Mad props to my beta Ana, the person who keeps me grounded and improving.
Enjoy -puppy
Carina 14
(I'm taking your car)
Max tore her eyes away from Jake's worried face, and stared down at the ground.
"What does that mean?" he asked, barely keeping himself from yelling. Logan took a deep breath and
looked him
straight in the eye.
"There are some complications, Jake. We need to replace some of the chips and…"
"Then do it," Jake interrupted.
"It's not that simple. We have to get a hold of her schematics." There was a long pause after Logan's
assertion and the group sat in silence trying to ignore the obvious answer. Jake ran his hand through his
hair in a helpless gesture, and looked back through the glass at Carina. Her eyes were closed, and although
he was only a few feet away he could barely see her chest rise and fall and she looked like a ghost, her face
was so pale. She was slipping away, and he felt powerless. The trio was taken aback as the man in front of
them suddenly morphed into a lost little boy.
"Logan, you have to fix her."
"We will," Max assured him as she got up and headed for the door.
"Max, where are you going?" Logan asked as he followed.
"I'm going back," she replied, not looking at him. He speed up and stopped right in her path.
"Not to Manticore, Max, you can't." Logan had barely finished his sentence, and before he could stop her,
she reached into his jacket pocket. She pulled out his keys and dared him with her eyes to challenge it.
"My bike is at your place so I'm taking your car," she said in a matter-of-fact way, and left
before he could say another word. He sat in shock, unwilling to let the voice of reason penetrate. He knew
she was right. Max might make it out, but Carina didn't stand a chance if nothing was done. But if Max
didn't make it back…no he wouldn't let himself travel down that time line. The universe was always on
time and it knows she's needed here…by him.
"Max," a weak voice called. Logan looked to see Carina, half-leaning, half-clutching at the wall. She was
staring at the empty doorway with a look of desperation. She closed her eyes with the realization that she
had failed and that Max was gone and she began to slip. Jake was instantly there to catch her. "Jake, you
can't let her go. She'll get herself killed," Carina spoke with as much force as she could muster but it came
out only as a whisper. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the chair Max had recently vacated.
With his arm around her should he helped her to sit and supported her as she tried to catch her breath.
"Carina, you need to lie down and rest," Jake urged.
"No. She shouldn't be risking everything for me. She'll get caught if she goes alone." Carina suddenly let
out a gasp.
"Carina! Are you…" he started, panicked.
"I need a phone."
Jake took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart "It was a sudden thought, it was just a sudden
thought," he told himself. "you're going back first." She nodded, and let herself be picked up and carried
back to the operating room. To his frustration, he was banished from the room as she made the call.
Something about "the less he knew."
Enjoy -puppy
Carina 14
(I'm taking your car)
Max tore her eyes away from Jake's worried face, and stared down at the ground.
"What does that mean?" he asked, barely keeping himself from yelling. Logan took a deep breath and
looked him
straight in the eye.
"There are some complications, Jake. We need to replace some of the chips and…"
"Then do it," Jake interrupted.
"It's not that simple. We have to get a hold of her schematics." There was a long pause after Logan's
assertion and the group sat in silence trying to ignore the obvious answer. Jake ran his hand through his
hair in a helpless gesture, and looked back through the glass at Carina. Her eyes were closed, and although
he was only a few feet away he could barely see her chest rise and fall and she looked like a ghost, her face
was so pale. She was slipping away, and he felt powerless. The trio was taken aback as the man in front of
them suddenly morphed into a lost little boy.
"Logan, you have to fix her."
"We will," Max assured him as she got up and headed for the door.
"Max, where are you going?" Logan asked as he followed.
"I'm going back," she replied, not looking at him. He speed up and stopped right in her path.
"Not to Manticore, Max, you can't." Logan had barely finished his sentence, and before he could stop her,
she reached into his jacket pocket. She pulled out his keys and dared him with her eyes to challenge it.
"My bike is at your place so I'm taking your car," she said in a matter-of-fact way, and left
before he could say another word. He sat in shock, unwilling to let the voice of reason penetrate. He knew
she was right. Max might make it out, but Carina didn't stand a chance if nothing was done. But if Max
didn't make it back…no he wouldn't let himself travel down that time line. The universe was always on
time and it knows she's needed here…by him.
"Max," a weak voice called. Logan looked to see Carina, half-leaning, half-clutching at the wall. She was
staring at the empty doorway with a look of desperation. She closed her eyes with the realization that she
had failed and that Max was gone and she began to slip. Jake was instantly there to catch her. "Jake, you
can't let her go. She'll get herself killed," Carina spoke with as much force as she could muster but it came
out only as a whisper. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the chair Max had recently vacated.
With his arm around her should he helped her to sit and supported her as she tried to catch her breath.
"Carina, you need to lie down and rest," Jake urged.
"No. She shouldn't be risking everything for me. She'll get caught if she goes alone." Carina suddenly let
out a gasp.
"Carina! Are you…" he started, panicked.
"I need a phone."
Jake took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart "It was a sudden thought, it was just a sudden
thought," he told himself. "you're going back first." She nodded, and let herself be picked up and carried
back to the operating room. To his frustration, he was banished from the room as she made the call.
Something about "the less he knew."