Earlier that day
Max went to Logan's apartment as usual, but
there was something different about it. Logan was in the kitchen.
"Hey. You beeped?" she called. Logan turned to face her
giving her one of his big smiles. One she rightfully named "Cheshire Cheese".
"Yeah. Max, there's some people I'd like you to met." He
stated.
Max cocked her head and put her hand on her hip.
"Yeah? Who?"
Suddenly she heard a sound behind her. She quickly turned
and hit a soldier with a back fist upside the head. She kicked a gun out of the
other soldiers' hands and punched him in the face knocking him out. Then Max
picked up the one on the floor and put him in a stranglehold. She turned to
Logan, who was still smiling.
"What is this?"
she yelled.
"Just a demonstration," he replied.
"And a very good one at that," said a voice that Max
instantly recognized. She refused to face him as he walked near her and started
to circle her like a vulture.
"What do you want, Lydecker?" she growled and placed the
soldier between her and Lydecker.
"What I've always wanted. You back where you belong."
Max narrowed her eyes and pushed the soldier into
Lydecker's arms. She ran as fast as she could to the window.
"Max!" Logan shouted as he cocked his gun, "Don't make me
use this."
Max put her hands up and turned to face him. He slowly
got out of his chair. Max shook her head slightly while keeping eye contact
with him.
"All a lie. Everything was all a fucking lie!"
"Not everything. You are the single most beautiful
woman I have ever seen."
"You expect me to believe that with a gun pointed at my
face?" Max let out a deep breath.
"I thought you
cared about me."
He replied, "I do."
And pulled the trigger.
* * * * * *
Max gasped and nearly leapt out from her bed. Her sheets were on
the floor and the mattress was sticking on her body. Her sweat soaked her face
and nightclothes. She slowly recollected herself and relaxed her breathing and
heart rate. He shot me. He lied. He
betrayed me. He betrayed me. He…Max shook her head really hard and closed
her eyes.
"Only a dream. Only a dream." She
repeated to herself. This was one of the many dreams she wished she could
forget, but due to a few superhuman attributes in her mind that was impossible.
The dream scared her really badly. She remembered the look of Logan's eyes.
They weren't the kind and always-caring eyes she knew; they were cold and
calculated. If eyes were really the window to the soul than the Logan in her
dream had no heart. "He's not that way
in real life," Max said aloud.
But are you sure? Asked a voice in the back
of her head.
Max ran to the bathroom, splashed some water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror.
"He would never do that to me."
Are you sure? Do you really
know him?
Replied the same voice. It sounded a lot like Zack, but Max knew it wasn't him.
It was someone else. Someone from her past she couldn't quite place. For now,
it was just the voice of doubt… and doom. But as Max thought about it she
realized that if Logan ever lost his money or just needed some, he would have
an 8 million-dollar insurance policy called X-5 452. And all the information he
had on her brothers and sisters could go for 1-2 million, easy. For the first
time in about 6 months, Max started to doubt Logan and his intentions. She wasn't
sure she could trust him anymore. At the
very least I need to those files.
"Hey Max! You gettin' out anytime
soon." Shouted Original Cindy.
"Yeah," Max shouted back, "What are
you doin' up?"
"Can't a girl take a late-night
piss."
That's
what I love about you, Original. You don't sugarcoat shit.
"Aiight," Max replied. She dried her face and left.
"Why are you up?" Original Cindy
asked once Max was outside the bathroom.
"Bad dream."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Nah. It was nothing."
"So 'nothing' made you get up out
your bed in the middle of the night?"
"Yeah," Max replied, suddenly too
tired argue. She went to her room. Original Cindy watched her leave. Girl, I don't know what to do with you.
