The Story of Max Cale
by pari106
Disclaimer, etc. , in chapter one.
Chapter Sixteen…
They were nearly out of gas before Syl ordered Logan to stop his SUV yet again. They
turned into a gas station and pulled up to a pump just as the little "empty tank" light
started flashing on his console.
From the back seat Syl grinned, a flash of brilliant white teeth transforming her entire
face from predatory to pretty just like that.
"Is that some timing, or what?"
Logan swallowed and frowned simultaneously. 'Oh, yeah, some timing…' Why the hell
would he pick a time like this to be noticing how pretty his would-be-kidnapper could
be? Syl didn't give him time to consider the matter.
"Okay, here's the deal… You're gonna get out and pump us some gas. Nothing more.
Then we're gonna go in and pay, I'm gonna make a phone call…" Syl disarmed her
piece and tucked it into the back of her jeans. She'd had it ready and trained on Logan,
through the back of his seat, ever since they'd left that cop on the side of the road. "Then
we're gonna get back in the car and head out again. And you aren't going to try anything
or you're gonna wish I didn't mind using my gun in public places."
Logan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 'More threats…how unexpected.' Only the
strong suspicion that this woman's bite was every bit as bad, if not worse, than her bark
kept him quiet. Well… Mostly quiet.
"You know, if you'd just let me explain why I was talking with General Lydecker – I
assume that's what's got you so pissed off – none of this would be necessary," he
couldn't resist saying.
Syl's eyes – and her expression – hardened at the mention of Deck, but other than that
she didn't respond for a moment or two.
If this guy was onto her…and Syl was sure he was…and he was working with Lydecker
(as he obviously was) than the whole situation had suddenly gotten too big for just her by
herself. This wasn't just a matter of the large amount of pride Syl had to swallow,
realizing she'd practically walked right into all of this by hanging around Cale's
penthouse…it was a matter of exposure
"I'll be the judge of that, thank you very much."
She had to call Zack.
**** ****
It had gotten dark by the time Max and Zack had finished eating and Zack had checked
the room to make sure they hadn't left any trace of their being there. The entire time Max
wanted to ask what had suddenly turned his mood so dark, but she didn't dare. Just the
look in his eyes was enough to keep her quiet.
Not that Max thought she could make things any worse. Her kidnapper's stormy temper
couldn't be a sign of good things to come. And though he'd told her they were going
back to Seattle, she didn't imagine that they'd be going back so she could go home. Max
was nervous thinking about it. She'd begun to sweat and her palms were clammy. Her
hands…
'Oh, shit!'
Max looked down at her right hand where it lay on her knee, as she sat there on the bed
waiting for Zack to come for her. Her right hand was shaking. And she grabbed it with
her left hand, swearing under her breath.
Great. Just what she needed. Her seizures were coming on again. Max knew the signs.
And trapped with a man she didn't much care to be around, considering the
circumstances, while she was sick, they were very bad signs.
She was still wondering what she would do when Mr. Tall-Dark-&-Deadly showed back
up.
"Alright. Let's move out," he said in a no-nonsense tone, standing in the doorway.
Preoccupied, Max just nodded and followed his lead. Zack grabbed her arm as she
stepped out the door.
"Just take it slow, and don't try anything," he commanded.
If he found her sudden acquiescence disturbing, he didn't show it. Until Max had climbed up into the back
of the van and he was about to close the doors. Because then she stopped him from doing so.
"Wait!"
Zack raised an eyebrow and scowled. "What?"
"Milk," Max said. When she didn't see any understanding lighting in her captor's eyes, she repeated
herself. "Milk. I need a glass of milk."
Zack's voice was incredulous. "*Now?*"
"Yes." Max glanced over at the diner nearby. "We can stop there before we leave."
Zack laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, no. I'm not falling for that."
"Please," Max asked. And something in her voice, and in her eyes, made Zack's amusement fade. She
sounded so serious. And his instincts, for some reason, were telling him to humor her.
"I'm really thirsty," Max tried as an excuse, lamely.
At first she didn't think she would be in luck. Then suddenly Zack swung the van door open a little wider
and pocketed his keys.
"Alright. You can get something to drink. Then we leave."
Max was so relieved she could have hugged him. Almost.
"Thank you," she said sincerely, with a smile, as she climbed down. Then Zack's strong grip was on her
arm once again.
"But I'm coming with," he told her. His tone broached no argument.
"Of course," she simply replied.
**** ****
Max gulped down the milk in her glass almost in one breath. She'd avoided drinking much in front of her
companion so that he wouldn't see how her hands shook as she held the glass. Now she drained it all at
once. For the most part, the shakes were subsiding. And Max knew she had to make her move while she
could, to get away.
She was pretty sure she could make it close to home before a full-blown seizure hit. Well, she was almost
pretty sure. She hadn't had one yet. And she'd just had what could easily be compared to a Grand Mal
while she was at Logan's. She couldn't have another this soon.
Could she?
Either way, she couldn't have one in front of her kidnapper. What if he decided her ransom wasn't worth
the trouble and offed her so he wouldn't have to deal? What if her seizure hit and he thought she was dying
anyhow, so why not help her along and cut his losses? Of course, there was the possibility that he planned
to kill Max anyhow, so none of that really mattered… But just in case…
Zack got back to the table with Max's second glass of milk just as she set down her first.
She really did look pitiful – pale and drawn. So he'd gone to the diner's counter and had gotten her another
glass of milk when she'd asked, keeping an eye on the door and in her general direction at all times. Even
though she'd barely touched the first glass of milk he'd ordered for her.
"You know, for someone claiming to be so thirsty, you sure don't dri…" Zack stopped, mid-sentence.
He looked at the empty glass sitting before his unfortunate captive.
'Okay…'
"Really got a thing for dairy, huh?" he quipped, sliding into the booth, across the table from Max.
"Does a body good, you know," she quipped back, remembering the old phrase.
Zack gave her a lopsided grin. No wonder he'd mistaken her for Syl – lilac or no lilac. She was an
oddball, just like his sister. Perhaps he'd picked up on that when he'd grabbed her from that roof.
'Yeah, or perhaps you're still trying to explain how *you* could have screwed up so royally,' Zack
thought. And he smirked.
But, staring at the woman, across the table staring into her milk, it was hard to hold a smirk. She had
regained a little of her color, but she still looked shaken. And so fragile… 'No wonder…you've probably
scared the hell out of her,' Zack thought. Then he sat up straighter in his seat. Was that his fault? He was
a soldier…not a babysitter. It was her fault, for being up on that roof in the first place. What the hell had
she been thinking? And it was that guy, Logan's, fault, for not keeping a closer eye on his own.
Okay…so it was Zack's fault, too. For not keeping a closer eye on *his* own; on Syl. He swore that, as
soon as he found her, he'd court-martial her for this. Somehow. Which was kinda hard, since the both of
them were AWOL. But he could send her somewhere nice and cold, at least. Or someplace nice and quiet.
Zack wanted to smile, picturing Syl's face if he were to tell her she'd be relocated to Homish country. It
was an amusing thought.
Which was why Zack was caught so much by surprise when Max spoke to him again. That… And the fact
of what she said.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"My name?" He looked at the woman as if she were crazy.
"Yeah, you know, your name…your designation. The one your parents gave you," Max replied crossly. Ill
health made her a little bolder than she'd been previously. And she didn't notice the way Zack's gaze
sharpened at the word "designation" before he brushed a feeling of unwarranted suspicion away.
"I don't have parents," he replied simply, instead.
Max watched Zack's face as she spoke... "So you're an orphan?"
…or, to be more exact, Max watched Zack's face as *he* squirmed.
So they were swapping stories about their families, now? Yeah…that's something he wanted to do.
"Why are you asking me this?" he asked her.
Max shrugged. "Just trying to find out more about you. Seems only fair. You kidnapped me, so you must
know everything about me. You know, from recon. Don't you people do that sort of thing?"
Zack had to raise an eyebrow at that. "You people"? But he also had to grumble a little bit. Yeah, "his
people" did do that sort of thing. Usually. Usually his kind of people had to know all there was to know
about a situation before doing something risky. Like kidnapping some wealthy punk's girlfriend. Yet
another reminder of Zack's unusual mistake.
But Zack chose to ignore that issue, and instead took the opportunity to remind Max, yet again, that he did
*not*, in fact, kidnap her. Or at least he hadn't planned to. But he didn't tell her that.
He was surprised to see, at his response, tears gather in Max's eyes.
It was just that it was so absurd. Max found it all so absurd. Everything was spinning out of control, with
her seizures threatening to start up again… And here her kidnapper was, telling her he hadn't kidnapped
her after all. So what was this…a road trip? Max could laugh, but she didn't find the situation particularly
funny, so she found herself wanting to cry instead.
"Are you okay?" Zack asked, quickly. Max nodded a little too quickly, as well.
"I just…I…" Then she stood up, so fast the table shook. "I have to go to the bathroom," she announced.
She started a beeline for the back of the diner, where the restrooms were located.
"Wait."
Zack followed Max back to the single women's restroom, pushing the small bathroom door open and
peaking inside. No window. Good. He just had to make sure, to be safe. Then he stepped back, letting
her through and pretending he didn't feel like a total ass for having to second guess her like this, while she
was standing there avoiding his gaze and looking miserable.
"Be fast," Zack told her, even so, though Max wouldn't realize that the harshness in his voice was directed
towards himself and not her.
Max nodded and went in, locking the door behind her.
Zack went back to the table, to keep an eye on the restroom door from there, where he wouldn't look
conspicuous.
And he had no idea that, nearly twenty minutes later, when he would finally be forced to kick that door
down, Max would be gone.
by pari106
Disclaimer, etc. , in chapter one.
Chapter Sixteen…
They were nearly out of gas before Syl ordered Logan to stop his SUV yet again. They
turned into a gas station and pulled up to a pump just as the little "empty tank" light
started flashing on his console.
From the back seat Syl grinned, a flash of brilliant white teeth transforming her entire
face from predatory to pretty just like that.
"Is that some timing, or what?"
Logan swallowed and frowned simultaneously. 'Oh, yeah, some timing…' Why the hell
would he pick a time like this to be noticing how pretty his would-be-kidnapper could
be? Syl didn't give him time to consider the matter.
"Okay, here's the deal… You're gonna get out and pump us some gas. Nothing more.
Then we're gonna go in and pay, I'm gonna make a phone call…" Syl disarmed her
piece and tucked it into the back of her jeans. She'd had it ready and trained on Logan,
through the back of his seat, ever since they'd left that cop on the side of the road. "Then
we're gonna get back in the car and head out again. And you aren't going to try anything
or you're gonna wish I didn't mind using my gun in public places."
Logan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 'More threats…how unexpected.' Only the
strong suspicion that this woman's bite was every bit as bad, if not worse, than her bark
kept him quiet. Well… Mostly quiet.
"You know, if you'd just let me explain why I was talking with General Lydecker – I
assume that's what's got you so pissed off – none of this would be necessary," he
couldn't resist saying.
Syl's eyes – and her expression – hardened at the mention of Deck, but other than that
she didn't respond for a moment or two.
If this guy was onto her…and Syl was sure he was…and he was working with Lydecker
(as he obviously was) than the whole situation had suddenly gotten too big for just her by
herself. This wasn't just a matter of the large amount of pride Syl had to swallow,
realizing she'd practically walked right into all of this by hanging around Cale's
penthouse…it was a matter of exposure
"I'll be the judge of that, thank you very much."
She had to call Zack.
**** ****
It had gotten dark by the time Max and Zack had finished eating and Zack had checked
the room to make sure they hadn't left any trace of their being there. The entire time Max
wanted to ask what had suddenly turned his mood so dark, but she didn't dare. Just the
look in his eyes was enough to keep her quiet.
Not that Max thought she could make things any worse. Her kidnapper's stormy temper
couldn't be a sign of good things to come. And though he'd told her they were going
back to Seattle, she didn't imagine that they'd be going back so she could go home. Max
was nervous thinking about it. She'd begun to sweat and her palms were clammy. Her
hands…
'Oh, shit!'
Max looked down at her right hand where it lay on her knee, as she sat there on the bed
waiting for Zack to come for her. Her right hand was shaking. And she grabbed it with
her left hand, swearing under her breath.
Great. Just what she needed. Her seizures were coming on again. Max knew the signs.
And trapped with a man she didn't much care to be around, considering the
circumstances, while she was sick, they were very bad signs.
She was still wondering what she would do when Mr. Tall-Dark-&-Deadly showed back
up.
"Alright. Let's move out," he said in a no-nonsense tone, standing in the doorway.
Preoccupied, Max just nodded and followed his lead. Zack grabbed her arm as she
stepped out the door.
"Just take it slow, and don't try anything," he commanded.
If he found her sudden acquiescence disturbing, he didn't show it. Until Max had climbed up into the back
of the van and he was about to close the doors. Because then she stopped him from doing so.
"Wait!"
Zack raised an eyebrow and scowled. "What?"
"Milk," Max said. When she didn't see any understanding lighting in her captor's eyes, she repeated
herself. "Milk. I need a glass of milk."
Zack's voice was incredulous. "*Now?*"
"Yes." Max glanced over at the diner nearby. "We can stop there before we leave."
Zack laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, no. I'm not falling for that."
"Please," Max asked. And something in her voice, and in her eyes, made Zack's amusement fade. She
sounded so serious. And his instincts, for some reason, were telling him to humor her.
"I'm really thirsty," Max tried as an excuse, lamely.
At first she didn't think she would be in luck. Then suddenly Zack swung the van door open a little wider
and pocketed his keys.
"Alright. You can get something to drink. Then we leave."
Max was so relieved she could have hugged him. Almost.
"Thank you," she said sincerely, with a smile, as she climbed down. Then Zack's strong grip was on her
arm once again.
"But I'm coming with," he told her. His tone broached no argument.
"Of course," she simply replied.
**** ****
Max gulped down the milk in her glass almost in one breath. She'd avoided drinking much in front of her
companion so that he wouldn't see how her hands shook as she held the glass. Now she drained it all at
once. For the most part, the shakes were subsiding. And Max knew she had to make her move while she
could, to get away.
She was pretty sure she could make it close to home before a full-blown seizure hit. Well, she was almost
pretty sure. She hadn't had one yet. And she'd just had what could easily be compared to a Grand Mal
while she was at Logan's. She couldn't have another this soon.
Could she?
Either way, she couldn't have one in front of her kidnapper. What if he decided her ransom wasn't worth
the trouble and offed her so he wouldn't have to deal? What if her seizure hit and he thought she was dying
anyhow, so why not help her along and cut his losses? Of course, there was the possibility that he planned
to kill Max anyhow, so none of that really mattered… But just in case…
Zack got back to the table with Max's second glass of milk just as she set down her first.
She really did look pitiful – pale and drawn. So he'd gone to the diner's counter and had gotten her another
glass of milk when she'd asked, keeping an eye on the door and in her general direction at all times. Even
though she'd barely touched the first glass of milk he'd ordered for her.
"You know, for someone claiming to be so thirsty, you sure don't dri…" Zack stopped, mid-sentence.
He looked at the empty glass sitting before his unfortunate captive.
'Okay…'
"Really got a thing for dairy, huh?" he quipped, sliding into the booth, across the table from Max.
"Does a body good, you know," she quipped back, remembering the old phrase.
Zack gave her a lopsided grin. No wonder he'd mistaken her for Syl – lilac or no lilac. She was an
oddball, just like his sister. Perhaps he'd picked up on that when he'd grabbed her from that roof.
'Yeah, or perhaps you're still trying to explain how *you* could have screwed up so royally,' Zack
thought. And he smirked.
But, staring at the woman, across the table staring into her milk, it was hard to hold a smirk. She had
regained a little of her color, but she still looked shaken. And so fragile… 'No wonder…you've probably
scared the hell out of her,' Zack thought. Then he sat up straighter in his seat. Was that his fault? He was
a soldier…not a babysitter. It was her fault, for being up on that roof in the first place. What the hell had
she been thinking? And it was that guy, Logan's, fault, for not keeping a closer eye on his own.
Okay…so it was Zack's fault, too. For not keeping a closer eye on *his* own; on Syl. He swore that, as
soon as he found her, he'd court-martial her for this. Somehow. Which was kinda hard, since the both of
them were AWOL. But he could send her somewhere nice and cold, at least. Or someplace nice and quiet.
Zack wanted to smile, picturing Syl's face if he were to tell her she'd be relocated to Homish country. It
was an amusing thought.
Which was why Zack was caught so much by surprise when Max spoke to him again. That… And the fact
of what she said.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"My name?" He looked at the woman as if she were crazy.
"Yeah, you know, your name…your designation. The one your parents gave you," Max replied crossly. Ill
health made her a little bolder than she'd been previously. And she didn't notice the way Zack's gaze
sharpened at the word "designation" before he brushed a feeling of unwarranted suspicion away.
"I don't have parents," he replied simply, instead.
Max watched Zack's face as she spoke... "So you're an orphan?"
…or, to be more exact, Max watched Zack's face as *he* squirmed.
So they were swapping stories about their families, now? Yeah…that's something he wanted to do.
"Why are you asking me this?" he asked her.
Max shrugged. "Just trying to find out more about you. Seems only fair. You kidnapped me, so you must
know everything about me. You know, from recon. Don't you people do that sort of thing?"
Zack had to raise an eyebrow at that. "You people"? But he also had to grumble a little bit. Yeah, "his
people" did do that sort of thing. Usually. Usually his kind of people had to know all there was to know
about a situation before doing something risky. Like kidnapping some wealthy punk's girlfriend. Yet
another reminder of Zack's unusual mistake.
But Zack chose to ignore that issue, and instead took the opportunity to remind Max, yet again, that he did
*not*, in fact, kidnap her. Or at least he hadn't planned to. But he didn't tell her that.
He was surprised to see, at his response, tears gather in Max's eyes.
It was just that it was so absurd. Max found it all so absurd. Everything was spinning out of control, with
her seizures threatening to start up again… And here her kidnapper was, telling her he hadn't kidnapped
her after all. So what was this…a road trip? Max could laugh, but she didn't find the situation particularly
funny, so she found herself wanting to cry instead.
"Are you okay?" Zack asked, quickly. Max nodded a little too quickly, as well.
"I just…I…" Then she stood up, so fast the table shook. "I have to go to the bathroom," she announced.
She started a beeline for the back of the diner, where the restrooms were located.
"Wait."
Zack followed Max back to the single women's restroom, pushing the small bathroom door open and
peaking inside. No window. Good. He just had to make sure, to be safe. Then he stepped back, letting
her through and pretending he didn't feel like a total ass for having to second guess her like this, while she
was standing there avoiding his gaze and looking miserable.
"Be fast," Zack told her, even so, though Max wouldn't realize that the harshness in his voice was directed
towards himself and not her.
Max nodded and went in, locking the door behind her.
Zack went back to the table, to keep an eye on the restroom door from there, where he wouldn't look
conspicuous.
And he had no idea that, nearly twenty minutes later, when he would finally be forced to kick that door
down, Max would be gone.