I've Got You'R' Back

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

A/N: Thanks again to Kasman for the beta, and for the suggestion for the gift. Thanks to those who have read this so far and to those who have reviewed, they do help.

Chapter 12 Gifts

Command Center, Terminal City:

Logan is pacing at the back of the Command Center, near the pipes.

Why is Max not answering? Why haven't they called? How could I have missed that invoice? After I promised that I'd never let that happen again – arrogance, Cale. The bad guys screw up but you think you won't...where the hell is Max? I just hope she got the disks...more importantly, is she safe? I don't want to be calling Bling after telling him that it's Max's plan after he gets her away. But I just might have to...I need to know.

Turning once again to pace in the other direction, Logan looks up and sees a sign taped between two of the pipes, 'Commander's Office - Knock and Enter.' A smile replaces the worry on his face for a moment. He looks around the room but all the transgenics are studiously looking away. Max is gonna love this.

As he taps his cell phone against his lips, he sees Original Cindy walk through the door, and after a quick glance around the room, head towards him.

"Hey, Logan, you seen my boo?"

"She's out." Logan looks away, trying to avoid Original Cindy's gaze.

"When you say out..." noticing that Logan is not looking at her she steps into his view again, "You mean out of Terminal City? My home girl bailed? I don't believe it!" She says misreading Logan's distracted expression.

A look of surprise crosses Logan's face. No she wouldn't, but she nearly did once...

»»»»»»

Flashback Abandoned Building Corner of Parish and Beechwood:

Max is tied to a pillar, while her clone sister, X5-453 lights a cigarette. Logan is hiding behind another pillar on a floor above listening.

"I'm going to tell Mom and Dad," Max says, looking over at her clone.

"Tell 'em I quit 'til yesterday," Looking at Max's bag and giving it a kick. "So. Looks like I interrupted a little vacation. Or were you skipping town?"

"Something like that." Max replies with a touch of sadness.

"Same old 452."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Walking behind Max, "It's what you do, isn't it? Run away? Like when it got too rough for you back at Manticore. Bet you never once stopped to think about what they'd do to the rest of us; 453 says, her anger mixed with the pain of what was done to those left behind.

»»»»»»

She was ready to run earlier tonight when she saw the National Guard. What she said, "Look, Logan, I didn't ask for this." I let her go. No, she didn't run, I won't believe it. But where are you, Max? God, was this a trap set up by White? And I let you walk into it. Bling would've called if something had gone sideways ...that's if White didn't get him too. Logan continues to stare unseeing at OC.

"Logan, Logan, you with me?"

"Huh-huh...no, she's on a job," he replies, his thoughts and worries still on Max, and now the added worry that he got his friend mixed up with this.

"You still playing crusader in here, with my boo taking the risks? Logan Cale, you know they're out there just waiting to get their hands on her and you send her on one of your little quests...I should smack you down right now, but that won't bring my home girl back." Anger colored every one of Original Cindy's words.

As Original Cindy's voice rises the others in the command center start to look towards them. Logan seems to wake from a dream.

"Come, with me, now!" Logan commands in a voice only a very few have heard, and starts walking towards the door.

Original Cindy looks at him in surprise. This is not a Logan she'd seen. Reaching the door Logan looks back at her with an icy coldness. With an unsure look, she follows him.

--- --- --- --- --- ---

Outside the Command Center:

Logan turns to Original Cindy and gestures for her to walk with him towards The Atrium where a few bare light bulbs have been strung between old lampposts.

"She's outside getting information on how they're able to track transgenics...nobody else in here knows she's gone."

"You, knew the risks and you let her go? Why didn't you stop her?" noticing a slight slump to Logan's shoulders, "You tried...yeah, she'll do what she wants - it's either get out of the way, or get on board." Still looking at Logan, she sees that her little joke has had no effect, and finally notices the worry etched into his face. "Something happen, Logan?" real worry now tainting Original Cindy's voice and the tendrils of fear start to creep into her heart.

Sighing, Logan stops and looks off into the distance, "I missed something...I tried covering her back. Even had somebody there to meet her if she made it, but she hasn't called. Neither has my contact...so I don't know."

"Well, if something happened, you'd have found it on your computers, and anyway, it would've made the news if they'd captured her...Right?" Original asks, trying to quell her rising fear.

Glancing away from Logan, she almost misses the very slight shake of his head.

"What is it? Talk to me or I'll put the smack down on you." In her agitation she begins to lift her hand. Realizing what she is doing, she quickly lowers it.

Seeing Original Cindy's action in the corner of his eye. Logan looks her squarely in the face. "It's possible White set a trap. He must have guessed we'd go after the backups once we'd figured they'd found some way to track transgenics."

"So if something happened, we'd never hear about it...What're we gonna do?"

"I've tried calling Max, but she doesn't answer, I was about to call my contact when you came in—"

"So why don't you al'...oh, no news is better than bad news," Original Cindy says looking out into the dark.

Unseen in the dark, Alec stands watching and listening intently to the conversation as it takes place.

You better not have bailed or got yourself caught, Max. You've too many people around who'd give their lives for you. Moving further into the gloom and out of the hearing of the two silent figures standing side by side. Alec waits and watches.

--- --- --- --- --- ---

Melbourne Avenue:

An early model Beamer in remarkably good condition for its age and the state of the economy, is parked outside a rather seedy shop. There is a display in the windows of various items from the pre-pulse era and old clothing, along with several flyers protesting police brutality and a more recent one saying 'Transgenics Have Souls Too.' Sitting in the car is a tall, handsome, black man who is looking at a petite, dark haired, young woman on the sidewalk in front of the shop. She pauses to look at the poster about transgenics.

Max looks back at Bling and points to the poster. She smiles giving a thumbs up signal. Bling nods and then gestures for her to try the door of the shop, where a light is shining.

So Eyes Only is still stirring up civic consciousness. It's kinda ironic that I should be coming to see another champion of the downtrodden for help. Max tries the handle of the door, which turns, and pushes the door open ringing a small bell.

Walking in, she notices the crowded shelves holding pre-pulse memorabilia, Logan would love this place, she thinks as she picks up a few items to examine and then replaces them, carefully trying to avoid knocking anything over. Must bring him here some time.

"What's a girl need to do around here to get some service?" she calls out when no one appears.

"With you in a minute." Out of the doorway steps a large man dressed in a smoking jacket from some bygone era, and perched incongruously at an angle on his head a battered and now faded black Jam Pony messenger hat. At the sight of the black clad young woman standing in front of him, the man does a double take.

"Max? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Break. See you're still stayin' strong in the struggle."

"Yeah, well, now that I know someone it affects it's become personal." Cocking his head to one side he looks at Max from head to toe. "I can guess it's not milk you'll be needing now?" he says with a smile.

Smiling back Max, walks forward and straightens the hat. "See you still representin'."

"Well, my home girl did give me this to remember her...thought you were holed up in that toxic waste dump?"

"Right...had something to do, and as you can see, I need a change of clothes, also for some friends...I can pay."

"Choose what you need, you can pay later...It's not everyday a famous fugitive walks through my door especially, at this hour."

As Max walks over to the clothes racks she glances back at Break who is standing watching her, "So how come you're open at this hour?"

"Apart from my cannibalistic tendencies? Well, I'm an insomniac."

"Know the feeling," Max replies with a chuckle.

Turning her attention to the clothes in front of her, she quickly chooses a couple of pairs of jeans for herself and a couple that look close to OC's size, plus a few T-shirts with motifs of some long forgotten pop singers wearing school uniforms. Not my style but there's nothing else here that will fit. Finally, she selects a heavy black sweater and jacket. Walking over to where the men's clothes are hung, she looks at what is on display with a critical eye.

After nearly two years around Logan, I still don't know what size he wears, what he likes sure...bet he knows my size but I don't even know his shoe size – that says a lot about our relationship.

Seeing Max hesitate Break walks over, "So you have anything special in mind?" He asks with a smile on his lips.

"Oh, nothing special," Max answers as she moves shirts and pants about on the rack as if looking at nothing in particular.

Break quickly grabs a couple of shirts and pants of the rack and holds them up for Max to look at, "These should fit your boyfriend."

Looking sharply at Break "He's not my boyfriend," Max replies in resignation.

Looking closely at Max and then smiling, "Could've fooled me after that stunt on TV. Even heard him shout your name."

"We're...partners." Max says with a sadly faint smile at her double innuendo. One day maybe we will, if we can beat all our other problems – at least I can hope...right, and I'll be a normal girl.

"Right...partners," Break says in an unbelieving tone. He removes a windcheater jacket and folds the bundle together, then walks over to a shelf, where he pulls out a sports bag and puts the clothes he's holding into it. Turning to Max, he offers her to put her choices in.

Hesitating, Max, finally shrugs her shoulders. She grabs a plastic bag lying empty on another shelf and puts the clothes she's holding into the bag, and then into the sports bag, drawing a curious look from Break, which she ignores.

"How much do I owe you?"

"Max, you owe me nothing. By just staying alive and continuing to fight the power, that's payment for all of us out here."

»»»»»

Flashback Logan's Apartment:

Max has just looked in the box Logan has given her, and refused his gift, when he asks her to do him a favor. His asking her to do the legwork for him causes Max to pause.

"He's made a fortune...as an accessory to murder."

"Okay, so the guy's a beast. Doesn't mean I gotta get involved."

Looking at Max, "You are involved. By being alive, you're involved," Logan states with emphasis.

"I got my own problems."

"Look...maybe we got screwed out of living in a time when we could hang out for the afternoon in a café someplace wearing $2,000 wristwatches, planning our next vacation, but the world got a whole lot meaner all of a sudden. It wasn't supposed to...but it did. So now it's back to the law of the jungle, and there are predators and victims." His gaze only flickering away for a brief instant from her, as Max tries to avoid the intensity of his stare and what he is saying.

"And you still think you can do something to change that?"

"With your help," he replies his gaze fixed on her.

»»»»»

God, Logan, I thought I didn't care, but you made me - care for you, care for others beyond my family. The look when you said those things you believed. Well, we may not have expensive watches, we're certainly not planning our next vacation and we're still fighting the predators, but together we're going to make a change. Suddenly smiling. What you did with the statue. I still wonder if you were trying to bribe me or did you really mean it as a gift. I could've gotten some good money for it...again. I really wanted to keep it though.

"I owe you, Break, Thanks again for helping a girl in need."

"Anytime, Max, I hope things work out. There are a few of us out here rooting for you."

With a smile in gratitude and a wave in farewell, Max heads for the door. Glancing over at a shelf containing pre-pulse DVDs of television shows, she stops, her deep brown eyes suddenly alight. Going over, she removes a boxed set still in its cellophane wrapper. "How much are these, Break? These I pay for," her tone brooking no argument.

"Original set DVD's never played, normally go for, two hundred. Those have been sitting there for awhile. There aren't many people around who remember it," looking quizzically at Max, "You're a bit young to know that show?"

"They're for a friend, he's into this sort of thing. Mentioned it once and said these were hard to come by."

"Well for you seventy-five, And for your special friend enjoyment," Break says with a loud chuckle.

Without answering Max takes out the money Bling had given her and counts out the amount and gives it to Break.

"I better get going, I've somebody waiting for me, and with a wave, Max heads out to the car and the waiting Bling.

Yep, Logan's waiting. I want things to work out too. Have I got a surprise for him.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Terminal City, the Atrium:

Pulling out his cell phone, Alec is about to hit the speed dial button with Max's number, when on the other side of Atrium Logan's phone rings.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Melbourne Avenue:

"Hey, Bling you awake? Let's go. Sorry, for keeping you from cuddling up somewhere. I gotta get back to Terminal City for a breakfast date," Max says, jumping into the car with a display of happiness.

Looking surprised at Max's good humor, Bling smiles and starts the car, "You were having quite a conversation in there. You know the guy?"

"Yeah we were in the same cell once, he helped me out."

"Hmm...Langford, Logan was real worried then—"

"Yeah, better call him." Max interrupts Bling and pulling out her cell phone and hitting the speed dial. All she gets is silence and a blank display. Dam'it with all that's been going on forgot to charge the thing. He was worried about me back then...why did we both waste so much time.

Looking over at Bling sheepishly, "Can I borrow your phone? Seems the genetically engineered soldier forgot to charge hers."

Wisely not answering, Bling hands over his cell phone to Max.

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

The Atrium:

Startled by the ringing of Logan's phone, Original Cindy jumps slightly. It brings a small smile to Logan's lips which he straightens when Original Cindy glances at him to see if he noticed. Looking at the number displayed, he presses the answer button.

"Hi, Bling, is Max okay?"

"Hey; you. Nice to know you've got your priorities straight," Max answers with a little laugh.

"Max?" Logan asks, his voice containing both surprise and a great deal of relief.

"That my home girl?" And snatching the phone from Logan, "Hey, boo, what you mean by scaring me and your boy here half to death with worry that White had got you?" Original Cindy asks in exasperation.

"White? What's White got to do with me not calling?"

Noticing Logan's irritated look, "Hold on boo, I'll give you back to Logan. He can explain."

"Max, did you get the disks?" Logan asks shooting Original Cindy a look of annoyance. She ignores his look by looking at her fingernails.

There is a short silence on the other end, a sigh, and then a chuckle, "Yeah, got the disks, no problemo. Getting out, now that was another thing. What's this about White?"

For a moment there is silence, "I missed an invoice for repairs to the file room door...Can we talk about this when you get back?" Logan's says in his most neutral voice.

"Right...I'll see you in thirty...barring any more delays," Max adds with a chuckle. So that's what the alarm thing was about, and Bling showing up. He thought White had set a trap.

"Delays, what happened?" Logan asks worry starting to creep into his voice.

"Let's just say Original Cindy will soon be out of the black hat business."

"Max you didn't...you didn't steal some clothes." His voice betraying suspicion mixed with resignation

"Logan, I'm shocked you'd think I would do such a thing," Max says with a mock sense of hurt feelings.

"Ah, I meant borrowed," he replies laughing.

"No, actually they're a gift from a friend and admirer...got to sign off. We've reached the drop off. I'll see you when I get back."

With a note of curiosity in his voice "Hey, Max, how is it you're using Bling's phone?" Logan asks.

"Sorry receptions bad...talk to you when I get back. See ya."

"See ya," Logan adds quickly. "Max, be careful."

There is no answer, but the line remains open for a moment before cutting off.

Bet you forgot to charge your phone...both of us screwed up tonight. Glad you're safe, Max. An admirer? Why does that not surprise me? Thanks, Bling, I owe you again.

Turning to Original Cindy, Logan gestures that they should head back towards the Command Center. "We'd better head back and make sure Max has a clear run in." There is no inflection in his voice.

Looking at Logan, Original Cindy nods. "I'm sorry about earlier, you still care...she only did what she did because she cares".

Logan looks at her curiously. What did Max do because she cares? He's about to ask when he sees Alec step out of the dark.

"Hey, Logan, OC, you seen Sketchy? I got hold of some beer and was wondering if he'd like to join me. Would've asked Max, but she seems to be real busy tonight," he says with a slight smile on his face.

Original Cindy doesn't notice the sudden tensing of Logan's body, but Alec's overly casual attitude grabs her attention. What are you up to Alec?

"No, and some of us still have work to do," Logan says dryly, controlling himself with effort. He nods to Original Cindy and walks off towards the Command Center.

"Well, looks like just me and you, OC, but I'll have to pass, just remembered something I gotta do. You'll find 'em in the fridge back of the Rec. Center, here's the key, leave a couple for me." Handing her the key, Alec walks off into the dark, humming some catchy tune, leaving Original Cindy standing with a bemused look on her face and wondering what had just taken place.

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TBC