AS 2.08 Pong by Star24

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters are copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox Studios and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24.

Chapter Six

Max's Crib

Original Cindy arrived home from CRASH to find her roommate perched on the back of a chair, her face wrinkled in thought.

"Hey, boo, Wassup? Bad news about your boy?" Original Cindy dropped the sweater she had thrown over her shoulders onto the floor as she walked over to Max.

"Nope." Mac answered uninformatively.

"News about the 'we're all goin' to glow in the dark' thingy then?"

Max sighed and pulled herself back from whatever it was that she appeared to be contemplating. "I met with one of Logan's informants tonight. The only lead I might have had was murdered today."

"Dayum. So that leaves you back at nada?"

"No. When I came back here I found this lying on the floor just inside the door." Max held a slip of paper out to her friend.

Original Cindy took the paper and quickly read it. A look of puzzlement crossed her face. "You know somebody in Kent, Washington?"

"Nope. Guess again." Max said.

A look of comprehension crossed Cindy's face. "You think this is where Logan went to?"

"It seems like a possibility."

"But then who knew you were lookin' for him, and why send you this? What if it's a trap of some kind?"

Max sighed. "Bling and another friend of Logan's were the only ones I told that I was looking for him. They wouldn't tell me this way."

"So it's a trap?"

Max was slow to answer. "I don't think so. Hold it up to the light."

Original Cindy complied. A faint watermark was visible. "Huh? What's the half man half lion thingy s'posed to 'present?"

"It's the symbol of Manticore. I think my personal anti-Christ himself had this delivered to me."

"Lydecker? King of the Black Hats? Girl, you better be careful 'bout goin here if that's what you think."

"I don't have much choice. Bling still won't talk and Sebastian hasn't had any luck. I need Logan for this, OC."

"Don't mean I gotta like it, sugah. But I know you well enough to know there ain't no stoppin' you when you got your mind set on somethin'" Cindy walked over and hugged Max.

Max laughed shortly. "Funny, Logan once said almost the identical thing to me."

"Stands to reason, since we two you family. When you leavin'?"

"I was just waitin' until you got back." Max jumped down from her perch and walked over to the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room. She picked up a manila envelope. "If I don't come back or you don't hear from me within 36 hours I want you to get this to this guy. His name's Matt Sung."

Cindy raised her eyebrows as she read the address on the envelope. "A po po?"

"He's ok, OC. He'll make sure the info on the radioactive materiel gets to the right places."

Cindy took the envelope and placed it down. She held out her arms and Max came to her for a hug. "When you find that boy you make sure you take care of the important things too, boo. Not just the save the world crap. And you tell him that Original Cindy ain't beyond givin' him an ass kickin' if she thinks he's not playin' right with her boo."

Max pulled away and smiled at her friend. "Thanks, OC. It'll be good. But now I gotta go find Mr. Eyes Only and get him back to savin' this sorry world."

"You do that, boo…" the door slammed behind Max before Cindy could finish her sentence, "…and make sure you get him back to savin' you as well." She sighed as a realization hit her. "Dayum. I gotta deal with Normal tomorrow when you don't show for work again," she muttered as she headed off to catch a few hours of sleep.

Kent, WA Just after Dawn

Logan came awake with a start. He sat up and blinked several times, reaching up to rub the sleep out of his eyes. The room was dark; only a few faint rays of light seeped under the pulled down blinds that shaded the windows. As he sat there, he became aware that he wasn't alone in the room. He glanced around and then fumbled on the stand next to the bed for his glasses.

"Looking for these?" a familiar voice said and the light came on, blinding him momentarily. Max stood there holding his glasses in one of her hands, but making no move to give them to him.

"M-Max," was all he managed to get out as he blinked in the light.

"You were expecting Santa Claus?" Her voice was tinged with familiar sarcasm as she lounged against the wall closest to the bed. She was dressed in one of her black catsuits and her dark hair flowed in soft waves over her shoulders, partially obscuring her face. A thought of how soft that hair felt in his hands slid through his mind, but he quickly suppressed it before it could lead to other memories of their one night together.

"How did you…?" Logan started to ask.

"Bling didn't tell me, if that's what you're wondering. Although, I was about to kick his ass if he didn't give you up."

"Can I have my glasses?" Logan asked her warily, unsure of her mood.

Max tossed them to him and he caught them neatly, unfolded them, and put them on. As she came into focus, he caught her eyes roaming over his naked torso and he flushed, but he made no move to pull up the sheet, which was draped across his waist. "So what, you came to enjoy the view?" he said somewhat shortly to cover his guilt over his actions in leaving Seattle without talking to her.

"I can see as good or better elsewhere. Anytime I want, as a matter of fact." Max retorted, stung by his words. "Believe it or not, I came for business reasons, not in hot pursuit of your bones. Or have you forgotten that in some ways Eyes Only is Seattle's guardian, so to speak?"

Logan shot her a glare at her reminder to him of the responsibilities he had walked away from in the midst of his personal crisis. "Seattle can't live without me for a couple of days? I find that hard to believe."

"Yeah? Well you better believe it in this case. You think I'd've come traipsing out to cow country over one of your snits otherwise?" Max said glaring back at him. "In case you haven't noticed it's pouring. Got mud and worse all over my baby coming down that thing I suppose you call a road to this place."

Logan sighed. "So why did you come if it wasn't to engage in whatever it is we do?"

"I came because there's some pretty nasty radioactive material loose in Seattle. One guy already died because of it, and if we don't find it, it could get a hell of a lot worse." She hesitated, "I tried but I need your help, Logan. My contacts are coming up empty." Her shoulders slumped and she glanced away from him. "I'm not askin' for anything personal in all this. But you're the one who made me care about what happens to the rest of the world. So do you think you could put aside what you feel for me, and get your ass back to Seattle to do your thing?"

Logan felt even guiltier at her words. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Look. I'm…sorry…I mean…" he floundered.

Max shrugged. "No big deal." Her familiar mask was in place and Logan couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking or feeling. "So can we get out of here? I don't think we have a hell of a lot of time."

Logan hesitated, his hand on the sheet. "Max, do you mind? I mean I'm not…"

"Wearing anything under the sheet? Logan, I've seen it. I am not goin' outside to wait in the rain and I am not goin' to go sit in the parlor of this place like some Sunday visitor while you get dressed. " Max said bluntly.

"Fine, then." Logan bit out the words, and threw back the sheets. He stood from the bed and deliberately brushed against Max as he walked over to the bureau that held the clothing he had brought with him. With his back to her he swiftly dressed, and then tossed the remainder of his clothes haphazardly into his overnight bag. "I'm gonna brush my teeth, if that's ok with you, and leave a note for James. Then we can go." He threw the last over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Max let a look of hurt wash across her face. Her eyes were suspiciously bright but she squared her shoulders and brushed at them with the back of a hand. "Damn you, Logan Cale," she whispered to the closed door.

At the same time, Logan paused in the hallway outside of the room. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "Damn you, Max Guevara." he whispered.

End of Chapter Six