SAME disclaimers as the rest.

THANKS ONCE AGAIN for your interest and notes. Having input on these is a real joy.

CHAPTER TWO:

SEATTLE STREETS

Max bent low over the handle bars of the bicycle she rode, tearing through alleys and back streets at a speed that, ordinarily, she would recognize as far too attention-getting to be done safely. But at this moment all she could think of was getting to Logan, to get his input on the artifacts she cradled close under her jacket. She might have lost Zack for now, but Jondy was trying to contact her–wasn't that what these things meant? Even so, the tightening in her belly didn't let her feel like a joyful reunion was in store, and somewhere deep inside she knew that she needed Logan to tell her this was real.

Three checkpoints, and the risks she took to skirt them she knew were reckless even if done in the dark of night. She felt anxiety propelling her at all speed, it never occurring to her that her manic chase to see Logan was not because of emergency or deadline, but from her own grief, and the fear of being again abandoned by a sibling she'd sought all these years.

She heard a police siren and an indignant yell; she ducked lower and turned sharply to hug a narrow dirt passage way behind a hotel at the edge of Sector 9. Now that she was in one of the wealthier sectors she would find more police and private guards to protect those with assets still available to buy such attention. She stayed off the public streets completely now and traced a now familiar route through parking garages and loading alleys behind attractive facades to Logan's place...

Logan was the only one who knew all about her outside of Manticore, who knew that there were those out to catch her or dissect her or use her; only he knew about Zack and Jondy and the others. For so many years she had gone it alone and now, especially so soon after Zack's callous departure, she felt some relief to know that she could tell somebody --and some desperation to do it now.

FOGLE TOWERS

Waiting was something Logan did not do well.

He'd found it hard enough to do before his injury, and back then he didn't have to depend on others to do so much of his work. Now it seemed that was all he did, wait for others to fetch or reconnoiter or carry out or carry on...

Again he was waiting, this time for a mid-level clerk at the commission to pinch the files he needed. He chewed his lip, scanning through security monitors at the capitol, looking for any unusual activity. He should have heard from the guy by now; he'd have had his best chance early, before the other employees showed up in the morning. Logan stewed that this meant he'd have to wait another day for his files –and didn't want to think yet that it could mean anything more dire than that for his informant.

Peering close at the screen to follow some odd movements on the commission's security panels, he barely registered the sound as Bling came up beside him. Logan looked up with a small start to see his trainer with a tall glass of deep red liquid held out to him, and he blinked up in silent question.

"Drink it." Bling suggested, waiting.

"What is it?" Logan sniffed at the tumbler, then looked a bit surprised. "Cranberry juice?"

"Preventative medicine." Bling offered. "Drink up"

"I will" Logan turned back at the screen but asked, "but where did you manage to find it?" He was almost relieved for the mundane distraction.

"I know a guy who knows a guy" Bling allowed a smile at his melodrama. "You need anything before I go?"

"No; thanks." Logan's eyes didn't leave the screen now, seeing some movement that he wasn't sure was significant, but appeared to interest the commission's security people.

"He still hasn't checked in yet..." Bling's words were more statement than question.

"No–but I hope he knows just to lay low if the timing's off–another day or two won't matter."

"He'll be fine." Bling promised. He paused another moment, looking over Logan's shoulder, and offered, "I'll be back around 3:00, alright?"

"Yeah; thanks..." It took a few steps to rouse Logan but as the sound sunk in he turned to add, "hey, look–it's okay, if you can't make it back 'til tomorrow. 3:00 is fine if you can, but..." He shrugged.

"Okay." Bling considered his client and nodded. He'd be back. These past days hadn't been the best for the man, who, along with fighting the power, had been fighting a small infection and a big blow to his pride. Maybe another workout, an easy one, would help him balance things a little more quickly. Bling took a last look at Logan, hunched into the computer screen, before turning to leave the man to his demons.

But in only a few minutes Logan heard the door and assumed Bling was back. "Hey, did you forget someth..." He turned around and saw not Bling but Max in the hallway, breathing hard and looking shaken. "Max? What...?"

"Logan, look..." She came forward and spoke low, her voice strained–he frowned. The carefree, casual, always in charge Max was gone and in her place was a woman whom he worried was finding it difficult these days to survive the never-ending battles intact.

She was holding a plain envelope out to him, a thickened mailer, with only her name on it, followed by "Jam Pony" underneath. Eyebrows knit in worried question, Logan opened the envelope to shake out the contents. The first thing to catch his eye was the photo and the child's bar code it revealed.

"It's Jondy" she whispered, her eyes glittering with moisture. "Logan, she's here."

He looked at the other things in his lap, choosing to ignore the address for the moment. He held up the fabric. "Her uniform?"

"Hers or one of the other X5s." Max watched Logan's face hungrily for a sign of what he thought, and felt frustration stir as his expression remained one of concern. "I've got to go meet her..."

"Max..." Logan began softly. He looked at the address; it was in the warehouse district near the old port entry, largely deserted by all who had legitimate business there. This could be better. "Can you know for sure that it's Jondy, and not just someone using this to get to you?"

"I know it's her bar code."

He nodded, his concern growing. She wasn't listening to reason, and he knew already she would not be talked out of going.

"But think about it–wouldn't she contact you more directly, if she has actually found you? She wouldn't want you to have to guess if it were safe..."

"But this is how I'd do it, Logan!" Max's face was flushed, hungry to believe, and she reached to snatch back the envelope and its precious contents. "Don't you see? It's perfect–she's given me her ID with this photo, an address to find her–and something only another Manticore could recognize as genuine, a piece of the uniforms they made us wear. You know they kept the pattern and weave unique, don't you? It was another way to verify who we were, if any of us escaped–even if we dumped the clothes it was another trail marker, they figured. Jondy might have known that, and if she did it's even more reason to show me this, so I'd understand..."

Logan looked into the eyes burning with her mission–is that how he looked when he was chasing one of his projects, as others had suggested? Was Max still so pained by Zack's departure that she would not be able to go into this sensibly? He temporized, "Whoever this is, sh..."

Her eyes flashed. "It's Jondy" she glowered...

This was not good. "Max, hear me out..." He urged, gently, trying his best not to sound patronizing– the last thing he needed to do was run her off. "The person who left this knew enough about you to know that you'd understand these things...and they knew where you worked. If it..." He rethought his words. "Wouldn't Jondy have just come to see you, maybe check you out without identifying herself, or leave you a more direct message?"

Max shrugged. "Maybe she did come by, and I didn't recognize her. Or wasn't there." She dug in, making this true. "Maybe she isn't all that certain if I'm who I am–or maybe she doesn't know which one I am..."

"How could anyone have known that you were Manticore, Max?" Logan's face now showed his concern for her, clearly. "If Jondy could know–how did she find out?"

"I don't know!" Max had finally let a grain of self-protection permeate her focus. "Maybe she's seen Zack and he told her..."

"C'mon, Max..." The teal-green eyes looked up into hers, their worried look telling her that he was going to try to stop her. "You're inventing explanations that you know aren't too sound. I know you want this to be Jondy..."

"Logan, who else could it be?"

"Max..." He sighed, sadly...He didn't need to say more; she knew the answer to her own question was that it could be anyone from the organization from whom she'd hidden all these years. He saw the understanding, and went on, "Look, you know I've been poking around and trying to find some connections to Manticore, and what's happened with the project and all those civilian employees they had and all X-ers they raised. I've shown you what's out there..." Well, most of it, he thought to himself, "and for whatever reason, this just feels wrong. I wish I could give you a better explanation, and I know that you knew her, I didn't, but..." he looked to her, trying to decide if it was safe to be so certain. "It's a trap, Max..."

Her eyes filled again, irrationally. "But what if it's not, Logan?" she begged. "What if it's Jondy? I have to go..." She turned to leave.

"Not like this" his brakes snapped off in a shot and he came up behind her, even reaching for a hand to stop her. "Max--" he tried to soothe. "Let me come–and let me do some checking on a few things; we can go tomorrow night...there's not time limit on this; she'd have to know you'd need to check a few things, wouldn't she?"

"Tomorrow?" He might as well have said next year...

"Please, Max...thirty-six hours. I can get a lot done in that much time, and you'll be in a far better position to do this safely–for the both of you..." The sudden idea to question Jondy's safety struck him as an ideal way to help get through to her. "After all, if she's been hiding too, maybe she needs a safe house, or some identity papers, something..." The flicker of agreement in her eyes made him feel some relief. "And I can see about some subtle back up–maybe Bling, or even Matt..."

"Matt can't know about Manticore..." She suddenly stiffened, making his relief short lived.

"I know that–c'mon, Max, I just meant that we could know someone was in the vicinity with some fire power..." He watched her waver, and felt his worry lessen a little. If she could just take some time with this, maybe even living with the knowledge another day would make her less driven–and therefore at least a bit more cautious. "Come back here tomorrow night at nine–does that sound okay?"

She wavered, and finally nodded, silently. He watched her, closely. After a moment or two, he offered, "Look, it's lunch time–c'mon, let's find you something..." He released his brakes silently and began to push out toward the kitchen.

"...no..." Her voice stopped him, nearly there. "Gotta blaze..." When he turned and looked up to her, concern mixed with the surprise at her answer, she shrugged, "Gotta get back to work..."

"When will you be done, today?" he asked, hoping for a casual tone to cover his ulterior motive. "I have great plans for a genuine Cale masterpiece, whenever you can get here," And what better way to have her nearby, so he could keep an eye on her and how she was handling things...

"Oh..." she managed to smile for him, looking back into his worried eyes. "Um...Normal said we might have overtime tonight..." Max saw the subtle color shift in the green eyes as he questioned her words, so she added. "Probably 8, 8:30" the smile smoothed her features, her breathing calm now.

He sat back, looking a bit more centered with her reaction, and nodded. "I can have it waiting, then...?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks, Logan....gotta blaze" she repeated quietly. "And..." she wavered, seeming then to change her mind. "Thanks..." she smiled softly as she turned to go.

SEATTLE STREETS

Max's ride back toward the town center was less frantic but she barely noticed her surroundings. She knew that Logan was right–or at least right to raise the concerns he had. That was why she'd been in such a rush to see him, wasn't it? She'd known he'd be the voice of reason for her and that if she'd listen to anyone, it would be to him...

Logan knew what her siblings meant to her and what losing them cost–and even with that he didn't seem to get it, really–he was probably right that caution was indicated, and that she ought to tread carefully until she knew more. He had resources and connections and even though it looked farfetched to think that more information could be developed to explain what this meant, if anyone could get the 411 on it, he could...

But this was her sister, a voice in her head insisted....this was the way a Manticore soldier would let another know they were near...wasn't it?

....wasn't it?

..to be continued...