. "You know what, Max? The blonde wannabe shows, you put the smack down on her. Stake your claim, boo, aiight?"
Max smiled, the tension beginning to ease from her tiny frame as she bit into the apple. "Aiight."
"Okay, bonding period over. We gotta get our asses movin' or Normal's gonna fire 'em before we even walk through the door."
"I hear ya."
Together they moved through the apartment, changing and gathering their things for the day ahead. Tuesdays at Jam Pony sucked, the slowest day in the week for deliveries. Neither Max nor Original Cindy had any doubt that by noon they'd be sitting in the main room, twiddling their thumbs, waiting for Normal to call them lazy idiots and send them home.
*****
Max noticed when the conversation shifted while she sat pretending to watch the television later that day. Sketchy had returned from a pickup only minutes before, and since then more and more people had been gathering around him. It wasn't the muted voices that caught Max's attention, however, but the furtive looks in her direction as Sketchy spoke of whatever it was he was sitting on. Max shook her head and got to her feet, stalking towards her friends with an expression of impatience written across her features.
"What sick rumors you spreadin' now, Sketch?" Max asked, cocking her hip out to one side as her eyes darkened with suspicion.
Sketchy held his hands up in a display of innocence. "Wasn't sayin' a word, Max."
"I turn 'round and hear that I been doing disgusting things to parts of your body I don't want to mention, those body parts ain't gonna exist tomorrow, get me?"
He nodded quickly, backing away into the crowd as a few people around them began to chuckle. The group dispersed, ignoring Normal's constant barrage of insults as they returned to lounging in wait for something better to do.
Max watched Sketchy curiously for a few moments as a new group began to gather around him, before she sighed and leaned against the lockers. Original Cindy showed up moments later, leaning beside Max. "Way to beat the fool down, boo. What trash he talkin' now?"
Max shrugged. "Dunno, wasn't in the mood to eavesdrop. 'Sides, not sure I ever wanna hear what comes outta his mouth behind my back."
"Boy's a moron, straight up, but Sketchy has his limits. Give him a chance, Max, maybe this time he did something right." Original Cindy winked at her young friend and rejoined the group around the television. Max considered joining her, taking a step towards her gathered co-workers, stopped only by the irritatingly familiar tone in Normal's voice.
"Max! Hot run. So if it isn't too much to ask of you, get your ass over here and earn your pay for a change."
"Right, like the last four runs I did through foot deep snow weren't enough to earn what you pay me, Normal."
"Listen here, little missy, are you refusing a run, thereby refusing a job with the highly respected institute of Jam Pony?"
Max bit back a scathing reply, and instead forced a patronizing smile onto her face. "I'm not refusing, Normal, I'm on break. When I'm off break, I will go on another run."
"Suit yourself, Max. 'Course, if you're gonna break now, I guess that means you're working till close tonight."
Max shot him a look of disgust, almost ready to ignore him when she remembered she had to be at Logan's for eight. If she stayed till last run, she'd never make it to Fogle Towers on time for their dinner, and suddenly Max didn't want to let Logan down once again. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She stalked over to him and ripped the package out of his hands.
He raised an eyebrow at her and held out his clipboard. "I need a signature."
Max stared at him in disbelief. "I think I know my job by now. You'll get your signature when I get back."
He shook his head. "I don't think so, Max." He raised his voice. "Unlike the miscreants you work with, *I* get a signature when I hand something over to a receiver. Now, sign the sheet and get out of my sight. I'm sick of watching you slacking off. Come back tomorrow when you're ready to actually work."
Max's eyes searched his for some sign of whatever joke was obviously about to fall on her head, but saw nothing beyond Normal's regular uninterested expression. She shrugged suddenly, signed the receipt, and took her package back towards the locker. She was barely half way there when Original Cindy cut her off once again, keeping pace with Max's quick step.
"So? You gonna open it, or you gonna stare at the package and just wonder what it is?"
Max shrugged, cocking her head as Sketchy came up on the other side of her.
"See, Max, I told you I wasn't talkin' trash. Was just wondering what was in the box."
"Why does everyone care so much what's in it?"
Cindy laughed, nudging her shoulder into Max's. "C'mon, boo, quit kiddin' yourself. You know well as Original Cindy that your boy sent that to you. Even if Sketch ain't been tellin' anyone with ears the story of pickin' it up from Logan's crib, Original Cindy ain't stupid enough not to guess."
"So?"
"So, open the damn package, girl, 'n let's see what you got!"
Max laughed, shrugging her off. "It's probably a run down on something he wants me to do before going over there tonight."
Cindy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'n that's why he gave Normal an envelope filled with cold hard cash to let you off early. Boo, ain't no-one willin' to toss off a c-note without good cause."
"I hate to leave ya'll hangin', really, but I think this'll wait till I get home." Max smiled slowly, pulling her backpack and coat out of her locker.
Sketchy groaned, leaning back against the lockers. "That's just wrong, Max."
Max lifted her eyebrow, shrugging softly. "The world is wrong, Sketch, get used to it."
She turned on her heel and moved quickly to the door, catching Normal's nod on her way out. Whatever, if Normal wanted to play at being human for a day, who was she to argue? She could feel Original Cindy moving up behind her and heard Normal call Max's roommate back. Max was forced to laugh as Cindy shot Normal down, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she was bagging with her boo, and not to say a word about it if he valued his external body parts.
Cindy wrapped her arm around Max's shoulders as they moved towards their bikes, lifting the light package out of her young friend's hands. "So, how 'bout we crack this bitch open 'n find out just how serious your boy actually is?"
End Part Three
As always, reviews here or by email are welcomed, encouraged, and desperately craved. I'm only doing a base beta on these first chapters until the story is better situated in my mind, but things should be fairly well checked over. Also, any ideas that you may have regarding small M/L scenes for future parts would be greatly appreciated as well. I don't tend to write fun stuff, I tend more to dwell on the traumatic psychological fun, so ideas for fluffy parts are always welcome. :)
They're so obviously not mine. I just like to borrow them sometimes and mutate their inner voices. What can I say? It's fun. Meanwhile, Cameron, Eglee and Fox are still getting all the cash.
Fight or Flight
Part Three: Conspiracy Theory
By: Danae Bowen
Email: logansfox@rogers.com
"S'up, boo?"
Max rolled to her side, glancing up at Original Cindy as her roommate's shadow appeared in Max's bedroom doorway.
Max shrugged. "Dunno."
"Okay, that ain't the face of a girl who spent last evening hangin' at her sugar's. Straight up, Max, your boy bein' an idiot again? 'Cause if he is, you know you can count on Original Cindy to get your back. 'Tween you 'n me, boy won't know what came down on his ass."
Max frowned and shook her head. "No, it's not that."
"Then what?"
"I don't know. Something's changed, but I can't put my finger on it."
"For the good or bad?"
Max shrugged helplessly. "For the good, I guess, in a way. He's starting to come on stronger; I mean, I swear last night was a *real* date. It was just weird."
Original Cindy grinned. "And you're not down with that?"
"Am I the only one that remembers a little thing we like to refer to as painful death by retrovirus?" Max sighed, rolling onto her back.
Original Cindy moved to sit on Max's bed beside her, curling her legs underneath her body. "Boo, you got a problem."
"I know, he just doesn't..."
"I'm not talkin' about Logan. See, way I see it is this: your boy is tryin' to do the good here. Take a step forward. Remind you how things were before this bitch evolved and ruined things. Then there's my boo who's too chicken shit to give life a chance 'n just go with the flow. You keep forgettin' what Original Cindy's been tellin' ya, Max; you'll kick this soon, but what's the point if you ain't gonna be able to use it?"
Max stared at the ceiling silently for a few minutes, chewing on her lower lip as she thought over everything Cindy had to say. "Thing is, what if we go for it and we never find a cure? What happens then? We spend the rest of our lives staring at each other wishing for what we can't have? I know Logan's trying to give me hope, but straight up, girl, hope sucks. All that it'll give me is disappointment."
"You tellin' me you givin' up hope entirely?"
Max shook her head, rolling off her mattress to get to her feet and walk towards her doorway. She paused a moment, looking back at Original Cindy who remained sitting on Max's bed. "Nah, girl, I'm saying that I never had it to begin with. We tried, we failed, we'll try again, we'll fail again. If one of these days we try and it works, then great, I'll be your regular little happy go giddy transgenic mutant, but until then, at least I won't get hurt."
Original Cindy sighed as she watched Max walk into the kitchen and begin rummaging through their nearly bare refrigerator. She was on her feet moments later, a hand on Max's shoulder turning the younger girl towards her. "You foolin' yourself, boo. You think you ain't gonna be hurt if you don't get this bitch kicked? What do you think's happenin' now? You hurtin' so damn deep down inside maybe you don't see it yet, but you gonna 'n when you do you gonna know it. Least if you play it Logan's way, when that hurt comes out 'n bites you in the ass, y'all've had some time together. Life ain't a game, boo. You can't win or lose, you can only live."
Max sighed, blinking back tears that were threatening to spill regardless of her emotional barriers. She brushed a hand across her eyes, pressing the back of it to her forehead as she met Cindy's concerned gaze. "So you're saying I should go to dinner?"
"Mmhmm."
"And that I should be nice?"
"You got it, sugar."
Max shook her head, "You tryin' to win the job of fairy godmother?"
Original Cindy laughed softly, running her fingers through her wild hair. "Nah, just lookin' out for my own, know what I mean?"
Max chuckled suddenly. "With my luck, just as I get all into this Asha'll show up or some shit."
Cindy's laughter doubled, and she tossed an apple in Max's direction as she made her way back to her bedroom. "You know what, Max? The blonde wannabe shows, you put the smack down on her. Stake your claim, boo, aiight?"
Max smiled, the tension beginning to ease from her tiny frame as she bit into the apple. "Aiight."
"Okay, bonding period over. We gotta get our asses movin' or Normal's gonna fire 'em before we even walk through the door."
"I hear ya."
Together they moved through the apartment, changing and gathering their things for the day ahead. Tuesdays at Jam Pony sucked, the slowest day in the week for deliveries. Neither Max nor Original Cindy had any doubt that by noon they'd be sitting in the main room, twiddling their thumbs, waiting for Normal to call them lazy idiots and send them home.
*****
Max noticed when the conversation shifted while she sat pretending to watch the television later that day. Sketchy had returned from a pickup only minutes before, and since then more and more people had been gathering around him. It wasn't the muted voices that caught Max's attention, however, but the furtive looks in her direction as Sketchy spoke of whatever it was he was sitting on. Max shook her head and got to her feet, stalking towards her friends with an expression of impatience written across her features.
"What sick rumors you spreadin' now, Sketch?" Max asked, cocking her hip out to one side as her eyes darkened with suspicion.
Sketchy held his hands up in a display of innocence. "Wasn't sayin' a word, Max."
"I turn 'round and hear that I been doing disgusting things to parts of your body I don't want to mention, those body parts ain't gonna exist tomorrow, get me?"
He nodded quickly, backing away into the crowd as a few people around them began to chuckle. The group dispersed, ignoring Normal's constant barrage of insults as they returned to lounging in wait for something better to do.
Max watched Sketchy curiously for a few moments as a new group began to gather around him, before she sighed and leaned against the lockers. Original Cindy showed up moments later, leaning beside Max. "Way to beat the fool down, boo. What trash he talkin' now?"
Max shrugged. "Dunno, wasn't in the mood to eavesdrop. 'Sides, not sure I ever wanna hear what comes outta his mouth behind my back."
"Boy's a moron, straight up, but Sketchy has his limits. Give him a chance, Max, maybe this time he did something right." Original Cindy winked at her young friend and rejoined the group around the television. Max considered joining her, taking a step towards her gathered co-workers, stopped only by the irritatingly familiar tone in Normal's voice.
"Max! Hot run. So if it isn't too much to ask of you, get your ass over here and earn your pay for a change."
"Right, like the last four runs I did through foot deep snow weren't enough to earn what you pay me, Normal."
"Listen here, little missy, are you refusing a run, thereby refusing a job with the highly respected institute of Jam Pony?"
Max bit back a scathing reply, and instead forced a patronizing smile onto her face. "I'm not refusing, Normal, I'm on break. When I'm off break, I will go on another run."
"Suit yourself, Max. 'Course, if you're gonna break now, I guess that means you're working till close tonight."
Max shot him a look of disgust, almost ready to ignore him when she remembered she had to be at Logan's for eight. If she stayed till last run, she'd never make it to Fogle Towers on time for their dinner, and suddenly Max didn't want to let Logan down once again. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She stalked over to him and ripped the package out of his hands.
He raised an eyebrow at her and held out his clipboard. "I need a signature."
Max stared at him in disbelief. "I think I know my job by now. You'll get your signature when I get back."
He shook his head. "I don't think so, Max." He raised his voice. "Unlike the miscreants you work with, *I* get a signature when I hand something over to a receiver. Now, sign the sheet and get out of my sight. I'm sick of watching you slacking off. Come back tomorrow when you're ready to actually work."
Max's eyes searched his for some sign of whatever joke was obviously about to fall on her head, but saw nothing beyond Normal's regular uninterested expression. She shrugged suddenly, signed the receipt, and took her package back towards the locker. She was barely half way there when Original Cindy cut her off once again, keeping pace with Max's quick step.
"So? You gonna open it, or you gonna stare at the package and just wonder what it is?"
Max shrugged, cocking her head as Sketchy came up on the other side of her.
"See, Max, I told you I wasn't talkin' trash. Was just wondering what was in the box."
"Why does everyone care so much what's in it?"
Cindy laughed, nudging her shoulder into Max's. "C'mon, boo, quit kiddin' yourself. You know well as Original Cindy that your boy sent that to you. Even if Sketch ain't been tellin' anyone with ears the story of pickin' it up from Logan's crib, Original Cindy ain't stupid enough not to guess."
"So?"
"So, open the damn package, girl, 'n let's see what you got!"
Max laughed, shrugging her off. "It's probably a run down on something he wants me to do before going over there tonight."
Cindy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'n that's why he gave Normal an envelope filled with cold hard cash to let you off early. Boo, ain't no-one willin' to toss off a c-note without good cause."
"I hate to leave ya'll hangin', really, but I think this'll wait till I get home." Max smiled slowly, pulling her backpack and coat out of her locker.
Sketchy groaned, leaning back against the lockers. "That's just wrong, Max."
Max lifted her eyebrow, shrugging softly. "The world is wrong, Sketch, get used to it."
She turned on her heel and moved quickly to the door, catching Normal's nod on her way out. Whatever, if Normal wanted to play at being human for a day, who was she to argue? She could feel Original Cindy moving up behind her and heard Normal call Max's roommate back. Max was forced to laugh as Cindy shot Normal down, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she was bagging with her boo, and not to say a word about it if he valued his external body parts.
Cindy wrapped her arm around Max's shoulders as they moved towards their bikes, lifting the light package out of her young friend's hands. "So, how 'bout we crack this bitch open 'n find out just how serious your boy actually is?"
End Part Three