Zane had specified this little gas station just outside of Washington as their checkpoint, so that's where
Krit, Syl, and Max headed. The sun was up by the time they arrived. It took them several hours to get
there, and it would have taken them more, but they'd driven full speed the whole time.
Krit had to admit – they hadn't driven nearly fast enough for his tastes.
His mind was full of all sorts of dark thoughts. What had happened? Why was Zane contacting the X5s?
What the fuck could possibly be important enough to risk gathering all the X5s together into one place?
Zack would never have consented to such a thing, would he?
That's what really scared Krit. It actually scared him.
Zack would never have authorized something like this. So where was he?
Krit wondered if he even wanted to know. If something…bad had happened, could he handle it? It had
been hard enough losing Ben and Tinga, almost losing Brin. What would he do if they lost Zack? Their
big brother? The guy who'd led their escape from Manticore in the first place, the guy who was always
there when they needed him. Always ready to command, with just a single look or a gesture, always
pulling that macho tough guy act of his, pissing people off. While in the meantime, flashing that subtle
sense of humor of his, making you wonder if you heard him right. Krit idolized his brother – he'd admit it.
He loved him. What would he do if they lost Zack?
What would he do with Max?
She looked ready to cry, and Krit didn't need to see that shit, especially not when he was so close to
cracking up himself. He loved his sister just like he loved his brother. Hell, he loved all of them. He
didn't want to see her in pain, and she was definitely there.
Krit didn't know what the deal was between her and Logan. He knew they didn't have that kind of
relationship, though he wasn't so sure he liked what they did have, despite his admiration for the guy. But
he knew Max loved Zack. He'd been there, in the woods after the raid, and he'd heard what Max had said.
He'd seen how she'd freaked out when Zack had been shot. And everybody knew Zack had always loved
Max. He didn't know if he knew that she loved him back, or if he did why he hadn't acted on it yet, but
Krit knew that the love was there, for both of them. He'd had a hard time grasping the concept at first – his
big brother wanting to get it on with their baby sister. But he'd gotten over the shock, and he supported the
idea now. Hell, he didn't know why he hadn't realized it sooner.
What would it do to Max if Zack was gone? Gone. Krit couldn't even comprehend it. Zack, gone? It was
unthinkable. What would it do to all of them?
The second they reached the gas station, Krit was off his bike and at the nearest phone booth, not even
waiting for the others to pull up beside him before he bolted.
Meanwhile, Syl and Max brought their bikes to a stop beside his and just sat there. Waiting. No use in
their crowding around the phone, when just one of them could make the call. Even if they were both
itching to do just that.
Or maybe they were afraid of what they'd hear if they did join in on the call. Maybe that's what kept them
parked on their bikes.
Either way, they just sat there. Waiting. In silence.
Or at least, they were silent for a little while. Then the inactivity started to grate on Syl's already
overstressed nerves.
"So…how've you been?" she asked.
"What?"
Max looked up, as if coming out of a trance.
"I said…"
"Oh. Oh, yeah. Fine. Just fine."
Silence.
"How're you and Logan?" Syl asked. She was nonchalantly averting her gaze from Max's, seemingly
fascinated with polishing her bike handle with her glove. Max wasn't paying attention anyhow.
"Fine."
"You were crashing at his place, huh? Didn't mean to, you know, disturb you," Syl prattled on.
Then she cringed, wanting to cuss at herself. 'Jesus, could you sound any more idiotic, Syl?' she chastised
herself. But she also told herself that she was just trying to make small talk to keep her mind off of this
thing with Zack – and that was half true. She was about to go out of her mind with worry. She'd seen him
for such a short time during the raid. All she'd wanted to do since then, was just to pull him into the
biggest bear hug he'd ever received. But she hadn't done so when she'd had the chance, and he hadn't
been around since then. Now she refused to believe that she wouldn't get that chance again.
Max shrugged, feigning casualness that might have flown if she didn't look like she was about to start
bawling.
"No prob. We were just chillin'."
"Do that a lot, huh?"
Another shrug. "Yeah, well, I've been staying there the last week," Max told Syl, not noticing the other
woman's reaction to the news. She'd completely forgotten that she hadn't told Syl about Original and her
new boo. "The living arrangement at me and Original Cindy's wasn't working out," she continued. "You
know how it is? You got three people shacking up in the same place, and two of 'em are getting it on, hot
and heavy. Nobody likes to be the third wheel."
'Oh, God…'
Syl's hand tightened on one of the handlebars of her bike.
"Uh, yeah," she said quietly, just to respond.
She felt like shit.
Then their brother was walking over with a quick step.
"We're going to a cabin about a few hours from here," he told them, hoping on a Ninja identical to his
sisters'.
"Lead the way," Max said, with a lot more certainty than she'd had in her voice ever since Krit had told her
Zane had called him.
Syl just nodded.
Then the three gunned their engines and took off.
Krit, Syl, and Max headed. The sun was up by the time they arrived. It took them several hours to get
there, and it would have taken them more, but they'd driven full speed the whole time.
Krit had to admit – they hadn't driven nearly fast enough for his tastes.
His mind was full of all sorts of dark thoughts. What had happened? Why was Zane contacting the X5s?
What the fuck could possibly be important enough to risk gathering all the X5s together into one place?
Zack would never have consented to such a thing, would he?
That's what really scared Krit. It actually scared him.
Zack would never have authorized something like this. So where was he?
Krit wondered if he even wanted to know. If something…bad had happened, could he handle it? It had
been hard enough losing Ben and Tinga, almost losing Brin. What would he do if they lost Zack? Their
big brother? The guy who'd led their escape from Manticore in the first place, the guy who was always
there when they needed him. Always ready to command, with just a single look or a gesture, always
pulling that macho tough guy act of his, pissing people off. While in the meantime, flashing that subtle
sense of humor of his, making you wonder if you heard him right. Krit idolized his brother – he'd admit it.
He loved him. What would he do if they lost Zack?
What would he do with Max?
She looked ready to cry, and Krit didn't need to see that shit, especially not when he was so close to
cracking up himself. He loved his sister just like he loved his brother. Hell, he loved all of them. He
didn't want to see her in pain, and she was definitely there.
Krit didn't know what the deal was between her and Logan. He knew they didn't have that kind of
relationship, though he wasn't so sure he liked what they did have, despite his admiration for the guy. But
he knew Max loved Zack. He'd been there, in the woods after the raid, and he'd heard what Max had said.
He'd seen how she'd freaked out when Zack had been shot. And everybody knew Zack had always loved
Max. He didn't know if he knew that she loved him back, or if he did why he hadn't acted on it yet, but
Krit knew that the love was there, for both of them. He'd had a hard time grasping the concept at first – his
big brother wanting to get it on with their baby sister. But he'd gotten over the shock, and he supported the
idea now. Hell, he didn't know why he hadn't realized it sooner.
What would it do to Max if Zack was gone? Gone. Krit couldn't even comprehend it. Zack, gone? It was
unthinkable. What would it do to all of them?
The second they reached the gas station, Krit was off his bike and at the nearest phone booth, not even
waiting for the others to pull up beside him before he bolted.
Meanwhile, Syl and Max brought their bikes to a stop beside his and just sat there. Waiting. No use in
their crowding around the phone, when just one of them could make the call. Even if they were both
itching to do just that.
Or maybe they were afraid of what they'd hear if they did join in on the call. Maybe that's what kept them
parked on their bikes.
Either way, they just sat there. Waiting. In silence.
Or at least, they were silent for a little while. Then the inactivity started to grate on Syl's already
overstressed nerves.
"So…how've you been?" she asked.
"What?"
Max looked up, as if coming out of a trance.
"I said…"
"Oh. Oh, yeah. Fine. Just fine."
Silence.
"How're you and Logan?" Syl asked. She was nonchalantly averting her gaze from Max's, seemingly
fascinated with polishing her bike handle with her glove. Max wasn't paying attention anyhow.
"Fine."
"You were crashing at his place, huh? Didn't mean to, you know, disturb you," Syl prattled on.
Then she cringed, wanting to cuss at herself. 'Jesus, could you sound any more idiotic, Syl?' she chastised
herself. But she also told herself that she was just trying to make small talk to keep her mind off of this
thing with Zack – and that was half true. She was about to go out of her mind with worry. She'd seen him
for such a short time during the raid. All she'd wanted to do since then, was just to pull him into the
biggest bear hug he'd ever received. But she hadn't done so when she'd had the chance, and he hadn't
been around since then. Now she refused to believe that she wouldn't get that chance again.
Max shrugged, feigning casualness that might have flown if she didn't look like she was about to start
bawling.
"No prob. We were just chillin'."
"Do that a lot, huh?"
Another shrug. "Yeah, well, I've been staying there the last week," Max told Syl, not noticing the other
woman's reaction to the news. She'd completely forgotten that she hadn't told Syl about Original and her
new boo. "The living arrangement at me and Original Cindy's wasn't working out," she continued. "You
know how it is? You got three people shacking up in the same place, and two of 'em are getting it on, hot
and heavy. Nobody likes to be the third wheel."
'Oh, God…'
Syl's hand tightened on one of the handlebars of her bike.
"Uh, yeah," she said quietly, just to respond.
She felt like shit.
Then their brother was walking over with a quick step.
"We're going to a cabin about a few hours from here," he told them, hoping on a Ninja identical to his
sisters'.
"Lead the way," Max said, with a lot more certainty than she'd had in her voice ever since Krit had told her
Zane had called him.
Syl just nodded.
Then the three gunned their engines and took off.
