Part 6. Reunion.
Syl and Krit looked at her expectantly. Carefully Max picked up the
receiver and dialed the first number. She waited while it rang.
Her heart pounded as the other end was picked up and a familiar voice
answered. "Hello?"
"Jondy?" Max gasped.
"Who is this?" Jondy demanded.
"It's me. It's Max."
"Oh, Maxie. I've missed you. How did you get my number? Zack was-"
Max cut her sister off. "I don't have much time, I need to call the others.
Can you be in Seattle tomorrow?"
"What's going on?" Jondy asked, sounding worried.
"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. If you know where anyone else is call
them." Max answered. It was hard enough talking about Zack, she didn't want
to have to explain all over again to everyone.
She spent the rest of the morning making phone calls.
They were coming. They were all coming.
Everyone from Jondy to Zane, Jace and little Maxie, Ty and Li. They were
all on their way.
**********
Early the next morning Max and Logan waited at the bus station.
Max knew that at least several of her brothers and sisters would be coming
into Seattle on the buses.
They'd already strapped a baby seat into the back of Logan's car for Maxie.
Max leaned against the side of the Aztec, waiting for the earliest buses to
arrive.
Logan smiled as he watched her, she was like a child on Christmas morning.
He knew she was trying not to let on how excited she was, but he could see.
He knew her so well.
After the first buses had began unloading, two young women, one with a
baby, waved at them.
Max waved back and jogged over to them.
The three women hugged, while Logan kept his distance.
As the women hugged, a tall man laden a baby carrier and several bags
approached them, hugging Max also.
Taking two of the bags, she motioned for them to follow her, leading them
towards the car.
Sighing happily she dropped the bags at Logan's feet.
"Logan, this is Jondy and Zane, and Maxie, you already met Jace."
Logan offered his hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Jondy smiled and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you too."
Zane chuckled as Logan took the baby carrier. "Looks like I finally get
some help around here."
Logan smiled and opened the trunk. Zane dumped all of the things he was
carrying inside, and bent to pick up the other bags Max had dropped.
Logan looked over at her. "Will we go now? If the others aren't at home
when we get back, we'll just come back and wait."
Max nodded. "Does anyone know how to use a child restraint?"
Jace chuckled as she strapped her daughter in.
It wasn't long before they were all in the car, Jondy sitting on Zane's
lap, and on their way to Logan's apartment.
**********
As they entered Logan's apartment, they could hear loud animated
conversations coming from the kitchen and lounge room
Max smiled the rooms was full of people she hadn't seen for almost twelve
years.
Syl stood up and hugged her. "How was the wait?"
"Good, is everyone here yet?" Max asked in return.
"With Zane, Jace and Jondy everyone's here." Syl replied
Zane looked at the pair of them. "Zack, Ben and Tinga aren't here."
Max took a deep breath. "Zack, Ben and Tinga aren't coming."
Ty stood up. "What do you mean?"
"Ben was killed. He went psycho, killing people. Setting them up and
hunting them down. Tinga was killed by a heartless bitch of a woman named
Elizabeth Refro. She's been gone for a little over three months." Max
turned to Logan. "Remind me to call Charlie and Case." He nodded silently.
She paused before continueing. "Zack died three months ago tomorrow." she
swallowed. "Zack, Syl, Krit and I made an assualt on Manticore's base. Our
mission was to destroy the DNA labs. We succeeded. We ran into Brin, she's
indoctrinated again.
As we were making our escape, Zack and I were hindered by X7's. I got shot,
Zack got shot, and I died.
My heart was shot to pieces. Manticore doctors wanted to harvest my organs,
but Zack wouldn't let them. He shot himself so that I could have his
heart." Max tried not to look at everyone's faces. "I spent three months
there. Then I escaped again. I rigged charges in the DNA lab, and in the
generator. Manticore is gone. They have no data, they have no DNA." she
paused. "We're free now."
"But at what cost?" Ling asked bitterly. "Brin's re-indoctrinated, Zack and
Tinga are dead..."
"Eva, Jack and Jen are gone too. Case lost his mommy..." Max continued.
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Logan got up to answer it. He
was only gone a few seconds when he called out. "Max? Would you come here
please."
She rose quickly. "What is it?"
She recoiled as she saw him.
"He says he knows you." Logan said to her.
Max crouched down beside him. "Alec? What happened?"
She looked him over carefully. He was covered in blood and so tired he
couldn't stand.
She slipped her arms under his shoulder and helped him inside.
As she entered the lounge room several of her brothers and sisters gasped.
Ling looked like she'd seen a ghost. "Ben?"
Max settled Alec on the floor. "Meet little brother. His name is Alec. He's
Ben's twin."
Jondy picked some of the cotton balls Logan had produced, along with a
caseful of bandages, antiseptic ointments and other medical equipment.
"You sure got beat up pretty badly." Jondy said to him. Alec just nodded.
"Where'd you meet Max?" she tried again.
"Manticore." he breathed heavily.
Jondy cleaned him up. Afterwards Zane and Logan laid him down in the guest
bedroom.
Once they were all sitting down again the telephone rang.
Max picked it up. "Hello?"
The voice on the other end spoke for a minute, Max smiled and chuckled.
She gestured to Logan for a pad and pen, which he handed her promptly.
She began to scribble as they spoke.
Several minutes later she hung up the phone.
Syl and Krit looked at her expectantly. Carefully Max picked up the
receiver and dialed the first number. She waited while it rang.
Her heart pounded as the other end was picked up and a familiar voice
answered. "Hello?"
"Jondy?" Max gasped.
"Who is this?" Jondy demanded.
"It's me. It's Max."
"Oh, Maxie. I've missed you. How did you get my number? Zack was-"
Max cut her sister off. "I don't have much time, I need to call the others.
Can you be in Seattle tomorrow?"
"What's going on?" Jondy asked, sounding worried.
"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. If you know where anyone else is call
them." Max answered. It was hard enough talking about Zack, she didn't want
to have to explain all over again to everyone.
She spent the rest of the morning making phone calls.
They were coming. They were all coming.
Everyone from Jondy to Zane, Jace and little Maxie, Ty and Li. They were
all on their way.
**********
Early the next morning Max and Logan waited at the bus station.
Max knew that at least several of her brothers and sisters would be coming
into Seattle on the buses.
They'd already strapped a baby seat into the back of Logan's car for Maxie.
Max leaned against the side of the Aztec, waiting for the earliest buses to
arrive.
Logan smiled as he watched her, she was like a child on Christmas morning.
He knew she was trying not to let on how excited she was, but he could see.
He knew her so well.
After the first buses had began unloading, two young women, one with a
baby, waved at them.
Max waved back and jogged over to them.
The three women hugged, while Logan kept his distance.
As the women hugged, a tall man laden a baby carrier and several bags
approached them, hugging Max also.
Taking two of the bags, she motioned for them to follow her, leading them
towards the car.
Sighing happily she dropped the bags at Logan's feet.
"Logan, this is Jondy and Zane, and Maxie, you already met Jace."
Logan offered his hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Jondy smiled and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you too."
Zane chuckled as Logan took the baby carrier. "Looks like I finally get
some help around here."
Logan smiled and opened the trunk. Zane dumped all of the things he was
carrying inside, and bent to pick up the other bags Max had dropped.
Logan looked over at her. "Will we go now? If the others aren't at home
when we get back, we'll just come back and wait."
Max nodded. "Does anyone know how to use a child restraint?"
Jace chuckled as she strapped her daughter in.
It wasn't long before they were all in the car, Jondy sitting on Zane's
lap, and on their way to Logan's apartment.
**********
As they entered Logan's apartment, they could hear loud animated
conversations coming from the kitchen and lounge room
Max smiled the rooms was full of people she hadn't seen for almost twelve
years.
Syl stood up and hugged her. "How was the wait?"
"Good, is everyone here yet?" Max asked in return.
"With Zane, Jace and Jondy everyone's here." Syl replied
Zane looked at the pair of them. "Zack, Ben and Tinga aren't here."
Max took a deep breath. "Zack, Ben and Tinga aren't coming."
Ty stood up. "What do you mean?"
"Ben was killed. He went psycho, killing people. Setting them up and
hunting them down. Tinga was killed by a heartless bitch of a woman named
Elizabeth Refro. She's been gone for a little over three months." Max
turned to Logan. "Remind me to call Charlie and Case." He nodded silently.
She paused before continueing. "Zack died three months ago tomorrow." she
swallowed. "Zack, Syl, Krit and I made an assualt on Manticore's base. Our
mission was to destroy the DNA labs. We succeeded. We ran into Brin, she's
indoctrinated again.
As we were making our escape, Zack and I were hindered by X7's. I got shot,
Zack got shot, and I died.
My heart was shot to pieces. Manticore doctors wanted to harvest my organs,
but Zack wouldn't let them. He shot himself so that I could have his
heart." Max tried not to look at everyone's faces. "I spent three months
there. Then I escaped again. I rigged charges in the DNA lab, and in the
generator. Manticore is gone. They have no data, they have no DNA." she
paused. "We're free now."
"But at what cost?" Ling asked bitterly. "Brin's re-indoctrinated, Zack and
Tinga are dead..."
"Eva, Jack and Jen are gone too. Case lost his mommy..." Max continued.
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Logan got up to answer it. He
was only gone a few seconds when he called out. "Max? Would you come here
please."
She rose quickly. "What is it?"
She recoiled as she saw him.
"He says he knows you." Logan said to her.
Max crouched down beside him. "Alec? What happened?"
She looked him over carefully. He was covered in blood and so tired he
couldn't stand.
She slipped her arms under his shoulder and helped him inside.
As she entered the lounge room several of her brothers and sisters gasped.
Ling looked like she'd seen a ghost. "Ben?"
Max settled Alec on the floor. "Meet little brother. His name is Alec. He's
Ben's twin."
Jondy picked some of the cotton balls Logan had produced, along with a
caseful of bandages, antiseptic ointments and other medical equipment.
"You sure got beat up pretty badly." Jondy said to him. Alec just nodded.
"Where'd you meet Max?" she tried again.
"Manticore." he breathed heavily.
Jondy cleaned him up. Afterwards Zane and Logan laid him down in the guest
bedroom.
Once they were all sitting down again the telephone rang.
Max picked it up. "Hello?"
The voice on the other end spoke for a minute, Max smiled and chuckled.
She gestured to Logan for a pad and pen, which he handed her promptly.
She began to scribble as they spoke.
Several minutes later she hung up the phone.