"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Logan asked again, for what had to be the dozenth time in the last hour.
They were standing outside their building, and Syl and Krit were getting their bikes ready. Max was
standing by her own, and not looking at all as siked as she usually was at the chance to ride with her
siblings.
"Yeah, sure," she told him, not convincing him one bit. "Zane said it's nothing. Just one of those
precautions, you know? Get everybody together, see how things are hangin' with the X5 crew."
Logan nodded, but his expression was grim. 'Precautions, my ass,' he thought. The X5s never gathered
together in one area at one time – Zack considered such to be an intolerable risk. But, then, therein lay the
real mystery of this whole affair. Zack. It had been *Zane* who'd said this meeting was just a precaution.
Zane had called Syl and Krit. Not Zack. It was always Zack who contacted the X5s, but this time he
hadn't. And Zane had been suspiciously tight-lipped about why. That alone had been enough to cause the
tension Logan saw in Krit's posture, and the tears he'd glimpsed in Syl's eyes.
And the dazed fear he could sense building inside of Max.
Logan followed Max around her bike as she checked oil and made sure her pack was strapped down tightly
enough, operating on autopilot alone. The exoskeleton gave him a bit of a swagger that Max usually teased
him as adding to his sex appeal, but she wasn't in the mood for teasing now.
Logan resisted the urge to sigh, hating that this whole situation had arose. Damn Zack for making Max
love him, and then not being there to let her love him. Damn him for being so goddamned heroic all of the
time and getting himself in trouble, as Logan was sure to be the case now. Damn him for making Max
care.
Hell. Damn him for making Logan care.
"Alright, but just in case? I can have somebody scoping the place within the hour. Just to make sure
there's no trouble."
Max didn't answer, but she didn't have to.
"She said it's fine," Syl suddenly told him, rolling up on her bike. "Besides, Zane didn't tell us where
we're meeting exactly. We're supposed to call at the first checkpoint."
Logan frowned. He didn't like this. Damn, but he didn't like this at all.
But Max's hand on his cheek brought him back from his worries. Her eyes were still anguished, but they
held understanding and appreciation, as well. She even managed a slight smile.
"Thanks, anyway, 'k?" she said.
Logan touched his hand to hers, where it lay on his cheek until she let it fall away. He couldn't help but
feel like he was letting her ride off into danger, and that feeling ate at him.
Max planted a soft, chaste kiss on his lips and hopped on her bike.
"It's just a little X5 reunion. I've been teasing Za…I've been saying for years that we oughtta have one.
I'll be back in a few days," she reassured him, not very reassuringly. "Love ya," she added with a little
wave.
"Love you," Logan mumbled.
Then she revved up and blazed off, just as Krit was pulling out, as well.
As he turned to watch her leave, Logan noticed, with surprise, that Syl hadn't yet pulled out, as well.
She was looking at him, her face was hidden beneath her helmet, but she was turned towards him. Then,
when she noticed him looking, she turned, gunning her engine loudly and taking off like the hounds of hell
were on her heels.
Logan sighed.
'Apparently Krit's not the only X5 who has their issues with me.'
Logan frowned, heading back into the building. Consciously trying to ignore the fact that that thought
bothered him a lot worse than it should have.
They were standing outside their building, and Syl and Krit were getting their bikes ready. Max was
standing by her own, and not looking at all as siked as she usually was at the chance to ride with her
siblings.
"Yeah, sure," she told him, not convincing him one bit. "Zane said it's nothing. Just one of those
precautions, you know? Get everybody together, see how things are hangin' with the X5 crew."
Logan nodded, but his expression was grim. 'Precautions, my ass,' he thought. The X5s never gathered
together in one area at one time – Zack considered such to be an intolerable risk. But, then, therein lay the
real mystery of this whole affair. Zack. It had been *Zane* who'd said this meeting was just a precaution.
Zane had called Syl and Krit. Not Zack. It was always Zack who contacted the X5s, but this time he
hadn't. And Zane had been suspiciously tight-lipped about why. That alone had been enough to cause the
tension Logan saw in Krit's posture, and the tears he'd glimpsed in Syl's eyes.
And the dazed fear he could sense building inside of Max.
Logan followed Max around her bike as she checked oil and made sure her pack was strapped down tightly
enough, operating on autopilot alone. The exoskeleton gave him a bit of a swagger that Max usually teased
him as adding to his sex appeal, but she wasn't in the mood for teasing now.
Logan resisted the urge to sigh, hating that this whole situation had arose. Damn Zack for making Max
love him, and then not being there to let her love him. Damn him for being so goddamned heroic all of the
time and getting himself in trouble, as Logan was sure to be the case now. Damn him for making Max
care.
Hell. Damn him for making Logan care.
"Alright, but just in case? I can have somebody scoping the place within the hour. Just to make sure
there's no trouble."
Max didn't answer, but she didn't have to.
"She said it's fine," Syl suddenly told him, rolling up on her bike. "Besides, Zane didn't tell us where
we're meeting exactly. We're supposed to call at the first checkpoint."
Logan frowned. He didn't like this. Damn, but he didn't like this at all.
But Max's hand on his cheek brought him back from his worries. Her eyes were still anguished, but they
held understanding and appreciation, as well. She even managed a slight smile.
"Thanks, anyway, 'k?" she said.
Logan touched his hand to hers, where it lay on his cheek until she let it fall away. He couldn't help but
feel like he was letting her ride off into danger, and that feeling ate at him.
Max planted a soft, chaste kiss on his lips and hopped on her bike.
"It's just a little X5 reunion. I've been teasing Za…I've been saying for years that we oughtta have one.
I'll be back in a few days," she reassured him, not very reassuringly. "Love ya," she added with a little
wave.
"Love you," Logan mumbled.
Then she revved up and blazed off, just as Krit was pulling out, as well.
As he turned to watch her leave, Logan noticed, with surprise, that Syl hadn't yet pulled out, as well.
She was looking at him, her face was hidden beneath her helmet, but she was turned towards him. Then,
when she noticed him looking, she turned, gunning her engine loudly and taking off like the hounds of hell
were on her heels.
Logan sighed.
'Apparently Krit's not the only X5 who has their issues with me.'
Logan frowned, heading back into the building. Consciously trying to ignore the fact that that thought
bothered him a lot worse than it should have.
