Outside
By Be Boring
Chapter 9: Changes
The only thing that seemed to have stayed exactly the same since the Pulse was the sunset. It was as beautiful to look at now as it had been when Kay was at Manticore as a child. The others had never appreciated it like her, they had thought she was weird because of it. To Kay though, it was even more beautiful now because she was looking at it from the outside, not from a cage. For most people it was a reminder of what the U.S. used to be like, but for Kay it was a symbol of her freedom.
It was a week after her heat cycle ended and she was sitting on the Space Needle, staring out at it. Max had brought her up here just to show why she liked the High Place. Kay could see her point. It seemed so far away from the problems of everyday life. There wasn't any place better to think or just relax. Now that she had mixed it with her other favorite thing, she couldn't think of any place she'd rather be right now.
Her thoughts drifted to the farm. She wondered how everyone was. She hadn't gone back right away because after she'd come out of heat, she'd realized how much she missed being here. Just going out to Crash and hanging out with Max, OC, Sketchy, Alec, and Logan was a blast, no matter if they were dancing, playing pool, or just sitting at a table drinking and talking. She had even missed Sketchy and Alec flirting with her. They were still the same idiots she remembered, and she was finding it hard to leave what she had just been reunited with. She was staying with Max and Original Cindy right now, which was plenty of fun. There was never a dull moment with those two. When Max wasn't focused on how sad she was about the virus between her and Logan, she was a blast to be around. It was funny to listen to her blow off guys that hit on her. Kay knew exactly how she felt.
She didn't know what it would be like to leave this and go back to working on the farm. She loved both places. Here it was fun and exciting. There it was peaceful and happy. There was really no way to decide. If she went back to the farm she would want to come back to Seattle. If she stayed in Seattle she would miss the farm. There was no way around that.
She glanced up from her spot when Max sat down beside her.
"What are you thinking about? You've been up here for a while."
Kay sighed. "I was just thinking that I should go back home."
Max looked down at the city. Kay knew this would upset her. "Are you ever going to come back? I got the feeling that if it hadn't been for other transgenics needing help, you wouldn't have even come back this time."
"I'll be visiting. This place is addicting. There's no way I could ever stay away too long. Anyways, you have my number so if you need help with matters down here or just need someone to talk to you can always give me call. I have your number too so I can call you if I need help or just to give you updates on Zack."
Kay felt jerked back to reality. She hadn't thought about Zack for a while. She wasn't sure if she could look at him the same way knowing that he was a machine. Well, really only part machine. The thought was just too strange for her to deal with. Something suddenly occurred to her.
"Max, how did you erase Zack's memory last time? Is there something we should be careful about?"
"I electrocuted him. That's what wiped out his memory. It could still come back, so don't let him remember anything, especially Logan."
Kay nodded. Even Logan had kind of grown on her after a while. He wasn't totally boring. She even gave him a hug before she left, which obviously surprised him. Max didn't want to let go, and Joshua nearly crushed her. Alec tried to stay cool and give her a casual wave, but she still wrapped her arms around him. Just to get him to shut up, she gave Sketchy a kiss on the cheek. Original Cindy hugged her and gave her a slap on the back as she walked away. She hopped into the car she had stolen. She had needed a new ride since White knew what her old one looked like, so she repainted this one and redid the inside so it only somewhat resembled what it used to look like. She didn't need to get arrested for car theft.
The drive home seemed long. She spent the entire time thinking about who she had left behind. She had everyone's phone numbers so she could keep in contact. Sketchy had threatened to call just to talk dirty, but she warned him that she would block his number if he did.
As soon as she pulled into the driveway she was wrapped into a bear hug by Mary.
"I thought you were coming back sooner! I was getting worried!"
Kay smiled. "I'm fine Mary. I was just hanging out with some friends while I was there."
Buddy gave her a pat on the shoulder. "I knew you were just fine. I don't think anyone could change that."
Kay didn't attempt to correct him. She didn't get a chance to as Zack came over.
"Hey Kay. Everyone missed you."
She was a little surprised as he hugged her as well. She couldn't help but think that Max had to be wrong. He felt so warm and normal, he couldn't possibly be part robot, but she knew Max wouldn't lie about something like this.
After being greeted by everybody, Kay went to her house and unpacked. It was good to be home. She had even missed her rickety old chair that everyone joked was going to break down any time now.
Time started to fly by. She was much happier now that she was talking to her Seattle friends every day and still living in such a great place. She was focused on her work again like never before. She still felt bad riding a newly broken horse because she remembered what had happened with the filly, but now she never let her attention wander from the horse she was riding. She worked harder to be nicer to Zack. Max had told her about how he felt he had let down the others by killing himself, but that he couldn't let her die. He believed he could have helped Ben recover from his psychosis had he known about it. He thought Tinga and Brin wouldn't have been recaptured if he had been a better C.O. He also had told Max that he felt bad about leaving the others behind. They deserved the chance to be free as well. Kay had never seen this side of him at Manticore. He had seemed so tough and emotionless that she had always taken it for granted that he could handle anything. That apparently wasn't the case. Knowing about his softer side made her wish she hadn't been so distant from him when he had first come here. After all, he didn't remember being mean to her and he had had a hard time of it too. It couldn't have been easy protecting all those X5s when they were all so far apart.
Kay was on the phone one night with Max when she got the most surprising news.
"You're helping find White's kid? Are you nuts? You shouldn't be helping him after what he's done to all of us!"
"I know, but just because we hate him doesn't give us the right to hurt his wife and kid. His wife had no idea what he does for a living and his son is only six years old. It's not the kid's fault his dad's a murderer."
"Maybe so, but what if White finds a way to screw you over while you're helping him?"
"You really think he'd risk his son's life just to stab me in the back?"
"I wouldn't put it past him. He risked his assistant's life just to see how strong my heat cycle was, so I don't see why he wouldn't do this."
"Otto and Ray are two totally different matters."
"I don't care. I don't trust the guy as far as Sketchy can throw him, which I can guarantee isn't that far. I won't feel right about this until it's over, then you can say I told you so if it turns out all right, but I don't think you'll be saying that."
After they had hung up, Kay wanted to go back down to Seattle. This just really didn't feel right to her. Still, Max could take care of herself and she had Alec and Joshua to back her up. It wasn't as though she was alone.
Kay spent the next twenty-four hours trying not to give in to her urge to run back to help Max. Everything would be fine, she was just being paranoid. It was because she spent the day thinking this that she nearly kicked herself when Logan called her to tell her what happened.
"Turns out White is part of a breeding cult that is pairing people up to create the perfect human being. They are as strong as transgenics and are easier to hide because as far as we know they don't have any distinguishing marks. White set up his son's kidnapping to keep his wife from suspecting, but he eventually tried to kill her. Max managed to save her but was lucky to come away from her fight with White alive. He's pretty strong. Wendy is here with us, but we have no idea where Ray is. I think the kid knew all about this. He wants to be a part of the cult. He probably even knew that his father was going to kill his mother. These people seem to have the same ideals as Manticore, such as blocking out pain with their minds and thinking emotions are weaknesses. It seems they hate transgenics. I don't really know why, but I think there's a reason for it other than wanting to be the strongest. I just have to find out what it is."
"I told Max this didn't feel right. Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine. It's Wendy I'm worried about. She still is set on finding her son, and I'm sure the breeding cult is going to want her gone. She knows too much, she could expose them. I was thinking of sending her up there by you. She'd be safer that way, and Buddy can get her to safety if things get bad. Is this alright with you?"
"Sure, I guess. Wendy and I can start an "I hate White" fan club. It's kind of funny. I came up here to get away from it all and now the number of people the cult wants killed that are staying with me is gonna be two, and I've already helped another group escape from them. Figures, huh?"
She could hear Logan's smile through his voice. "Funny, Max says that same thing every day. Wendy will be up there in about 2 days. I have to go, but I'll be keeping in touch." Kay hung up the phone. Just great. Now she had a genetically engineered robot with amnesia and a woman who is married to her enemy who just happens to be part of a breeding cult living here. Not to mention an Eyes Only informant. Well, at least her life wasn't boring.
When Wendy arrived, Kay couldn't hold in her shock. She couldn't picture this sweet looking woman being married to a jerk like White, much less having a child with him. She even told her so back in her house. Wendy was her new permanent roommate.
"If you don't mind me asking, how could you be married to the guy for so long and not notice what he was?"
"You know, it was a real shock to me to find out first that he was killing people, even if they were considered not human, but it was even worse when I found out that he had set up our son's kidnapping and was part of some sick breeding cult, that I had been chosen for him. It's a disgusting thought knowing that someone saw me and said to Ames, 'You will have children with her for us.' He said that he really fell in love with me, but that it was a mistake. I don't know what I ever saw in him. I guess it's just that I had never seen this heartless side of him before. I know you have always seen him as a killer, but he didn't act like one at home. He was a great person who took our son into the backyard to play catch and who would cook a meal just so I could relax when I was sick. He came with me and comforted me at my mother's funeral and would hold me in the middle of the night when I'd have nightmares about her death. I can't believe after all that that he could take out a gun and shoot me. Even though he didn't get the chance, I could see it in his eyes that he was definitely going to pull the trigger."
After this, she couldn't seem to keep talking. Kay sat down beside her and held her as she broke down into tears. That hadn't been what she had expected to hear. It made her even more angry at White. He wasn't just willing to kill innocent people, he was willing to kill someone he loved. That disgusted her. The fact that anyone could do that seemed impossible to believe.
After Wendy fell asleep, Kay walked out to the tallest barn and climbed onto it. It wasn't really high, but it was the best she could do. She looked out at the pastures and the horses grazing in them. She wished life was as simple for her as it was for them.
She turned her head as she heard someone else climbing up the side of the barn. Zack's head popped up over the side.
"I saw you from my house. What are you doing up here?"
Kay looked back out at the land. "Thinking."
"About what?"
He came to sit beside her.
"Everything. Life is just way too complicated. It's nice to get away from it all."
Zack slid closer. "You know I'm here for you, right?"
She nodded and leaned against him as he put an arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah, I know."