Alec was sitting boredly flipping channels when Max burst in the room. She
looked like she was trying very hard not to cry. Alec immediately jumped to
his feet and took her into his embrace.
"Max what's wrong?" He whispered into her hair.
"L-L-Logan. He gave me this." 'He's given her a ring" Alec thought. Then he looked down at Max's open hand. He scrambled backwards tripping over a chair.
" Holy Shit! Get that thing away from me!"
In Max's outstretched palm there was a perfect copy of her recently murdered beeper.
"He gave that to you?" Alec asked. Max nodded.
"But how…" He asked futilely. "We killed it."
"It's a clone." She replied. Then the clone in question beeped in her hand. Max jumped and threw it against the wall. Plaster crumbled to the floor with the pager. The beeping stopped. The two X-5's huddled together in the corner tentatively went forward to investigate. They were crawling on hands and knees like cats cornering their prey.
"Maybe you killed it." Alec said hopefully as they neared the fallen beeper. Then it beeped again and they recoiled in terror. They crouched behind the couch and waited for the nightmare to end.
"Alec, go get the beeper." Max insisted.
"No way. I'm not touching that thing. You do it." He replied.
Joshua entered the room.
"Josh! Over here buddy." Alec called. Joshua came over.
"What Max and Alec doing behind the couch?"
"We're building a fort. Hey Josh do you see that beeper on the floor over there?" Joshua nodded. "Pick it up and turn it off."
Joshua walked over, picked up the tiny beeper and flicked the switched.
"There's a note on this." He said putting it down on the coffee table. Max got up from behind the couch and picked up the beeper like it was a piece of mouldy bread. On the underside was a yellow sticky. Max read it out loud.
"Max, we may be apart but we can always be in touch. So I am replacing your beeper with one that can survive falls from the space needle. This one is touted as indestructible. May communication never be a problem again. Love Logan.
I can't even kill It.," she cried. Max dropped the beeper back on the coffee table and slumped down in a chair. Alec sat down beside her and cuddled her like she was a baby.
"It's okay Max." He said. "We'll find a way. There has to be a way."
Joshua just stood there. He had no idea what was going on.
Logan watched the computer screen. The camera he had had installed in the pager was working perfectly. He could see the entire contents of Max's pocket. Then he was out in the light. 'Joshua's house' he thought. Then the beeper focused on Alec. Logan growled deep in his throat. He could see Alec's arms going around Max. He couldn't see their faces but he could guess. Then Alec looked directly at the camera and jumped back. 'Shit' Logan thought. 'He knows there's a camera.' Alec was on his back yelling something at Max. 'He had to call her and explain' Logan thought and paged her. The wall came hurtling towards the camera and all Logan could see was the ceiling of Joshua's living room.
Then he saw Max and Alec peering at the pager. 'They were so on to him.' He paged Max again. Max and Alec jumped back and disappeared from view. 'They were behaving very oddly' Logan thought and paged Max again. 15 minutes passed then he saw Joshua bend down and pick the pager up. His breath fogged the camera. When it cleared he saw Max reading the note. She dropped the pager and went to sit in a chair. Alec sat down and hugged her close. The bile rose in Logan's throat and he ran to the bathroom.
When her returned Max and Alec were still cuddled in the chair but now Alec had the remote and was flipping through the channels while Max played with the hair at the nape of his neck.
Alec was having a hard time concentrating on the television as Max's fingers lightly stroked the back of his neck. He had always hated being touched there in the past. When Rachel had touched him there it was like she was reminding him of the lie she believed him to be. When other women had touched him there it had made him feel dirty. They didn't understand all that his barcode represented. Most had not even noticed it as they pulled him close. But somehow Max touching it felt right. Maybe because she had a barcode too. Maybe because she knew exactly what he was and still wanted to touch him there. For whatever reason he found her gentle touch soothing and erotic at the same time. He pulled her close wanting nothing more than her simple touch.
After awhile his eyes drooped and Max told him to go to bed. He didn't want to let her go. Reluctantly he rose and stumbled to his bed where he dreamed up ways to torture this new beeper.
Logan was relieved when Alec had gone into another room without Max. He saw her reach for the pager and place it in her pocket.
Max dumped the contents of her pockets on her bedside table before crawling into bed with a book.
Logan could see Max sitting on her bed reading and decided that going to bed was becoming a pretty attractive idea. He left the computer on and went to bed.
It was 4 am and Max was sleeping when Alec jumped on her.
"Alec..? What are you doing?" She mumbled.
"Couldn't sleep. I had the best idea. "He replied
"mmhuh…" Max sighed and lay her head back down on her pillow.
"Are you listening to me?" He asked.
"No." She yawned and closed her eyes. Then Alec was underneath the covers and he was tickling her. Max tried not to giggle but she was too tired and soon both she and Alec were laughing like hyenas.
"We'll wake up the neighbours," Max said between giggles.
"Well then you had better listen to me." Alec replied.
"I promise." Max said. Alec stopped. At some point during the fight he had lost his shirt. Max lay her head against his warm firm chest and listened.
Logan got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. As he passed by the computer screen he noticed Alec was in Max's bed with her. She had her head on his bare chest and he was stroking her arm. They looked like they were laughing softly. 'What had happened?' He knew exactly what had happened. 'They had slept together and were now having an after sex chat. That was the only explanation. If he had been awake he could have stopped this.' Logan thought. It was then that he made his resolve to never sleep again.
"Max what's wrong?" He whispered into her hair.
"L-L-Logan. He gave me this." 'He's given her a ring" Alec thought. Then he looked down at Max's open hand. He scrambled backwards tripping over a chair.
" Holy Shit! Get that thing away from me!"
In Max's outstretched palm there was a perfect copy of her recently murdered beeper.
"He gave that to you?" Alec asked. Max nodded.
"But how…" He asked futilely. "We killed it."
"It's a clone." She replied. Then the clone in question beeped in her hand. Max jumped and threw it against the wall. Plaster crumbled to the floor with the pager. The beeping stopped. The two X-5's huddled together in the corner tentatively went forward to investigate. They were crawling on hands and knees like cats cornering their prey.
"Maybe you killed it." Alec said hopefully as they neared the fallen beeper. Then it beeped again and they recoiled in terror. They crouched behind the couch and waited for the nightmare to end.
"Alec, go get the beeper." Max insisted.
"No way. I'm not touching that thing. You do it." He replied.
Joshua entered the room.
"Josh! Over here buddy." Alec called. Joshua came over.
"What Max and Alec doing behind the couch?"
"We're building a fort. Hey Josh do you see that beeper on the floor over there?" Joshua nodded. "Pick it up and turn it off."
Joshua walked over, picked up the tiny beeper and flicked the switched.
"There's a note on this." He said putting it down on the coffee table. Max got up from behind the couch and picked up the beeper like it was a piece of mouldy bread. On the underside was a yellow sticky. Max read it out loud.
"Max, we may be apart but we can always be in touch. So I am replacing your beeper with one that can survive falls from the space needle. This one is touted as indestructible. May communication never be a problem again. Love Logan.
I can't even kill It.," she cried. Max dropped the beeper back on the coffee table and slumped down in a chair. Alec sat down beside her and cuddled her like she was a baby.
"It's okay Max." He said. "We'll find a way. There has to be a way."
Joshua just stood there. He had no idea what was going on.
Logan watched the computer screen. The camera he had had installed in the pager was working perfectly. He could see the entire contents of Max's pocket. Then he was out in the light. 'Joshua's house' he thought. Then the beeper focused on Alec. Logan growled deep in his throat. He could see Alec's arms going around Max. He couldn't see their faces but he could guess. Then Alec looked directly at the camera and jumped back. 'Shit' Logan thought. 'He knows there's a camera.' Alec was on his back yelling something at Max. 'He had to call her and explain' Logan thought and paged her. The wall came hurtling towards the camera and all Logan could see was the ceiling of Joshua's living room.
Then he saw Max and Alec peering at the pager. 'They were so on to him.' He paged Max again. Max and Alec jumped back and disappeared from view. 'They were behaving very oddly' Logan thought and paged Max again. 15 minutes passed then he saw Joshua bend down and pick the pager up. His breath fogged the camera. When it cleared he saw Max reading the note. She dropped the pager and went to sit in a chair. Alec sat down and hugged her close. The bile rose in Logan's throat and he ran to the bathroom.
When her returned Max and Alec were still cuddled in the chair but now Alec had the remote and was flipping through the channels while Max played with the hair at the nape of his neck.
Alec was having a hard time concentrating on the television as Max's fingers lightly stroked the back of his neck. He had always hated being touched there in the past. When Rachel had touched him there it was like she was reminding him of the lie she believed him to be. When other women had touched him there it had made him feel dirty. They didn't understand all that his barcode represented. Most had not even noticed it as they pulled him close. But somehow Max touching it felt right. Maybe because she had a barcode too. Maybe because she knew exactly what he was and still wanted to touch him there. For whatever reason he found her gentle touch soothing and erotic at the same time. He pulled her close wanting nothing more than her simple touch.
After awhile his eyes drooped and Max told him to go to bed. He didn't want to let her go. Reluctantly he rose and stumbled to his bed where he dreamed up ways to torture this new beeper.
Logan was relieved when Alec had gone into another room without Max. He saw her reach for the pager and place it in her pocket.
Max dumped the contents of her pockets on her bedside table before crawling into bed with a book.
Logan could see Max sitting on her bed reading and decided that going to bed was becoming a pretty attractive idea. He left the computer on and went to bed.
It was 4 am and Max was sleeping when Alec jumped on her.
"Alec..? What are you doing?" She mumbled.
"Couldn't sleep. I had the best idea. "He replied
"mmhuh…" Max sighed and lay her head back down on her pillow.
"Are you listening to me?" He asked.
"No." She yawned and closed her eyes. Then Alec was underneath the covers and he was tickling her. Max tried not to giggle but she was too tired and soon both she and Alec were laughing like hyenas.
"We'll wake up the neighbours," Max said between giggles.
"Well then you had better listen to me." Alec replied.
"I promise." Max said. Alec stopped. At some point during the fight he had lost his shirt. Max lay her head against his warm firm chest and listened.
Logan got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. As he passed by the computer screen he noticed Alec was in Max's bed with her. She had her head on his bare chest and he was stroking her arm. They looked like they were laughing softly. 'What had happened?' He knew exactly what had happened. 'They had slept together and were now having an after sex chat. That was the only explanation. If he had been awake he could have stopped this.' Logan thought. It was then that he made his resolve to never sleep again.