Chapter 6 - Meeting by the Lake
Six months has passed since "Another Mission."
Cindy knocked on the door. She shouldn't be here. Max would kill her if she knew. But they needed help. Logan could help her, but would he? The door opened.
"Cindy! Hi, come on in. How are you doing?"
"Great Logan. How are you?"
"Doing OK, getting around, you know."
Neither wanted to mention Max, but the tension hung in the air. Logan did not know that Cindy knew Max was alive and Cindy thought that Logan did not know that Max was pregnant.
"What brings you here? Not that you need a reason to visit, but..."
"But I haven't visited in over a year and today I do have a reason. I do need your help."
"I'll do what I can. What's up?"
"I have a friend that needs some ID and a sector pass. She also needs to find a doctor that will be discrete and not enter her information into any database. I didn't know if you still do that, but if not, maybe you know who does."
"I can help you. Why is she hiding? Is she really sick? Do we need to get her a doctor right away?"
"Not right away. She isn't sick. She is pregnant. She is running from the father, some big wig who treats her bad! She wants to stay away from him and keep him from finding the baby."
"Bad situation. I can help. I know a doctor that has helped me before with..." Logan pauses, they look at each other, tension is heavy in the air.
Cindy speaks, "You mean with Max? You know, it is OK to talk about her. I won't start crying, not anymore."
"Yeah, Max." He lingers over her name. "Dr. Heshmann has helped me with the discrete cases like Max. If we pay in cash, he keeps records out of the system. I can call him and set up an appointment."
"That would be great Logan. You are a big help."
"Let me do a few things, if you wait here I can get you the documents you need."
"Sure. I got some time." Logan leaves the room.
Time lapses until Logan is finished and returns to the front room. "OK, sorry it took so long. I got ID's and passes for your friend. When the baby is born she will get an ID based on her new name. I set up an appointment for Monday with Dr. Heshmann. The only thing, his office is out of Seattle. It is quite close to my family's cabin. I put directions to the cabin and to the doctor's office in the envelope. You can stay at the cabin as long as you need. It is safe."
Cindy opens the envelope to review the contents. "Thanks Logan, you are such a help, we really... What's this?" She finds cash in the envelope. "Logan No. We don't need your money. The ID and the doctor and passes are more than enough. We have some..."
Logan interrupts. "Cindy, babies need a lot of things. Take the money; take as much time at the cabin as you need. It hasn't been used for a while."
"Logan, I will pay you back. Honest. Thanks for your help. For everything." She hugs him.
"Cindy, good luck. Call me if there is anything else."
He leads her to the door, "I am glad I can help Cindy. It feels good - after feeling bad for so long."
"Logan you don't have to feel bad. You know, if Max was here today, she would be glad you were helping out." Logan's face changed to cold and hard.
"No, if she was alive today, Manticore would have her transformed back into a drone. That is what they do. They turn people into soldiers, emotionless drones who do their bidding."
"People change Logan, they learn and grow..."
"I am sorry Cindy. I shouldn't go off like that. The past is the past and it is best to leave it there. I meant what I said before, if you need any more help, just call."
"Thanks Logan. You know you could call me if you want to talk, or something..."
"Thanks, see you!" He shuts the door quickly.
"Bye." Cindy says to the closed door. Wow, Max was right. He is upset, but he does love her. Why else would he still be so angry after all this time? There has got to be a way to get them back together. Of course, she would be putting her life on the line if she tried anything.
Cindy returned to the apartment. "Max, you here?" Max enters. She is definitely pregnant, although she still looks athletic. She is drinking bottled water. "How are we doing today?" They sit on the couch and Cindy touches Max's tummy.
"I am fine, but Zachary here is in an awful mood. He won't let me eat anything and I think he is learning how to play soccer today. He thinks its fun to kick his mother in the kidneys."
"Oh! I felt that, did you feel that? He kicked!"
"Yes Cindy, didn't I just say that I felt him kicking?"
"Oh stop complaining. I got good news."
"What's that?"
"I got you some ID and a doctor's appointment."
"Great, where did you go? How much did you spend?"
"Nothing. I got the ID and passes at no cost. I even got some extra cash for the doctor visit and the location of a safe house..."
"And from whom did we get all these services that seemingly cost nothing?"
"You don't need to know that... do you?" Cindy said meekly.
"You went to Logan!? How could you do that! Well, you obviously did not tell him I was the recipient. We can't take his charity. We..."
Cindy interrupted, "You will calm down! No, I did not tell him that this was for you, but he does still love you and would probably do this and much more if he knew it was you."
"Still loves me? I don't think so. He was so upset..."
"And still is. That is how I know. If he did not love you he would have moved on by now. He offered this without even asking who the recipient is. It made him feel better. I couldn't turn it down."
"If he finds out, he is going to freak out. You understand?"
"Yeah, but only for a while."
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Time lapse. Scene changes to Logan's cabin. Cindy and Max are storing supplies.
"Well Cindy, that's everything. I will get some wood for the fireplace and then..."
"No Max. You will not. You look tired and achy. I looked in the master bedroom. There is a tub and the hot water heater is on and you will relax. I put your stuff in the master room. I will take the other."
"You mean you want me to use his room? No, I couldn't... I won't... If he finds out..."
"Max. Quiet. This is an order. You will relax and get over it. You will fill that tub with hot water and soak in it. By the time you are finished there will be a fire and some dinner. Now go!"
"You mean to say 'Dismissed' not 'go'. It is more official..."
"Max! No more stalling. DISMISSED!"
"Yes Ma'am." Max leaves and Cindy goes to the kitchen. We see her preparing chicken for baking and she places it in the oven. She walks into the Master bedroom and peeks into the bath.
"Max, you OK?"
"Sure, just relaxing here, as ordered."
"Good. I will be outside for a while, getting wood for a fire."
"OK, we will be fine."
Cindy walks through the cabin, out to the woodpile. She starts picking through the pile for logs and kindling. She hears a car and turns. She watches the car move up the drive. The driver gets out of the vehicle. "Logan... ah... What are you doing here?"
"I couldn't get the caretaker on the phone and I wanted to make sure all the power was turned on, and everything was OK for your stay."
"It's OK Logan, Ma... I mean, we found the fuse box and turned everything on. All is well out here in the woods. No need for you to stay, sorry you had to drive all the way out here."
"Calm down Cindy. I won't stay long. I haven't been here in a long time. I need to make sure everything is OK."
"OK Logan. Well, I do have some chicken in the oven. At least you can stay for dinner, and... uh... meet my friend."
"Well, sure, if that's OK. I wouldn't want to scare her off."
Cindy turns, smiling and mumbling. "No, 'scared off' is not the word I would use for this meeting."
They enter the cabin. They hear the water draining from the tub as they enter. "I told her to take a bath and relax while I made dinner. I am sure she will be out in a minute or so."
We hear Max from the master bedroom. Logan obviously recognizes the voice and Max enters the main room while speaking. "You know Cindy, we should get one of those 'hot water heaters' for our place, Zach says he loves a hot bath..."
They stand there staring at each other. Logan and Max in the same room again. Max is dressed in "comfortable" clothes, although her condition is quite obvious. Cindy speaks first then retreats to a corner of the kitchen. "Max, this is Logan, our FRIEND. Logan, this is Max."
Logan begins the rant. "What in the hell are you doing here? Where is Zach? Is he back there too! What did he do to you? Where is he? You put Cindy up to this didn't you? Cindy, you can't trust her. Manticore changed her and probably Zach too. Were the hell is he?"
Tears pooled in her eyes, but in a steady voice Max states, "Zach, my brother is dead." Max leaves the cabin as Cindy and Logan watch her run out.
Logan is stunned and finds words are sticking in his throat. Cindy speaks, quietly and without bravado. "Logan you said you wouldn't scare her off."
"You brought that transgenic back into my life? She is not to be trusted, she is using you to get to me."
"Logan, she didn't know I went to you until after. She gave me the name of someone else. She is not working for Manticore now."
"She is using you Cindy... She is pregnant. Who is the father? Is it Zach?"
"I think you should get that information from her."
"I can't talk to her. She has changed. Manticore changed her."
"Yes, she has changed. But she realizes that Manticore is wrong. She has left them and won't go back."
"She is lying. Setting you up."
"I believe her. Logan, talk to her. Look in her eyes and really talk to her. Let her answer some of your questions."
"I will talk to her, but I won't promise anything. I... ah... I don't want to be hurt again."
Logan left the cabin. He though, 'Max should have a large lead-time, but she won't be running. She will want to convince me that she has changed. She will be by the lake in her old 'quiet spot' that she told me she found last time she was here. Yep. There she is, sitting on the log, next to the lake. Looking beautiful... NO. She will not seduce me. I will not let her back in...'
"So where is Zach?"
Max does not turn around. "I said before, Zach, my brother is dead, but he does live on in me."
"So he is the father of your baby?"
"He was the heart donor that allowed me to live." Logan stopped. Could it be? Could Zach be the reason she is alive?
Max continues, "I was unconscious at the time, so I can't verify, but I was told it is his heart. I have not seen him since, and I suspect you have not either, so, at least that's part of the story."
"If Zach is not alive, why did you speak as if he was, back in the cabin?"
"My baby. I have named him Zachary. I felt it was a fitting honor because if it weren't for Zach, neither my baby nor I would be here. Also, I remember him as being a strong leader and dependable. He was there when we needed him to be."
"And at the times we didn't."
Max chuckles and turns. "Yes, I remember that too."
"You seem to remember a lot more than you did when we met the first time after you capture."
"Yeah, well I think over time the initial orientation loses its effectiveness. Maybe they sent me on that mission too early and I was impressionable. Maybe they can't destroy the memories, just the neural paths to the memory? I still remember the question you asked that night, I finally realized there were some questions that couldn't be answered. Then when my baby came, I realized that I have to protect him from everything I have gone through. I developed a plan of action and carried it out. My baby will not know training and punishment and orders. He will not know field techniques and strategies. He will know how to play soccer and baseball and he will know his mother's love above all else."
Both sat, on the log by the lake, both with their own thoughts.
Logan: 'Is she telling the truth? Do they teach them this level of psychological warfare? Her eyes have definitely changed. Not the cold stones they were all those months ago. It really feels good sitting next to her.'
Max: 'Well at least he is listening. But, I must prepare to protect this baby. I must be ready. I can't worry about what Logan thinks or... You know Zachary, it feels good to be sitting next to him again, and not yelling at each other.
As each thinks the same thought, they turn to face each other. Original Cindy appears in the background.
"Hey both of you. Can we continue this over the dinner table? Its all ready."
Max speaks to Logan, " Look, I don't want you to worry about me. All I want is to protect my baby from Manticore, but if you question my motives at all, I won't stay. I can find another place. Heck, it wouldn't be the first time I slept in the woods."
He looks in her eyes, "No Max, I am not going to kick you out. Lets have some dinner and we will talk. We will see what comes next."
Six months has passed since "Another Mission."
Cindy knocked on the door. She shouldn't be here. Max would kill her if she knew. But they needed help. Logan could help her, but would he? The door opened.
"Cindy! Hi, come on in. How are you doing?"
"Great Logan. How are you?"
"Doing OK, getting around, you know."
Neither wanted to mention Max, but the tension hung in the air. Logan did not know that Cindy knew Max was alive and Cindy thought that Logan did not know that Max was pregnant.
"What brings you here? Not that you need a reason to visit, but..."
"But I haven't visited in over a year and today I do have a reason. I do need your help."
"I'll do what I can. What's up?"
"I have a friend that needs some ID and a sector pass. She also needs to find a doctor that will be discrete and not enter her information into any database. I didn't know if you still do that, but if not, maybe you know who does."
"I can help you. Why is she hiding? Is she really sick? Do we need to get her a doctor right away?"
"Not right away. She isn't sick. She is pregnant. She is running from the father, some big wig who treats her bad! She wants to stay away from him and keep him from finding the baby."
"Bad situation. I can help. I know a doctor that has helped me before with..." Logan pauses, they look at each other, tension is heavy in the air.
Cindy speaks, "You mean with Max? You know, it is OK to talk about her. I won't start crying, not anymore."
"Yeah, Max." He lingers over her name. "Dr. Heshmann has helped me with the discrete cases like Max. If we pay in cash, he keeps records out of the system. I can call him and set up an appointment."
"That would be great Logan. You are a big help."
"Let me do a few things, if you wait here I can get you the documents you need."
"Sure. I got some time." Logan leaves the room.
Time lapses until Logan is finished and returns to the front room. "OK, sorry it took so long. I got ID's and passes for your friend. When the baby is born she will get an ID based on her new name. I set up an appointment for Monday with Dr. Heshmann. The only thing, his office is out of Seattle. It is quite close to my family's cabin. I put directions to the cabin and to the doctor's office in the envelope. You can stay at the cabin as long as you need. It is safe."
Cindy opens the envelope to review the contents. "Thanks Logan, you are such a help, we really... What's this?" She finds cash in the envelope. "Logan No. We don't need your money. The ID and the doctor and passes are more than enough. We have some..."
Logan interrupts. "Cindy, babies need a lot of things. Take the money; take as much time at the cabin as you need. It hasn't been used for a while."
"Logan, I will pay you back. Honest. Thanks for your help. For everything." She hugs him.
"Cindy, good luck. Call me if there is anything else."
He leads her to the door, "I am glad I can help Cindy. It feels good - after feeling bad for so long."
"Logan you don't have to feel bad. You know, if Max was here today, she would be glad you were helping out." Logan's face changed to cold and hard.
"No, if she was alive today, Manticore would have her transformed back into a drone. That is what they do. They turn people into soldiers, emotionless drones who do their bidding."
"People change Logan, they learn and grow..."
"I am sorry Cindy. I shouldn't go off like that. The past is the past and it is best to leave it there. I meant what I said before, if you need any more help, just call."
"Thanks Logan. You know you could call me if you want to talk, or something..."
"Thanks, see you!" He shuts the door quickly.
"Bye." Cindy says to the closed door. Wow, Max was right. He is upset, but he does love her. Why else would he still be so angry after all this time? There has got to be a way to get them back together. Of course, she would be putting her life on the line if she tried anything.
Cindy returned to the apartment. "Max, you here?" Max enters. She is definitely pregnant, although she still looks athletic. She is drinking bottled water. "How are we doing today?" They sit on the couch and Cindy touches Max's tummy.
"I am fine, but Zachary here is in an awful mood. He won't let me eat anything and I think he is learning how to play soccer today. He thinks its fun to kick his mother in the kidneys."
"Oh! I felt that, did you feel that? He kicked!"
"Yes Cindy, didn't I just say that I felt him kicking?"
"Oh stop complaining. I got good news."
"What's that?"
"I got you some ID and a doctor's appointment."
"Great, where did you go? How much did you spend?"
"Nothing. I got the ID and passes at no cost. I even got some extra cash for the doctor visit and the location of a safe house..."
"And from whom did we get all these services that seemingly cost nothing?"
"You don't need to know that... do you?" Cindy said meekly.
"You went to Logan!? How could you do that! Well, you obviously did not tell him I was the recipient. We can't take his charity. We..."
Cindy interrupted, "You will calm down! No, I did not tell him that this was for you, but he does still love you and would probably do this and much more if he knew it was you."
"Still loves me? I don't think so. He was so upset..."
"And still is. That is how I know. If he did not love you he would have moved on by now. He offered this without even asking who the recipient is. It made him feel better. I couldn't turn it down."
"If he finds out, he is going to freak out. You understand?"
"Yeah, but only for a while."
--------------------------------------
Time lapse. Scene changes to Logan's cabin. Cindy and Max are storing supplies.
"Well Cindy, that's everything. I will get some wood for the fireplace and then..."
"No Max. You will not. You look tired and achy. I looked in the master bedroom. There is a tub and the hot water heater is on and you will relax. I put your stuff in the master room. I will take the other."
"You mean you want me to use his room? No, I couldn't... I won't... If he finds out..."
"Max. Quiet. This is an order. You will relax and get over it. You will fill that tub with hot water and soak in it. By the time you are finished there will be a fire and some dinner. Now go!"
"You mean to say 'Dismissed' not 'go'. It is more official..."
"Max! No more stalling. DISMISSED!"
"Yes Ma'am." Max leaves and Cindy goes to the kitchen. We see her preparing chicken for baking and she places it in the oven. She walks into the Master bedroom and peeks into the bath.
"Max, you OK?"
"Sure, just relaxing here, as ordered."
"Good. I will be outside for a while, getting wood for a fire."
"OK, we will be fine."
Cindy walks through the cabin, out to the woodpile. She starts picking through the pile for logs and kindling. She hears a car and turns. She watches the car move up the drive. The driver gets out of the vehicle. "Logan... ah... What are you doing here?"
"I couldn't get the caretaker on the phone and I wanted to make sure all the power was turned on, and everything was OK for your stay."
"It's OK Logan, Ma... I mean, we found the fuse box and turned everything on. All is well out here in the woods. No need for you to stay, sorry you had to drive all the way out here."
"Calm down Cindy. I won't stay long. I haven't been here in a long time. I need to make sure everything is OK."
"OK Logan. Well, I do have some chicken in the oven. At least you can stay for dinner, and... uh... meet my friend."
"Well, sure, if that's OK. I wouldn't want to scare her off."
Cindy turns, smiling and mumbling. "No, 'scared off' is not the word I would use for this meeting."
They enter the cabin. They hear the water draining from the tub as they enter. "I told her to take a bath and relax while I made dinner. I am sure she will be out in a minute or so."
We hear Max from the master bedroom. Logan obviously recognizes the voice and Max enters the main room while speaking. "You know Cindy, we should get one of those 'hot water heaters' for our place, Zach says he loves a hot bath..."
They stand there staring at each other. Logan and Max in the same room again. Max is dressed in "comfortable" clothes, although her condition is quite obvious. Cindy speaks first then retreats to a corner of the kitchen. "Max, this is Logan, our FRIEND. Logan, this is Max."
Logan begins the rant. "What in the hell are you doing here? Where is Zach? Is he back there too! What did he do to you? Where is he? You put Cindy up to this didn't you? Cindy, you can't trust her. Manticore changed her and probably Zach too. Were the hell is he?"
Tears pooled in her eyes, but in a steady voice Max states, "Zach, my brother is dead." Max leaves the cabin as Cindy and Logan watch her run out.
Logan is stunned and finds words are sticking in his throat. Cindy speaks, quietly and without bravado. "Logan you said you wouldn't scare her off."
"You brought that transgenic back into my life? She is not to be trusted, she is using you to get to me."
"Logan, she didn't know I went to you until after. She gave me the name of someone else. She is not working for Manticore now."
"She is using you Cindy... She is pregnant. Who is the father? Is it Zach?"
"I think you should get that information from her."
"I can't talk to her. She has changed. Manticore changed her."
"Yes, she has changed. But she realizes that Manticore is wrong. She has left them and won't go back."
"She is lying. Setting you up."
"I believe her. Logan, talk to her. Look in her eyes and really talk to her. Let her answer some of your questions."
"I will talk to her, but I won't promise anything. I... ah... I don't want to be hurt again."
Logan left the cabin. He though, 'Max should have a large lead-time, but she won't be running. She will want to convince me that she has changed. She will be by the lake in her old 'quiet spot' that she told me she found last time she was here. Yep. There she is, sitting on the log, next to the lake. Looking beautiful... NO. She will not seduce me. I will not let her back in...'
"So where is Zach?"
Max does not turn around. "I said before, Zach, my brother is dead, but he does live on in me."
"So he is the father of your baby?"
"He was the heart donor that allowed me to live." Logan stopped. Could it be? Could Zach be the reason she is alive?
Max continues, "I was unconscious at the time, so I can't verify, but I was told it is his heart. I have not seen him since, and I suspect you have not either, so, at least that's part of the story."
"If Zach is not alive, why did you speak as if he was, back in the cabin?"
"My baby. I have named him Zachary. I felt it was a fitting honor because if it weren't for Zach, neither my baby nor I would be here. Also, I remember him as being a strong leader and dependable. He was there when we needed him to be."
"And at the times we didn't."
Max chuckles and turns. "Yes, I remember that too."
"You seem to remember a lot more than you did when we met the first time after you capture."
"Yeah, well I think over time the initial orientation loses its effectiveness. Maybe they sent me on that mission too early and I was impressionable. Maybe they can't destroy the memories, just the neural paths to the memory? I still remember the question you asked that night, I finally realized there were some questions that couldn't be answered. Then when my baby came, I realized that I have to protect him from everything I have gone through. I developed a plan of action and carried it out. My baby will not know training and punishment and orders. He will not know field techniques and strategies. He will know how to play soccer and baseball and he will know his mother's love above all else."
Both sat, on the log by the lake, both with their own thoughts.
Logan: 'Is she telling the truth? Do they teach them this level of psychological warfare? Her eyes have definitely changed. Not the cold stones they were all those months ago. It really feels good sitting next to her.'
Max: 'Well at least he is listening. But, I must prepare to protect this baby. I must be ready. I can't worry about what Logan thinks or... You know Zachary, it feels good to be sitting next to him again, and not yelling at each other.
As each thinks the same thought, they turn to face each other. Original Cindy appears in the background.
"Hey both of you. Can we continue this over the dinner table? Its all ready."
Max speaks to Logan, " Look, I don't want you to worry about me. All I want is to protect my baby from Manticore, but if you question my motives at all, I won't stay. I can find another place. Heck, it wouldn't be the first time I slept in the woods."
He looks in her eyes, "No Max, I am not going to kick you out. Lets have some dinner and we will talk. We will see what comes next."