The Story of Max Cale
by pari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Disclaimer and rating in chapter 1.
Chapter 11
"Pull over," she ordered.
Logan hesitated a moment then he answered.
"No way," he said firmly.
"Excuse me?" she demanded. She was furious.
Which was exactly why Logan was not stopping this car. He'd seen her face in the mirror. He knew this
was the woman who'd been following him around Seattle. She wasn't back in Washington with Max. She
was here with him. And she was obviously not pleased to find that he'd met with Lydecker. No doubt, she
was one of the eighteen that Lydecker had mentioned. If she'd been a soldier working for Manticore, both
he and the colonel would probably be dead by now.
But if she'd been following him, spying on him, hadn't she heard the earlier conversation? Didn't she
know she wasn't meeting with Lydecker because of anything dealing with her?
Apparently, not.
And he wasn't stepping out of this car with her until he could explain himself.
"I said no," he told her simply, sounding a lot calmer, he'd admit, then he actually felt.
Syl fumed. The nerve of this guy! What, was he suicidal?
"Well, my gun says different," she told him, poking him through the seat.
But Logan didn't pull over.
"Well?" She poked him again.
He didn't pull over. And Syl was losing patience.
"What's it gonna be? Are you gonna pull over, or am I going to shoot you?" she asked.
Logan thought about it for a moment. Then an idea formed. Now way, he couldn't just…
But what else was he going to do? It was a crazy idea. But no crazier than stopping the car and letting
some super human beat him to death.
"Neither," Logan finally responded.
"Wha…"
Then he hit the accelerator. Hard. He accelerated so fast, Syl, who had not been expecting this, was
thrown around in the back seat.
"What the hell are you doing?" she shrieked.
"Accelerating," he told her simply.
"I know that! Why?"
"Why?" Logan repeated. He looked back at her, pleased to see that her cool had vanished, if just for a
moment, when he took his eyes off the road. Syl liked high speeds. When she was driving. But she
wouldn't trust this nut to drive a tricycle.
"Slow down!" she ordered, but in her anxiety, she forgot to wave her gun at him, or to poke him through
the seat.
'Good.' Logan thought he was developing a bruise from where she'd been jabbing him.
He sped up.
"What the fu…"
Syl watched him, wide-eyed, as Logan calmly explained.
"You see, if I stop this car, you're going to shoot me." Syl was shaking her head, but Logan just laughed at
that. "Oh come on, be honest. You won't listen to me. You'll beat the crap out of me, then shoot me."
Syl didn't say anything to that. It was true.
Then she grabbed the back of the front seats in white-knuckled grips as Logan took a 65-mph turn at about
101.
If Syl had never prayed to the Blue Lady before, she was going to now.
"I figure, if I'm in the car, and *I'm* the one driving, you'll have to listen," Logan continued, swerving
around a car, and barely missing another.
His brow was beginning to sweat. God, he hoped she listened. Otherwise there wouldn't be enough left of
him after the crash to shoot.
"How 'bout I just shoot you anyway?" Syl threatened, but the threat was idle and she knew it. If she shot
him, he'd lose control of the car. There's no way she'd be able to get up there in the front seat, and get his
body out of the way, in time to regain control. They'd crash. And at the speed they were going, if they
crashed, even Syl, being so much more resilient than the average human, wouldn't be able to survive.
Logan's smile told her he knew this.
'Fuck!'
Then she repeated this sentiment aloud.
But finally, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again she made her
promise.
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
"Promise?"
Syl's mouth dropped open. "What the fuck do you mean, do I promise? I just told you I'd listen! NOW
SLOW THE GODDAMNED CAR DOWN!"
Logan immediately took his foot off the gas, and as soon as it was safe, he slammed on the brakes.
Syl flew forward between the seats, and she would have hit the dash if Logan hadn't twisted around,
catching her.
She ended up kind of tangled in his arms.
Logan and Syl stared at each other in alarm. Neither had expected the tiny shock they felt upon making
physical contact. It was thrilling and confusing and damn right intense.
It was desire, Logan suddenly realized.
He barely knew this woman. And he was in love with Max. How could he be having such a reaction to
just having touched her?
He tried to joke to lighten the mood. "I knew you'd see things my way," he told her.
Syl did not find this funny.
Her blank expression suddenly filled with irritation. "Why you sorry son of a …"
Then a sound captured both their attentions.
It was the sound of a police siren.
"Oh, shit!" they exclaimed, simultaneously.
Things had just gotten worse.
by pari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Disclaimer and rating in chapter 1.
Chapter 11
"Pull over," she ordered.
Logan hesitated a moment then he answered.
"No way," he said firmly.
"Excuse me?" she demanded. She was furious.
Which was exactly why Logan was not stopping this car. He'd seen her face in the mirror. He knew this
was the woman who'd been following him around Seattle. She wasn't back in Washington with Max. She
was here with him. And she was obviously not pleased to find that he'd met with Lydecker. No doubt, she
was one of the eighteen that Lydecker had mentioned. If she'd been a soldier working for Manticore, both
he and the colonel would probably be dead by now.
But if she'd been following him, spying on him, hadn't she heard the earlier conversation? Didn't she
know she wasn't meeting with Lydecker because of anything dealing with her?
Apparently, not.
And he wasn't stepping out of this car with her until he could explain himself.
"I said no," he told her simply, sounding a lot calmer, he'd admit, then he actually felt.
Syl fumed. The nerve of this guy! What, was he suicidal?
"Well, my gun says different," she told him, poking him through the seat.
But Logan didn't pull over.
"Well?" She poked him again.
He didn't pull over. And Syl was losing patience.
"What's it gonna be? Are you gonna pull over, or am I going to shoot you?" she asked.
Logan thought about it for a moment. Then an idea formed. Now way, he couldn't just…
But what else was he going to do? It was a crazy idea. But no crazier than stopping the car and letting
some super human beat him to death.
"Neither," Logan finally responded.
"Wha…"
Then he hit the accelerator. Hard. He accelerated so fast, Syl, who had not been expecting this, was
thrown around in the back seat.
"What the hell are you doing?" she shrieked.
"Accelerating," he told her simply.
"I know that! Why?"
"Why?" Logan repeated. He looked back at her, pleased to see that her cool had vanished, if just for a
moment, when he took his eyes off the road. Syl liked high speeds. When she was driving. But she
wouldn't trust this nut to drive a tricycle.
"Slow down!" she ordered, but in her anxiety, she forgot to wave her gun at him, or to poke him through
the seat.
'Good.' Logan thought he was developing a bruise from where she'd been jabbing him.
He sped up.
"What the fu…"
Syl watched him, wide-eyed, as Logan calmly explained.
"You see, if I stop this car, you're going to shoot me." Syl was shaking her head, but Logan just laughed at
that. "Oh come on, be honest. You won't listen to me. You'll beat the crap out of me, then shoot me."
Syl didn't say anything to that. It was true.
Then she grabbed the back of the front seats in white-knuckled grips as Logan took a 65-mph turn at about
101.
If Syl had never prayed to the Blue Lady before, she was going to now.
"I figure, if I'm in the car, and *I'm* the one driving, you'll have to listen," Logan continued, swerving
around a car, and barely missing another.
His brow was beginning to sweat. God, he hoped she listened. Otherwise there wouldn't be enough left of
him after the crash to shoot.
"How 'bout I just shoot you anyway?" Syl threatened, but the threat was idle and she knew it. If she shot
him, he'd lose control of the car. There's no way she'd be able to get up there in the front seat, and get his
body out of the way, in time to regain control. They'd crash. And at the speed they were going, if they
crashed, even Syl, being so much more resilient than the average human, wouldn't be able to survive.
Logan's smile told her he knew this.
'Fuck!'
Then she repeated this sentiment aloud.
But finally, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again she made her
promise.
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
"Promise?"
Syl's mouth dropped open. "What the fuck do you mean, do I promise? I just told you I'd listen! NOW
SLOW THE GODDAMNED CAR DOWN!"
Logan immediately took his foot off the gas, and as soon as it was safe, he slammed on the brakes.
Syl flew forward between the seats, and she would have hit the dash if Logan hadn't twisted around,
catching her.
She ended up kind of tangled in his arms.
Logan and Syl stared at each other in alarm. Neither had expected the tiny shock they felt upon making
physical contact. It was thrilling and confusing and damn right intense.
It was desire, Logan suddenly realized.
He barely knew this woman. And he was in love with Max. How could he be having such a reaction to
just having touched her?
He tried to joke to lighten the mood. "I knew you'd see things my way," he told her.
Syl did not find this funny.
Her blank expression suddenly filled with irritation. "Why you sorry son of a …"
Then a sound captured both their attentions.
It was the sound of a police siren.
"Oh, shit!" they exclaimed, simultaneously.
Things had just gotten worse.