Title: Three Chimeras
Author: Nefertiry
E-mail: scorpy282003@yahoo.com
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13
Summary: Max lost one of her sisters 13 years ago. Now she's back in her life. She might have answers to many questions, but is she a friend or foe? Post 'Freak Nation'
Disclaimer: definitely not mine. The characters belong to James Cameron and FOX. But Jessica is ABSOLUTELY mine. I don't make any money using these characters.
Timeline: In the "Prologue", it's during and after "Designate This". In the next chapters – after "Freak Nation".
A/N 1: This story has been bugging be for some time. It was like "write me, write me, write me." I should say that this is my first fic EVER. Back at high school and college, I hated writing anything that even remotely reminded of essays and compositions. However, here I am, playing a 'writer'.
A/N 2: English isn't my native language, so don't be too hard on me.
A/N 3: Warning: this story is COMPLETELY result of my imagination. Any similarity to other authors' plots, characters, or events is PURELY COINCIDENTIAL AND ABSOLUTELY UNINTENTIONAL.
September 2021
Seattle. Washington
The Terminal City was crowded. Every transgenic, who heard about this place, tried to get there. It was the only home they could get.
Three months had passed since the events that made Max and others expose themselves. Things seemed to get back to normal (at least people no longer gathered near the fence of the Terminal City). It looked like "normal" people got used to their "freaky" neighbors.
Normal still owned Jam Pony, but he was short of workers, so he hired back Max, Alec, OC and Sketchy. Logan continued his "Eyes Only" broadcasts. Life seemed to get back to what it used to be.
* * * *
One warm September day a black BMW X5 stopped at the alley near Jam Pony. The driver could see messengers leaving the place to deliver the packages. She was very patient. It took her a year to find where X5-452 most likely lived and worked. She was so certain that her search for Max would succeed, that she had bought a penthouse in one of not numerous Seattle buildings with luxurious apartments and had moved her things from New York. Besides, she had another reason to be in Seattle.
One of the messengers leaving the building caught the driver's eye.' Hello, Maxie, I've finally found you.' The girl looked at the dark-haired messenger, who got on her bike and took off. The driver didn't start the engine and didn't follow the bike. She knew that Max would be back.
* * * *
Later that evening, when the working day ended and the messengers started to leave Jam Pony, she saw Max mount her Ninja and started the engine.
Max drove the Ninja at maximum speed and didn't pay attention to the cars on the road, so she didn't notice the black BMW that was following her.
Max entered her and Original Cindy's apartment that they luckily didn't lose when the whole thing with the transgenics started.
"Hey, Boo, let's go to Crash, we deserve a good night out", said Cindy, smiling at her best friend.
"Sounds like a plan, I'll grab a quick shower, and we'll go", replied, Max making her way to the shower.
Half an hour later the girls left the building, mounted the bike and headed to Crash. The girls were so busy discussing something, that they hadn't noticed black BMW parked near the building. It was dark, but the driver saw everything perfectly. After all, she was an X5, she could see like a cat.
She followed them to the bar, and then she turned her car around and left.
* * * *
Crash
Max and Cindy entered the bar. As usual, it was full of people drinking, dancing, and playing pool.
"Max, look, that's Sketchy…and Logan?" Cindy was surprised to see Logan Cale sitting with Sketchy and drinking beer.
"C'mon, OC, Logan has the right to go where he wants to go and if he wants to hang out at Crash, I don't mind", said Max, going to her friends.
"Hey, Max, how've you been?" asked Logan, looking at the girl he loved and couldn't have.
"Fine, working at Jam Pony, helping the guys in the Terminal City, just usual stuff", answered Max, looking at the man she loved and couldn't have.
* * * *
A couple of hours later the girl from the black BMW entered Crash. All men, who were sober enough to notice anything, stared at her with their jaws on the floor. 5'9'', long silky raven-black hair, black (not brown, but black) eyes, a smile to die for and a perfect body, clad in tight black leather pants, white tank top and black leather jacket – that's what caught the attention of all men. The girl, aware of the effect she had produced on the sober males in Crash, smiled and came up to the bar.
"Brandy and cherry juice", she told the bartender who was one of those sober males in the bar. Then she took a photo of Max from the pocket of her lather jacket and showed it to the bartender who had put her drink in front of her. "Do you know this girl?" she asked.
The bartender was melting. "She's sitting over there", and pointed at the table where Max and Cindy sat with their backs to the bar.
"Could you give this to her?" She gave him something wrapped in paper.
"Yes, anything for you." The bartender took that something and went to Max's table.
"Hi, Max, that girl near the bar asked me to give this to you." He handed Max the small package.
"What girl?" asked Max, totally surprised. "That dark-haired beauty", pointed the bartender at the girl, who turned away so that Max couldn't see her face.
"That's weird", said Max unwrapping the paper. "OH MY GOD!!!" she was pale as if she had seen a ghost. "What is it, Maxie?" asked Sketchy, looking at his friend who had never been afraid of anything.
"Yeah, what is it, Boo?" Cindy was surprised and bewildered.
It was just a soldier's tag with the designation number "X5-407" on one side and three letters "M.J.B." scratched on the other side.
"Jessica …" whispered Max. She stood up and went to the bar.
"Jess, is it you?" said Max to the dark-haired girl.
"Of course, it's me. Who did you expect to see, the Pope of Rome?" laughed Jessica, hugging Max.
"Jess, you're alive!!!" Max was practically screaming from joy.
"Keep it down, Max. You don't want any necessary attention", said Jessica, looking around.
"It's ok, Jess, everybody knows here about the transgenics and Manticore. Let's go, I'll introduce you to my friends."
Cindy, Logan and Sketchy watched Max approach their table accompanied by a knockout beauty.
"Guys, this is Jessica. Jess, this is Original Cindy, Logan Cale and Sketchy. Sketchy, pick up your jaw, you're drooling on the table", said Max choking with laughter when she saw Sketchy's face as he was staring at Jessica. "Jess, have a sit."
"Hi, guys, nice to meet you", smiled Jessica, sitting down next to Max.
"So, Jess where have you been all these years?" asked Max the question that had bothered her since the moment she saw Jessica.
"Well, you know, here and there." Jessica's smile faded. She definitely tried to avoid answering that question.
"Um, Jessica, were you at Manticore with Max?" Logan tried to change the subject a little, as he saw Jessica's attempt not to answer Max's question.
"Yeah", answered Max instead of Jessica. "She was in my unit, but when we were 8, she disappeared one day."
"What do you mean 'disappeared'?"
"I don't want to talk about it ", said Jess frowning.
"It was after the classes. We were at the dormitory. Lydecker entered and told Jessica to follow him. We never saw Jess again. End of story".
Max looked at Jessica's face. She really didn't want to talk about that.
"So, Jess, where are you staying here, in Seattle?" Logan changed the subject for the second time, seeing that both X5s had some problems talking about their past.
"I have an apartment…." Jessica was relieved to talk about something else. The ring of the cell phone interrupted her. Max, Logan and Jess checked their phones. "It's mine", said Jess.
"Hello?"
"It's me", said the voice across the Atlantic. "Have you found her?"
"Yes."
"Where are you?"
"Seattle."
"You can't talk right now?"
"Aha. I'll call you back", said Jess and disconnected the call. "Look, guys, it's nice to meet you, but I have to go. Max, I'll talk to you later."
"Bye, Jess."
They watched Jessica leave. Then Max said: "Sketchy! Earth to Sketchy! Wake up!" Sketchy snapped out of his dreams about Jessica. "Do you think she would go out with me?" "Yeah, right, dream on," laughed Max, trying to imagine Jess and Sketchy on a date.
Jessica exited the Crash bar, came up to her beloved BMW, that was parked near the bar and started to attract the attention of the bar visitors, opened the door and got into the car. Her cell phone slid out of her pocket and fell to the floor. 'Damn', she silently cursed and leant forward to get it. She didn't see the guy who had just parked his bike near the bar and stared at the car. Jess found her phone, started the engine, and took off.
'Nice car', thought Alec and noticed NY license plates. 'Wow, someone really wanted to get to Seattle that drove the whole way from New York.'
Alec entered the bar, asked the bartender to give him a beer and then saw his friends. He came up to them and said. "What's up, guys?"
"I've just met someone I haven't seen for 13 years." Max was glowing from happiness.
"Yeah, and I've just seen a gorgeous black BMW X5 with NY license plates", told Alec.
"NY license plates? Interesting, do you remember them?" asked Logan. The obviously expensive car from NY, parked near Crash, interested him.
"Yeah, something like an X5 designation number "JJX5407." Alec sat near Max and took a sip from his glass of beer.
"Logan, can you check this car? I don't believe in coincidences", said Max suddenly getting serious.
"Sure, if you want, you can go with me." Logan got up and looked at Max. She said: "Let's go. Catch you later, guys."
She and Logan left the bar.
"Ok, what did I miss?" asked Alec.
"Max met her sister", said Cindy.
"Oh, that explains a lot", with that sarcastic remark Alec left Cindy and Sketchy and went to the pool tables.
TBC