As Raven opened the door she saw Zack was facing the dresser, his back to her. In the mirror she could see he was looking down at something. Closing his eyes, and lifting his hand to his mouth, he threw back his head, swallowing something. His tryptophan no doubt. Raven watched as he, with eyes still closed, placed his hand, palm flat, on the dresser. It was then she noticed that his hand was shaking with minute tremors. She could see his jaw clench then loosen then clench again. It wasn't hard to see that he was in pain.
Only after a few moments the tremors spread to his forearm. As he felt the seizure growing he drew his hand into a fist, fighting his own body for control of his hand. Without much of a warning he pulled back his arm and threw his fist at the mirror. Raven couldn't help but flinch as the mirror shattered.
He must have heard her sharp intake of breath, as it was then that he opened his eyes, and looked into the last shards of mirror that clung to the frame. Even reflected, his blue gaze was so intense as to keep her in her place.
The view of his eyes, distorted from the cracks in the mirror, seemed to hold something darker in the depths. But only for a moment as his razor gaze softened.
"Are you okay?" she asked timidly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He turned around looking at his hand, still slightly shaking, but now his fingers were coated in blood from the slivers of glass that had punctured his skin.
"I can clean that up for you," she offered, moving toward her pack.
"It's alright, I'll be fine." She ignored his words and proceeded to withdraw bandages from her first aid kit.
Raven did not look him in the eyes as she bandaged his hand with an experienced ease. He was grateful for that. Zack was also grateful for the fact that she did this all in silence, not questioning why he had punched the mirror, or why his hand shook.
He didn't want to admit it, and especially not to Raven, that he was weak once more.
*****
Max could feel her legs wobble beneath her as she turned her back on Logan and it wasn't due to her seizures. She had to walk quickly for fear of collapsing with grief. There was no looking back now. If she had stayed there another second she would have stayed forever. It would be in Logan's warm embrace, where she spent her nights whether she needed her rest or not. The streets would no longer call to her to find that thing that was missing in her life, because she had it all, in Logan. It was in that last kiss that she let loose all that emotion she had bottled up in her since the moment Logan said they didn't have that kind of relationship. Through that kiss was the only way Max could make sure he knew how she felt, because no words could encompass the passion within her.
Much to her delight and dismay, Logan returned the sentiment. When he pulled her down, and their lips met, the passion was so intense she thought she felt his leg tense beneath her hand. As though she would make him walk again just because she willed it so.
One floor down, in the stairwell Max stopped and leaned against a wall. Exhaustion seemed to loom over her, but not of the physical sort. Never before had she been part of such an outpouring of emotion. This was worse than at the cabin because back then she knew deep down inside, that despite what Zack might have thought, she would return to Logan when things calmed down. Now, circumstances had changed and there was no choice but to stay away.
Slowly she walked to the elevator, her legs too shaky to make it down twenty more flights of stairs. She couldn't wait for the elevator with Logan so close to her, but now, with a floor between them, the pull he had on her soul wasn't as intense. It was a slow eternity as the elevator seemed to inch up to answer her call. She tried to keep her mind on anything but Logan. Raven, Original Cindy, Cole, Brin, Lydecker, anyone but Logan, but his smile always seemed to find a way into her thoughts. She was on the verge of insanity when the doors of the elevator finally opened. Max thanked whatever god was out there that it was empty.
Stepping onto the elevator, she turned to press the button marked 'M', but found her hand reaching up for the one labeled 'PH'. This was it. Her last chance to forgo her own safety to be with the man she loved, whom she now knew loved her back. But she knew that would be foolish. By doing so she would not only endangered herself, but Logan as well. If you loved someone would you knowingly put them in danger? No. She answered her own question. Loving Logan, even with all her heart, would not bring him back from the dead if Manticore got a hold of him. Closing her eyes, as they stung with tears, she reached down to the lowest button and chose her fate.
The elevator doors closed with a finality that pushed Max over the edge. She slid down the wall, to rest on the floor, her body racked with sobs.
*****
The machines that held Lydecker's life together hummed into the silence. Mathews stood over him, studying the only man who stood in his way. Manticore was a hair's breath away from being his, but the damned geniuses at this complex would heal Lydecker and once again, the command would be out of reach. Deep in his mind, the only place he could be sure was private, he craved to entwine his fingers about the cord that powered those blasted machines. One tug and the obstacle would be gone and Manticore would be his.
He also knew that that was not how things were to be done. To be promoted he had to deserve it. With Lydecker down for a couple weeks he would show them that they needed new blood in command. With Raven out in the field, doing recon on the X-5, they would be in custody within weeks. One of them, Kat was her name, had already turned herself in and was being indoctrinated by his X-6 at that very moment. Besides all that, the key to his future lay in the boy. The mother had given him the name Cole, but that would be stripped of him soon enough. He would be the nameless weapon that would lead Mathews and Manticore to glory. Stronger and faster then anything their labs could produce, Mathews would harness not only the child, but his very DNA. Making a new generation that Lydecker had no hope of challenging. Only then would he claim his rightful role. Not by Lydecker's death, but Lydecker's failure. That would be when his success would be sweetest.
Just then, someone entered the room.
"You wished to see me, sir!" It was X-6t. Ty. Second only to Raven, Ty had proved himself a worthy soldier. Fully disciplined, Ty stood across the room, staring straight ahead at the wall. Mathews did not speak for a moment, looking upon this boy who had grown into a soldier. Though less then thirteen years old, the boy had shot up in height, more so then his group. Standing 6'3" tall, he was well over a head above the rest. Only his slim build gave away his true age.
"At ease. How are you progressing with the prisoners?"
"X-5k is showing some resistance, but still has residual traces from her last partial indoctrination. With the newest techniques we will have her broken within the week. The child could prove to difficult. But I suspect, despite his rapid physical growth, his mind is still pliable. He will be broken."
The major admired this boy's fervor for his assignment. "Estimated time frame for the boy?"
"Less than two weeks." Ty seemed so sure of his words. Though he had every reason to be.
"Are you willing to be reassigned before that designated time?" Ty's disappointment was so brief Major Mathews didn't notice. But like the good little soldier he was, Ty understood that that was not a question, but a command.
"If I may be so bold, sir, reassigned to what operation?"
"Raven may need some help in the field soon. I will contact you when you are needed."
"Is that all, sir?"
"For now. Dismissed."
*****
When Max returned to them that night her eyes were puffy and red. It was clear as day that she had been crying, and most probably over Logan. Zack felt the disgust rise in his chest and he had to avert his eyes so as not to have to see his strong willed Max this way. What did she see in him? Logan wasn't one of them. He wasn't an X-5. How could Logan ever really understand her if he didn't understand the circumstances in which she lived her precarious life of freedom? Zack knew. He knew everything about the years of oppression, the torture, the experiments, the propaganda that flooded their senses at every waking moment. He also knew everything about the escape, the world full of choices, the liberating feeling of individuality. And most importantly he knew the dangers that came with this fragile freedom. Zack was all she needed, why wouldn't she see that. Did she have to break his newfound heart over and over again?
Zack cursed himself for being so weak. He was a soldier, and a CO at that. Emotions were useless exertions of mental energy which could instead be focused on completing the objective. The concept , he understood well enough, and he agreed with it with every cell of his being, so why was Max able to put him in this state?
Max, with a heavy head, dragged her feet to the bed and sat down. "So are we leaving now then?"
"No. We'll rest up and head out before dawn. Max, you and Raven can share the bed, I have the floor." At his command, Max fell back against the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Raven did not speak a word but instead pulled back the sheets of the side of the bed Max was not sprawled across, and quietly slipped in between. On her back, her hands by her sides, facing the ceiling she shut her eyes. The rise and fall over her chest slowed and within seconds she was asleep. Zack remembered back in Manticore when they were taught how to shut the body down for rest. Back then, no one had nightmares, but then again, no one had dreams.
Beside Raven, Max pulled herself up until the bed supported the whole length of her body and her head rested on the pillow. She then rolled onto her side and bent her legs, drawing them closer to her. It was in that position that she closed her eyes attempting to sleep. There was not instantaneous shut down of the body and mind, as Raven did, but it was easy to see Max was glad to be pulled into the blissful oblivion of sleep.
Zack watched as they both slipped from the waking world. It was strange to see them, side by side. They contrasted each other like night and day. Raven still hardened like a soldier of Manticore and Max was anything but. When placed next to each other in this way Zack saw what his own life was. Torn between two worlds, he tried to maintain the structured life of a soldier, his objective: to keep all those under his command safe and free from the clutches of Manticore and whoever else might threaten them. Yet he yearned for a life where he had a place he could call home, free of the heavy burden of responsibility as Max and all the others were allowed to live.
But it was he who led the escape and it was when he made that choice, those several years ago, that he took that burden upon his shoulders. He could not abandon that now. The sacrifice of himself so that the others may lead a normal life was the only option. Despite his rationalization a small part of his mind wouldn't believe it. Deep within that portion of his thoughts was the truth.
He was afraid.
Afraid to live a life without structure or purpose. Afraid to have to establish relationships with people and depend on them. But most of all, afraid that he may realize that this freedom, the one thing that gave him hope while deep in the bowels of Manticore, wasn't all it was supposed to be. And once that happened, there would be no more hope. He would have led them all from a hellish life into a pointless one.
As he watched their faces, Raven's so relaxed she could have been dead, Max's still tense with worry and grief, he felt a numbing tingle in his toes. Lifting his hand, he saw that it once again tremored. Patiently he waited until their eyes moved under their lids, signaling that r.e.m. had begun. In this deepest point of sleep was his best chance of leaving without anyone questioning him. As he grabbed his jacket and helmet he caught a glimpse of himself in the broken mirror that still hung above the dresser. The shards of glass that still clung to their frame distorted his face, splitting it in half.
Quietly, with no more sound then a stalking cat, he crept out of the apartment.
*****
The apartment was dark inside when Zack leapt from the neighboring building and, releasing his harness, landed on the roof. Stealthily slipping through the window, Zack treaded, with surprisingly light feet, towards Logan's room. Placing his ear to the door he could hear Logan's steady, slow breaths. Focusing his hearing further he could hear Logan's heart had also slowed. Satisfied Logan was asleep he quietly opened the bedroom door.
Logan lay there on his side, his eyes gave away that he too had shed a tear. That was another thing. If Zack allowed himself to live a normal life would it get to that point where he wouldn't be able to severe those ties. But is was inevitable that those relationships wouldn't last. Manticore wouldn't let the X-5 rest for too long. Wouldn't it be better to not open one's self to others at all so that no one would be hurt in the end?
His seizing arm demanded his attention, sending shooting pains up to his shoulder, reminding him why he had returned here in the first place. The door to the washroom was already open and beside the sink lay the objective. The little bottle seemed to glow in the moonlight, but Zack new that was just a trick of the light. The very sight of the clear liquid seemed draw at him. It was like his body moved toward it, and his hand grabbed for it, but he himself just watched.
His body craved that power, strength and speed and he couldn't, in all honesty, deny himself something his body needed. Zack had been denied so much in his life and Logan was a rich guy. He could buy another bottle. No harm, no foul.
Stashing the vile and a hypodermic needle into his leather jacket pocket, he exited the apartment, through the same window he came in. When he finally reached his bike, he threw one leg over it and sat down, pulling the needle and vile out of his pocket. Popping open the slim cylinder that held the needle, he pulled out syringe. He filled the syringe with the fluid and balanced it in front of him on the bike. Then he pulled a tourniquet out of his pocket. After pulling off the left sleeve of his jacket, he tied the tourniquet above his elbow, putting one end of the elastic in the mouth, and the other in his right hand, pulling the knot tight. Zack flexed his arm, slapping the crook of his elbow to expose the veins that lay just beneath the skin.
Finally, as his veins filled with blood, exposing themselves, he lifted the needle once more, and injected its sweet fluid into his body. As it infused into his blood stream he could feel his strength return to him one hundred fold. His head fell back in rapture as every part of his body once again responded to his commands. Every one of his cells now under his control. Zack took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, glad that at least one thing, his body, would do his bidding without question.
*****
Upon returning to the building Zack looked up to find Max resting her forearm on the top of the windowsill, staring out of the window towards the Space Needle. When she looked down to acknowledge him he could see her face was streaked with tears that reflected the silver light of the moon.
After quickly covering his bike with some rubbish, Zack entered his apartment to find Raven still fast asleep, and Max in the same position leaning against the window.
Zack walked over until he was only a few feet behind her and asked in a hushed voice "What are you doing awake?"
"I could ask you the same thing." She too, lowered her voice, but she did not turn around to face him..
"I went out for a ride, my nerves are still a little raw."
"I had a bad dream I guess."
"Well, you should really try to get to sleep again, it will be a long ride until Canada."
"Yeah." He noticed that she wiped her eyes before she turned to face him. She took those few steps to the bed, brushing Zack lightly as she passed.
"Max," Zack turned, once again talking to her back, "It's best this way, for you and everyone else."
Max stopped as his words reached her ears, and he could see her take in and let out a deep breath, "I know." The sorrow in her voice, as she acknowledged her fate, seemed to grip Zack's heart. He would have sacrificed anything to take that pain away from her.
Those were the last words she spoke as she lay herself down to rest. But it was the mourning in her voice that haunted Zack as he lay on the floor, unable to sleep.
Only after a few moments the tremors spread to his forearm. As he felt the seizure growing he drew his hand into a fist, fighting his own body for control of his hand. Without much of a warning he pulled back his arm and threw his fist at the mirror. Raven couldn't help but flinch as the mirror shattered.
He must have heard her sharp intake of breath, as it was then that he opened his eyes, and looked into the last shards of mirror that clung to the frame. Even reflected, his blue gaze was so intense as to keep her in her place.
The view of his eyes, distorted from the cracks in the mirror, seemed to hold something darker in the depths. But only for a moment as his razor gaze softened.
"Are you okay?" she asked timidly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He turned around looking at his hand, still slightly shaking, but now his fingers were coated in blood from the slivers of glass that had punctured his skin.
"I can clean that up for you," she offered, moving toward her pack.
"It's alright, I'll be fine." She ignored his words and proceeded to withdraw bandages from her first aid kit.
Raven did not look him in the eyes as she bandaged his hand with an experienced ease. He was grateful for that. Zack was also grateful for the fact that she did this all in silence, not questioning why he had punched the mirror, or why his hand shook.
He didn't want to admit it, and especially not to Raven, that he was weak once more.
*****
Max could feel her legs wobble beneath her as she turned her back on Logan and it wasn't due to her seizures. She had to walk quickly for fear of collapsing with grief. There was no looking back now. If she had stayed there another second she would have stayed forever. It would be in Logan's warm embrace, where she spent her nights whether she needed her rest or not. The streets would no longer call to her to find that thing that was missing in her life, because she had it all, in Logan. It was in that last kiss that she let loose all that emotion she had bottled up in her since the moment Logan said they didn't have that kind of relationship. Through that kiss was the only way Max could make sure he knew how she felt, because no words could encompass the passion within her.
Much to her delight and dismay, Logan returned the sentiment. When he pulled her down, and their lips met, the passion was so intense she thought she felt his leg tense beneath her hand. As though she would make him walk again just because she willed it so.
One floor down, in the stairwell Max stopped and leaned against a wall. Exhaustion seemed to loom over her, but not of the physical sort. Never before had she been part of such an outpouring of emotion. This was worse than at the cabin because back then she knew deep down inside, that despite what Zack might have thought, she would return to Logan when things calmed down. Now, circumstances had changed and there was no choice but to stay away.
Slowly she walked to the elevator, her legs too shaky to make it down twenty more flights of stairs. She couldn't wait for the elevator with Logan so close to her, but now, with a floor between them, the pull he had on her soul wasn't as intense. It was a slow eternity as the elevator seemed to inch up to answer her call. She tried to keep her mind on anything but Logan. Raven, Original Cindy, Cole, Brin, Lydecker, anyone but Logan, but his smile always seemed to find a way into her thoughts. She was on the verge of insanity when the doors of the elevator finally opened. Max thanked whatever god was out there that it was empty.
Stepping onto the elevator, she turned to press the button marked 'M', but found her hand reaching up for the one labeled 'PH'. This was it. Her last chance to forgo her own safety to be with the man she loved, whom she now knew loved her back. But she knew that would be foolish. By doing so she would not only endangered herself, but Logan as well. If you loved someone would you knowingly put them in danger? No. She answered her own question. Loving Logan, even with all her heart, would not bring him back from the dead if Manticore got a hold of him. Closing her eyes, as they stung with tears, she reached down to the lowest button and chose her fate.
The elevator doors closed with a finality that pushed Max over the edge. She slid down the wall, to rest on the floor, her body racked with sobs.
*****
The machines that held Lydecker's life together hummed into the silence. Mathews stood over him, studying the only man who stood in his way. Manticore was a hair's breath away from being his, but the damned geniuses at this complex would heal Lydecker and once again, the command would be out of reach. Deep in his mind, the only place he could be sure was private, he craved to entwine his fingers about the cord that powered those blasted machines. One tug and the obstacle would be gone and Manticore would be his.
He also knew that that was not how things were to be done. To be promoted he had to deserve it. With Lydecker down for a couple weeks he would show them that they needed new blood in command. With Raven out in the field, doing recon on the X-5, they would be in custody within weeks. One of them, Kat was her name, had already turned herself in and was being indoctrinated by his X-6 at that very moment. Besides all that, the key to his future lay in the boy. The mother had given him the name Cole, but that would be stripped of him soon enough. He would be the nameless weapon that would lead Mathews and Manticore to glory. Stronger and faster then anything their labs could produce, Mathews would harness not only the child, but his very DNA. Making a new generation that Lydecker had no hope of challenging. Only then would he claim his rightful role. Not by Lydecker's death, but Lydecker's failure. That would be when his success would be sweetest.
Just then, someone entered the room.
"You wished to see me, sir!" It was X-6t. Ty. Second only to Raven, Ty had proved himself a worthy soldier. Fully disciplined, Ty stood across the room, staring straight ahead at the wall. Mathews did not speak for a moment, looking upon this boy who had grown into a soldier. Though less then thirteen years old, the boy had shot up in height, more so then his group. Standing 6'3" tall, he was well over a head above the rest. Only his slim build gave away his true age.
"At ease. How are you progressing with the prisoners?"
"X-5k is showing some resistance, but still has residual traces from her last partial indoctrination. With the newest techniques we will have her broken within the week. The child could prove to difficult. But I suspect, despite his rapid physical growth, his mind is still pliable. He will be broken."
The major admired this boy's fervor for his assignment. "Estimated time frame for the boy?"
"Less than two weeks." Ty seemed so sure of his words. Though he had every reason to be.
"Are you willing to be reassigned before that designated time?" Ty's disappointment was so brief Major Mathews didn't notice. But like the good little soldier he was, Ty understood that that was not a question, but a command.
"If I may be so bold, sir, reassigned to what operation?"
"Raven may need some help in the field soon. I will contact you when you are needed."
"Is that all, sir?"
"For now. Dismissed."
*****
When Max returned to them that night her eyes were puffy and red. It was clear as day that she had been crying, and most probably over Logan. Zack felt the disgust rise in his chest and he had to avert his eyes so as not to have to see his strong willed Max this way. What did she see in him? Logan wasn't one of them. He wasn't an X-5. How could Logan ever really understand her if he didn't understand the circumstances in which she lived her precarious life of freedom? Zack knew. He knew everything about the years of oppression, the torture, the experiments, the propaganda that flooded their senses at every waking moment. He also knew everything about the escape, the world full of choices, the liberating feeling of individuality. And most importantly he knew the dangers that came with this fragile freedom. Zack was all she needed, why wouldn't she see that. Did she have to break his newfound heart over and over again?
Zack cursed himself for being so weak. He was a soldier, and a CO at that. Emotions were useless exertions of mental energy which could instead be focused on completing the objective. The concept , he understood well enough, and he agreed with it with every cell of his being, so why was Max able to put him in this state?
Max, with a heavy head, dragged her feet to the bed and sat down. "So are we leaving now then?"
"No. We'll rest up and head out before dawn. Max, you and Raven can share the bed, I have the floor." At his command, Max fell back against the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Raven did not speak a word but instead pulled back the sheets of the side of the bed Max was not sprawled across, and quietly slipped in between. On her back, her hands by her sides, facing the ceiling she shut her eyes. The rise and fall over her chest slowed and within seconds she was asleep. Zack remembered back in Manticore when they were taught how to shut the body down for rest. Back then, no one had nightmares, but then again, no one had dreams.
Beside Raven, Max pulled herself up until the bed supported the whole length of her body and her head rested on the pillow. She then rolled onto her side and bent her legs, drawing them closer to her. It was in that position that she closed her eyes attempting to sleep. There was not instantaneous shut down of the body and mind, as Raven did, but it was easy to see Max was glad to be pulled into the blissful oblivion of sleep.
Zack watched as they both slipped from the waking world. It was strange to see them, side by side. They contrasted each other like night and day. Raven still hardened like a soldier of Manticore and Max was anything but. When placed next to each other in this way Zack saw what his own life was. Torn between two worlds, he tried to maintain the structured life of a soldier, his objective: to keep all those under his command safe and free from the clutches of Manticore and whoever else might threaten them. Yet he yearned for a life where he had a place he could call home, free of the heavy burden of responsibility as Max and all the others were allowed to live.
But it was he who led the escape and it was when he made that choice, those several years ago, that he took that burden upon his shoulders. He could not abandon that now. The sacrifice of himself so that the others may lead a normal life was the only option. Despite his rationalization a small part of his mind wouldn't believe it. Deep within that portion of his thoughts was the truth.
He was afraid.
Afraid to live a life without structure or purpose. Afraid to have to establish relationships with people and depend on them. But most of all, afraid that he may realize that this freedom, the one thing that gave him hope while deep in the bowels of Manticore, wasn't all it was supposed to be. And once that happened, there would be no more hope. He would have led them all from a hellish life into a pointless one.
As he watched their faces, Raven's so relaxed she could have been dead, Max's still tense with worry and grief, he felt a numbing tingle in his toes. Lifting his hand, he saw that it once again tremored. Patiently he waited until their eyes moved under their lids, signaling that r.e.m. had begun. In this deepest point of sleep was his best chance of leaving without anyone questioning him. As he grabbed his jacket and helmet he caught a glimpse of himself in the broken mirror that still hung above the dresser. The shards of glass that still clung to their frame distorted his face, splitting it in half.
Quietly, with no more sound then a stalking cat, he crept out of the apartment.
*****
The apartment was dark inside when Zack leapt from the neighboring building and, releasing his harness, landed on the roof. Stealthily slipping through the window, Zack treaded, with surprisingly light feet, towards Logan's room. Placing his ear to the door he could hear Logan's steady, slow breaths. Focusing his hearing further he could hear Logan's heart had also slowed. Satisfied Logan was asleep he quietly opened the bedroom door.
Logan lay there on his side, his eyes gave away that he too had shed a tear. That was another thing. If Zack allowed himself to live a normal life would it get to that point where he wouldn't be able to severe those ties. But is was inevitable that those relationships wouldn't last. Manticore wouldn't let the X-5 rest for too long. Wouldn't it be better to not open one's self to others at all so that no one would be hurt in the end?
His seizing arm demanded his attention, sending shooting pains up to his shoulder, reminding him why he had returned here in the first place. The door to the washroom was already open and beside the sink lay the objective. The little bottle seemed to glow in the moonlight, but Zack new that was just a trick of the light. The very sight of the clear liquid seemed draw at him. It was like his body moved toward it, and his hand grabbed for it, but he himself just watched.
His body craved that power, strength and speed and he couldn't, in all honesty, deny himself something his body needed. Zack had been denied so much in his life and Logan was a rich guy. He could buy another bottle. No harm, no foul.
Stashing the vile and a hypodermic needle into his leather jacket pocket, he exited the apartment, through the same window he came in. When he finally reached his bike, he threw one leg over it and sat down, pulling the needle and vile out of his pocket. Popping open the slim cylinder that held the needle, he pulled out syringe. He filled the syringe with the fluid and balanced it in front of him on the bike. Then he pulled a tourniquet out of his pocket. After pulling off the left sleeve of his jacket, he tied the tourniquet above his elbow, putting one end of the elastic in the mouth, and the other in his right hand, pulling the knot tight. Zack flexed his arm, slapping the crook of his elbow to expose the veins that lay just beneath the skin.
Finally, as his veins filled with blood, exposing themselves, he lifted the needle once more, and injected its sweet fluid into his body. As it infused into his blood stream he could feel his strength return to him one hundred fold. His head fell back in rapture as every part of his body once again responded to his commands. Every one of his cells now under his control. Zack took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, glad that at least one thing, his body, would do his bidding without question.
*****
Upon returning to the building Zack looked up to find Max resting her forearm on the top of the windowsill, staring out of the window towards the Space Needle. When she looked down to acknowledge him he could see her face was streaked with tears that reflected the silver light of the moon.
After quickly covering his bike with some rubbish, Zack entered his apartment to find Raven still fast asleep, and Max in the same position leaning against the window.
Zack walked over until he was only a few feet behind her and asked in a hushed voice "What are you doing awake?"
"I could ask you the same thing." She too, lowered her voice, but she did not turn around to face him..
"I went out for a ride, my nerves are still a little raw."
"I had a bad dream I guess."
"Well, you should really try to get to sleep again, it will be a long ride until Canada."
"Yeah." He noticed that she wiped her eyes before she turned to face him. She took those few steps to the bed, brushing Zack lightly as she passed.
"Max," Zack turned, once again talking to her back, "It's best this way, for you and everyone else."
Max stopped as his words reached her ears, and he could see her take in and let out a deep breath, "I know." The sorrow in her voice, as she acknowledged her fate, seemed to grip Zack's heart. He would have sacrificed anything to take that pain away from her.
Those were the last words she spoke as she lay herself down to rest. But it was the mourning in her voice that haunted Zack as he lay on the floor, unable to sleep.