...

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her long blonde hair framed a soft face, and her eyes were an amazing combination of gray, green, and blue. Since she was from the city, he had expected her to be more sophisticated, more arrogant. But instead...it was just her. Janie. He felt like he knew her somehow. And it was possible, wasn't it? He still didn't remember anything before the accident, and his memories hadn't exactly been forthcoming.

...

'Adam' looked up as she re-entered the kitchen. She was still a little out of it, and it must have shown on her face, because he said with a smile, "Feeling a little overwhelmed?"

She returned his smile hesitantly and answered, "Just a little. Wide open spaces are not my thing." She sat down across from him, but didn't say anything else. Honestly, she couldn't think of anything else to say. So there was more uncomfortable silence. Then Mary returned, still as lively as before.

"Dearie," she chirped, "would you like something to eat?"

Jondy blinked. Too many cheerful people in too short a time. She was getting a headache. She played the woman's words over and over in her head until they made sense.

"I would...love something...to eat."

Was that the right response? She assumed it was, because the woman beamed even more. "Well then, what would you like?"

"Anything would be great. I'm not picky." And she wasn't, either. She could remember a few times when she couldn't even identify what she was eating.

Whatever it was Mary put it front of her, she ate every bit of it and then some. Mary looked mildly surprised by her appetite as she put a second helping down in front of her. "Dear me, when was the last time you ate?"

Jondy thought about it. "Lunch yesterday. I was sort of in a hurry to get out of Seattle," she explained between bites. She left out the fact that the 'meal' had been a few slices of pizza that had tasted like cardboard anyway. She was willing to bet the box would have tasted better. She had almost eaten it, too, before she realized what she was doing.

Mary seemed shocked. "Goodness! No wonder you're so hungry. You must be starving!"

Jondy shook her head. "Nah, I can hold out for two weeks before I'm really starving." She looked up, caught their confused looks, and went back to the food.

Eating's safe, talking isn't. So shut up, Jondy.

When she finished, she stood up and carried her dishes over to the sink. She had been so used to cleaning up after herself, it had become automatic. She didn't even realize what she was doing until Mary said kindly, "You don't have to do that, dear."

Startled, Jondy stammered, "Oh, I, um...it's okay. I don't mind."

Once she had dried the dishes and laid them on the sideboard, she asked, "Do cellphones work out here?" She was only being partly sarcastic.

'Adam' and Mary exchanged looks. "Well, I don't rightly know," Mary said at last. "I've never tried it."

Of course she hadn't. This was the middle of nowhere, after all.

"Oh, okay. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to make a call."

Mary nodded. "Go right ahead."

Jondy stepped outside and kept walking until she was out of earshot. Then she whipped out her cellphone and dialed Logan's number. Call it a hunch, but she thought he might have some idea about what was going on. She would have called Max, but she spent most of her time at Logan's anyway.

There was static galore, but at least it was better than nothing.

"Hello?"

"Logan, it's Jondy."

"Hey, what's up?" She could hear him typing madly at his keyboard.

"I'm in Oregon, out in the middle of nowhere." The typing stopped. "And do you know who else is here?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Zack," he said with a sigh.

"You know about this?" She didn't even try to hide the accusation in her voice.

Another sigh. "It's a long story." Then he realized something. "Wait, why'd you leave Seattle?"

This time it was Jondy who sighed. They were doing a lot of sighing. "It's a long story. There was a little trouble with the authorities."

"What kind of trouble?"

"No," Jondy said firmly. "I'm not answering any of your questions until you answer mine. What is he doing down here dressed like John Wayne? And why doesn't he recognize me?"

Logan relented, albeit reluctantly. "A while ago, when you were in Canada, he got captured and taken back to Manticore."

"Again? Damn, he's really gotta stop doing that," Jondy remarked, more to herself than to him.

"He was used as an organ donor for other transgenics. They kept him alive by replacing his organs with biosynthetic ones. Then, somehow, he got out. Probably when the facility in Wyoming burnt to the ground. But he suffered severe memory loss from a shot to the head. As far as I know, he doesn't remember anything since it happened."

"Nothing? Not me, not Manticore...nothing?"

"Nothing," Logan confirmed. "But the doctor says he might recover some things."

"That still doesn't explain what he's doing here."

"It's for his own safety."

"How do you figure?"

"When he was here, after what happened, he tried to kill me. Then his memory was wiped clean again, and we decided it would be best for him to have a normal life, or at least some semblance of it." She noticed he didn't mention how his memory had been "wiped clean" a second time.

"Sounds like you were more worried for your safety than his," she remarked dispassionately.

"And who's 'we'?"

"Max and I."

"Really..." Jondy was careful to keep her anger in check. "Is she there?"

"Yeah. Hold on a sec."

She heard the phone being passed, then Max's voice. "Hello?"

"What the fuck were you thinking, Maxie?"

"What? What are you talking about, Jondy?"

"Zack, that's what. He can't even remember his own name, and he's stuck with a bunch of people who don't know shit about self-protection if White decides to come after him."

She heard her sister swear under her breath. "Did he recognize you?"

"No. Not yet." Suddenly she exploded. "Jesus Christ, Max! How can you just play God like that?"

"It wasn't easy," her sister said softly.

"Look, if you're expecting any sympathy from me, forget it. You had no right to do what you did."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? 'Sorry' won't bring back his memory." Jondy shook her head in disgust. "Give the phone back to Logan. I have to talk to him." She waited a few seconds. "Logan?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Do Buddy and Mary know the truth about him?"

"They know he needs to be protected."

"Do they know how to do it?" Silence. "I didn't think so."

"Do they know who you are?" Logan asked finally.

"No. They think I'm just a girl from the city whose bike broke down out in the middle of nowhere."

"Keep it that way."

"Don't even think about ordering me around, Logan--"

"If Zack finds out who you are, it might trigger more memories than he can handle. Or than you can handle, for that matter."

"What, you don't think he'll figure out he's different once he realizes he can see in the dark and hear a hundred times better and move a hundred times faster than the norms can?" She exhaled impatiently. "I have to stay here overnight, anyway. My motorcycle needs a new carburetor, and I have to get that in town."

"Fine. But don't say anything."

"Logan, he needs someone to look out for him. If White finds him, and he will, they'll all die," Jondy said urgently. Why the hell couldn't he understand? He didn't help Zack, he endangered him. Fuck.

"I'll think about it."

"Yeah, you do that," she snapped bitterly. "You've done a bang-up job so far." She hung up.

...