Chapter 4: Gatecrasher

Early next morning, Max and Alec had trekked into town leaving professor Dave to work on his miracle cure. There was a light drizzle and the air felt thick but refreshing. It had taken them no more than ten minutes to reach the sleepy heart of the town, the place deserted. Max wasn't that surprised; it wasn't like there was much for them to go out for.

Mainly just a circular puddle of mud surrounded with old run down houses, Max's now former home was far from impressive. There was a corner shop situated at the east side of town. It soled produce that mainly came from the surrounding farms, but every month a shipment of goods came in from the nearest Canadian cities. The only other point of interest was the local bar called the Watering Hole; this was of course where Max had worked for the past few months. It was also their next point of call. They had formulated a plan earlier in the morning: Max would go in and hand in her notice, they would then return to her house and use the cure Dave was currently working on. Then after burning down her house, it would be a long trip back home to Seattle, back into the waiting arms of Logan…for Max anyway.

It was certainly a hole, Max thought as she stepped inside the small bar. The centre point was a makeshift wooden bar counter surrounded in a semi-circle by battered stools. Each one of them looked ready to buckle under the slightest pressure. The counter itself was covered in various beer pumps but each one sold the same cheap brand of beer. There were shelves behind the counter decorated like a Christmas tree with various brightly coloured spirits. A scattering of dusty tables filled the rest of the sparse floor space. At each table there were a couple of padded chairs, an ashtray and a few beer mats. Very little work had gone into decorating the pine walls. There was one feeble attempt, consisting of a pair of deer antlers with old west style lamps either side of it. This was the only light source in the place as there were no windows except for the one in the front door. It made for very unpleasant evenings for Max, working in a gloomy smoky room, while lecherous men drooled over her every time she passed their table. God how happy she felt knowing that she would never have to do it again.

As Max slid up on one of the waiting stools she could hear Alec muttering as he knelt examining his boots. "Goddamn shit on my shoes two days in a row", had been all she could make out. Laughing to herself, she proceeded on with the mission objective.

"Yo Sam, are you in", she called causing Alec to jump, banging his head off the counter.

"Ow! Jesus Max, a little warning would have been nice", he cried rubbing his head. Max looked at him and grinned, feeling rather pleased with herself. Alec was wearing the same outfit he had on yesterday. Probably travelling light she thought, result of Manticore training no doubt.

Max had chosen to dress herself according to her new cheery mood, going with figure hugging blue jeans and a red sleeveless top. She then topped all this off with her black leather jacket, something she hadn't worn since Terminal City. Smiling, Max let a rush of excitement wash over her again. Sure things weren't perfect, you can't have everything after all, but she was going to see Logan again; a man she had believed dead for the past year. It was a belief that had torn at her mercilessly each and every day. That was over now and Max was moving forward into the light.

"Sam", she called out again. There was still no reply. "Damn you lard-ass", Max said softly to herself.

"Where do you think he is?" Alec asked while massaging one of his cheeks with his tongue.

"I don't know, probably out back taking a dump or something." Alec's face curled up in disgust at the suggestion.

"Tell me he doesn't", he said pleading with Max to save him from such a horrid thought.

"I'm afraid so Alec, the people here ain't that big on hygiene. Why do you think I live so far from the town?"

"Oh god that's disgusting, what a filthy bastard." Alec began shaking his head trying to dislodge the unpleasant images that were now building in his mind.

"Yeah I know. The man's a complete pervert as well." Max paused before considering their next move. "We should probably hang here for a while. Sam should be back soon." She sounded impatient as she spoke, probably because she just wanted to get out of here and back to Seattle as soon as humanly possible. Alec began tapping his fingers on the counter revealing his impatience as well.

"Do you think he would mind if I got myself a drink?"

"I'll get it", Max said hopping off her stool and over the counter with graceful ease. "After all I haven't quit yet."

"Great, I'll have a scotch, no ice."

"Yes sir".

Max began to pour his drink, grabbing a grubby glass from beneath the bar in one hand and a random bottle of scotch in the other. She spun the bottle round her hand before proceeding to pour the brown liquid into it's new home.

"Wow", Alec said resting his arms on the counter, "you wouldn't be one of those transgenic freaks I keep hearing about. I mean with skills like that…"

Max laughed; it felt good being around Alec and that dry sense of humour of his. Smiling had been so foreign to her that it actually hurt to do it so often. Maybe she should ease herself back into the habit. This thought only caused her smile to broaden. Things certainly seemed to be on the up. She didn't want to be selfish, but after all she had been through in her life, surely she deserved a little happiness. Both her and Logan did, even Alec when it came to it. Max often forgot that he too had been hit hard by what had happened at Terminal City. Best not go back there, Max thought, guiding her mind to brighter topics.

"So Alec, how did you find out Logan was alive?"

"Well…promise you wont get girly on me or nothing like that", Alec replied, holding his hands up. Max looked at him confused.

"What?"

"Just promise."

"Fine…I promise."

"Well I kind of just phoned Asha. Turns out she has been keeping an eye on him. It was really rather simple when you think about it." Alec laughed nervously as if he half expected Max to beat him senseless.

The news did vex Max somewhat. Asha was a pretty blonde who was a member of some freedom fighting gang called S1W. She had spent a lot of time crusading with Logan while Max was banged up in Manticore, presumed dead. She knew that Asha had a crush on Logan and this had brought the green-eyed monster out of Max on numerous occasions. She could even feel the little beast surfacing now. Still it was how simple it had been for Alec to find out that really got to her. How come she hadn't thought of it? All those months, it would have been so easy to just pick up a phone. Surely if Max cared, and she knew she did, then she would have made at least a small attempt to find out whether the object of her affection was alive or not.

Noticing Max had gone quiet, Alec immediately knew why.

"Look Max, it was easy for me to call cos I hadn't had my entire life torn apart. I mean yeah it affected me, what went down that day, but for you it was different. Hell I thought Logan was dead, I only phoned a couple of weeks back cos I found doctor Dave and thought I should at least check."

"Yeah but…" Max's voice was quiet.

"No Max, no buts! Look you needed time to grieve, for Cindy, for sketch, hell for everyone. Fact is you thought Logan was dead and it fucked you up. There is no shame there."

Alec's words began to make sense now. It wasn't like Max had spent the last year partying. She had tortured herself every night, even considered suicide. No, Alec was right, she needed time to mourn. Now that she knew Logan was alive, and that the virus could be cured, the only thing she wanted was to be with him…but then what of Asha?

Alec downed his scotch before looking at Max again. She was pouting and her eyes flicked form side to side. He shook his head, amused that he could read her so easily.

"You're worrying about Logan and Asha", he said confidently.

"No", Max lied.

"Well you shouldn't worry, there's nothing there. Apparently he has been living like a ghost since you left, even gave up Eyes Only." Alec tossed his glass Max as he spoke. She in turn filled it before sending it back to him. Alec continued:

"When Asha told him about you and the virus, he actually broke down in tears. I knew the guy was soft but damn!"

"He's not soft" Max said, scowling at Alec. Her mind turned back to the fact that Logan knew she was alive. Since she thought he was dead, it never occurred to her that he might have been suffering she just as she was. Giving up Eyes Only was a big thing; she knew how much it meant to Logan. She couldn't help but feel a little good about it though; he showed how much he cared about her. Max felt a warmth rise inside herself. Maybe, just maybe, things could work out for them.

"So do you think he will be glad to see me?" Max asked.

"Are you for real? Probably gonna be waiting with a ring in hand and down on one knee." Alec was joking at first but when he saw that Max actually liked the idea; he quickly tried to take a more serious tone.

Together the pair of them waited for another quarter of an hour. Max knew something was up. Sure this shit hole of a town was quiet but never this quiet. Usually people would be walking about, doing their shopping or going for a drink. Alec's watch said it was twelve in the afternoon; Sam should have been here ages ago, he was never this late. It was chillingly quiet and a cold wind snaked up Max's neck causing her to shudder. All her enhanced sense told her something was wrong. She turned to Alec.

"Something's not right", she said as Alec downed his second scotch.

"What do you mean?"

Shaking her head, Max hopped over the bar and proceeded outside. What greeted her paralysed her with a sickening sense of fear and disgust.

There piled high in the mud, was the entire population of the town. Their broken, contorted bodies stacked one on top of the other.  The puddles underneath them now ran red as their collective blood flow infected the surrounding platform for their gruesome showcase. It seemed unreal; they hadn't been here before so who had put them there? Who could have done this?

"I've been looking for you 452." The voice was deep and came from behind her. Max spun round to see a man standing on top of the Watering Hole. Dressed smartly in a buttoned up, flowing black trench coat and black businessman like trousers, he was wiping blood from his hands. He appeared to be middle-aged, his face showing a lot of wear and tear and his dark hair was being battered about in the wind. There was an unmistakeable menace surrounding him that sent more shivers down Max's spine. One man had done all this? Just one!

Alec suddenly appeared outside the bar, stopping as he saw the grisly scenery behind Max.

"Holy shit Max, what…" was all he could say before he was interrupted.

"Well greetings, you must be…oh crap to it! I don't know who you are and I don't much care so how about you just keep your mouth shut", the stranger said before he effortlessly jumped from the roof down to the ground between Max and Alec.

"Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Gray." He bowed as he spoke. He rose and stared Max right in the eyes.  She could feel him as he bore all the way down to her core causing her to freeze with fear.

"I shall be your undoing", he continued grinning with a perfect set of white teeth.

Before she knew what had happened, Max felt a crack on her jaw, it broke immediately on impact. She then found herself sailing through the air before gravity brought her back to earth with a thud. She lay there numb in the thick sticky mud. She then heard Alec cry out before there came the sound of wood and glass shattering. Max's head throbbed as she tried to refocus her vision, now blurred and spotted with colour. Suddenly Gray was towering over her, a dark silhouette against the murky sky.

"Is this it", he said mockingly, laughing at her. "How pathetic you are! I wonder what shall I do with you?" Max knew she was done for, that one blow had wiped her out. She was completely at the mercy of this Gray. She could taste the blood now as it ran relentlessly from her bottom lip. Gray looked at her while stroking his chin, deciding her fate.

"Fuck it", his voice fierce as he lifted his boot above her head, the mud and blood dripping onto her bruised face. He then brought it down, crashing into Max's face. Her last thoughts had been of Logan before…nothing.

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Sorry to my few fans out there, wont be an update for a little while cos like I have to get a job! Hahahaha that sounds so weird. Also I would like to take this opportunity to credit Ali Bannatyne for providing me with the word "broke" in chapter 2 so thank you Ali. Anyways don't worry will be back as soon as possible so keep it real and keep it dark…or something way better than that :D