The city looked so different from what she had remembered. Before
Manticores second capture of her, Max had been able to notice the
highlights in the place. Although she never voiced any of her observations
to anyone, not even Logan. She knew that it was there, happiness. peace.
safety. All of which were hidden within the nooks of Seattle.
But now, she didn't feel safe. She didn't feel peaceful or comfortable. If anything she was more on edge than back in 09. Even a cats meow would send her into a cold sweat of fear, which was ironic. Considering she herself had feline DNA intertwined with her genes.
The day went by slowly, she passed off packages to customers without emotion. Then she noticed her last package. She read the name,
Logan Cale
Max suppressed an uneasy sigh. She didn't want to see Logan, she couldn't see Logan. She felt weak and vulnerable around him most of all. She was the bad ass around the block, what would he think of her now that she wasn't herself? How could he still have feelings for her after seeing that she could easily be taken from him? Max had decided days ago that she didn't want to hear the answers to her questions because she felt that neither answer would make her feel any better.
Max stuffed the tiny crumpled package back inside of her bag and began her ride to his pent house. Sooner than she would have liked she was walking down his hallway, knocking on the door, and being asked to come inside.
"You haven't answered my calls." Logan started the conversation innocently enough.
"Yeah, well, didn't feel like talking." She shrugged, making a crude attempt at hiding what was really on her mind.
He nodded, "Fair enough."
A minute of silence passed between them. What did he expect from her? Was she supposed to leap into his arms and say some bullshit about how she had missed him so much and she loved him and she. Fuck no. That was weakness that was where Manticore would get to her again. Through Logan.
"I gotta jet." She murmured. "I still need a signature."
"Give me the board." Logan gestured to her clipboard. He signed his name in silence.
She dropped the package onto his couch and began to head out the door when it started. Max began to tremble, why now? She felt around in her coat pocket for the small canister of relief. She quickly gulped down the caplets with shaking hands.
"Max. They're getting worse, since Manticore. Cindy's told me over the phone." Logan told her calmly.
"No their not." She lied through irritated clenched teeth. That bitch. Who the hell did she think she was? Going behind her back like that and talking about something that she didn't even understand.
Logan placed a hand on her shoulder, "You can stay here until its over you know."
She shrugged off his hand and shook her head no, "No. I have to go back to work."
"Max you aren't in any shape to do that."
"Leave me the fuck alone Logan! There's nothing you can do about what some jacked-up military scientist did to me! It's done and now I have to live with it and there isn't anything that can be fixed about it!" She shouted at him angrily.
"Max." he paused, confused, he wasn't even hinting towards what Manticore had done to her the past few months but obviously that's how she was taking his words.
"I gotta jet." She was determined to run from this conversation.
Logan shouted after her as she left his condo through the front door, "You can't keep running from what's happened to you Max!" He followed her into the hallway and watched her turn into the elevator; "You're going to have to face it sometime!" Her innocent chocolate mint eyes looked at him at those words. The doors closed silently.
Max re-entered Jam Pony. Her tremors had subsided though every few minutes they shot back into effect. It was a week after starting back at Jam Pony when Logan had called her to come see him about something. She hadn't known that he would start the whole mediation therapy shit that she had been dreading the most.
He's right you know. About running away from what they did to you in Manticore. You can't keep running, if you do. You're just going to crash and burn.
She bumped past Sketchy who called her name with a smile that soon after vanished. What the hell was she doing here? What made her think that she could have come and slipped right back into a near-normal life? Why did she ever believe that she and Logan would pick up right where they had left off? Why? WHY?!
Her feet took her into Normals office. "I need to take a day off." She told him flatly with little to no expression.
"Oh no missy miss. You just started up again and you still have to finish your shift. There is no way that you can just take the day off in the middle of a shift like this. Oh no no no.."
Max raised her voice, "You don't understand! I need to take a day off!"
He shook his head with that goofy smirk that he always carried. A forefinger pushed his glasses up the bridge of nose as he watched Max while shifting through clipboards and letters.
Outside the office, Herbal was elbowing Sketchy and pointing towards the enraged Max, "Somethin's cookin' man."
Cindy walked up just then and asked the two, "What the hell's goin' on wit my girl?"
"iunno. Something about she needs to take the day off but Normal an't lettin' it happen."
Just then Normal shouted at her, "IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THE DAMN DAY OFF WALK OUT AND YOU WON'T BE COMING BACK! JIMMINY CHRISTMAS. YOU'RE LUCKY I LET YOU COME BACK AFTER NOT BEING HERE FOR SO LONG! I STILL DON'T KNOW IF THAT HEART TRANSPLANT WAS A FAKE OR NOT! FOR ALL I KNOW THAT SCAR COULD HAVE BEEN YEARS OLD!
"Oh shit." Cindy took Normals last few words as her cue. She pushed past the gaping employees and grabbed Max's arm just as she was about to advance on Normal. "Max. don't, let it go suga. I'll get Sketch to cover your shift. He gets off in five anyway and lost an hour last week. What do ya say Normal? Whats the difference if Max does her shift or Sketch does?"
Normal looked at her and rolled his eyes, "Fine. I can't be short any more hands now."
Cindy nodded and started to lead Max out of the room by her arm when Max snatched back her arm. "Don't touch me." She snapped.
Max headed out of Jam Pony not quite sure what to do. She felt eyes watching her but she didn't care. They didn't understand. No one could possible understand what she had gone through except for a fellow transgenic. Cindy followed Max outside the door and ran in front of her, blocking Max from leaving her on the sidewalk.
"Boo. I don't know what the hell they did to you in that backwards- military mumbo-jumbo. I do know that something happened today that has made you trip all of a sudden. Now what is it suga? Was there somethin' side' that electric shit?"
Her eyes were dark and angry, on the edge. Her voice trembled, "I can't tell you. I want to forget that it ever happened. Don't ask me again."
But now, she didn't feel safe. She didn't feel peaceful or comfortable. If anything she was more on edge than back in 09. Even a cats meow would send her into a cold sweat of fear, which was ironic. Considering she herself had feline DNA intertwined with her genes.
The day went by slowly, she passed off packages to customers without emotion. Then she noticed her last package. She read the name,
Logan Cale
Max suppressed an uneasy sigh. She didn't want to see Logan, she couldn't see Logan. She felt weak and vulnerable around him most of all. She was the bad ass around the block, what would he think of her now that she wasn't herself? How could he still have feelings for her after seeing that she could easily be taken from him? Max had decided days ago that she didn't want to hear the answers to her questions because she felt that neither answer would make her feel any better.
Max stuffed the tiny crumpled package back inside of her bag and began her ride to his pent house. Sooner than she would have liked she was walking down his hallway, knocking on the door, and being asked to come inside.
"You haven't answered my calls." Logan started the conversation innocently enough.
"Yeah, well, didn't feel like talking." She shrugged, making a crude attempt at hiding what was really on her mind.
He nodded, "Fair enough."
A minute of silence passed between them. What did he expect from her? Was she supposed to leap into his arms and say some bullshit about how she had missed him so much and she loved him and she. Fuck no. That was weakness that was where Manticore would get to her again. Through Logan.
"I gotta jet." She murmured. "I still need a signature."
"Give me the board." Logan gestured to her clipboard. He signed his name in silence.
She dropped the package onto his couch and began to head out the door when it started. Max began to tremble, why now? She felt around in her coat pocket for the small canister of relief. She quickly gulped down the caplets with shaking hands.
"Max. They're getting worse, since Manticore. Cindy's told me over the phone." Logan told her calmly.
"No their not." She lied through irritated clenched teeth. That bitch. Who the hell did she think she was? Going behind her back like that and talking about something that she didn't even understand.
Logan placed a hand on her shoulder, "You can stay here until its over you know."
She shrugged off his hand and shook her head no, "No. I have to go back to work."
"Max you aren't in any shape to do that."
"Leave me the fuck alone Logan! There's nothing you can do about what some jacked-up military scientist did to me! It's done and now I have to live with it and there isn't anything that can be fixed about it!" She shouted at him angrily.
"Max." he paused, confused, he wasn't even hinting towards what Manticore had done to her the past few months but obviously that's how she was taking his words.
"I gotta jet." She was determined to run from this conversation.
Logan shouted after her as she left his condo through the front door, "You can't keep running from what's happened to you Max!" He followed her into the hallway and watched her turn into the elevator; "You're going to have to face it sometime!" Her innocent chocolate mint eyes looked at him at those words. The doors closed silently.
Max re-entered Jam Pony. Her tremors had subsided though every few minutes they shot back into effect. It was a week after starting back at Jam Pony when Logan had called her to come see him about something. She hadn't known that he would start the whole mediation therapy shit that she had been dreading the most.
He's right you know. About running away from what they did to you in Manticore. You can't keep running, if you do. You're just going to crash and burn.
She bumped past Sketchy who called her name with a smile that soon after vanished. What the hell was she doing here? What made her think that she could have come and slipped right back into a near-normal life? Why did she ever believe that she and Logan would pick up right where they had left off? Why? WHY?!
Her feet took her into Normals office. "I need to take a day off." She told him flatly with little to no expression.
"Oh no missy miss. You just started up again and you still have to finish your shift. There is no way that you can just take the day off in the middle of a shift like this. Oh no no no.."
Max raised her voice, "You don't understand! I need to take a day off!"
He shook his head with that goofy smirk that he always carried. A forefinger pushed his glasses up the bridge of nose as he watched Max while shifting through clipboards and letters.
Outside the office, Herbal was elbowing Sketchy and pointing towards the enraged Max, "Somethin's cookin' man."
Cindy walked up just then and asked the two, "What the hell's goin' on wit my girl?"
"iunno. Something about she needs to take the day off but Normal an't lettin' it happen."
Just then Normal shouted at her, "IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THE DAMN DAY OFF WALK OUT AND YOU WON'T BE COMING BACK! JIMMINY CHRISTMAS. YOU'RE LUCKY I LET YOU COME BACK AFTER NOT BEING HERE FOR SO LONG! I STILL DON'T KNOW IF THAT HEART TRANSPLANT WAS A FAKE OR NOT! FOR ALL I KNOW THAT SCAR COULD HAVE BEEN YEARS OLD!
"Oh shit." Cindy took Normals last few words as her cue. She pushed past the gaping employees and grabbed Max's arm just as she was about to advance on Normal. "Max. don't, let it go suga. I'll get Sketch to cover your shift. He gets off in five anyway and lost an hour last week. What do ya say Normal? Whats the difference if Max does her shift or Sketch does?"
Normal looked at her and rolled his eyes, "Fine. I can't be short any more hands now."
Cindy nodded and started to lead Max out of the room by her arm when Max snatched back her arm. "Don't touch me." She snapped.
Max headed out of Jam Pony not quite sure what to do. She felt eyes watching her but she didn't care. They didn't understand. No one could possible understand what she had gone through except for a fellow transgenic. Cindy followed Max outside the door and ran in front of her, blocking Max from leaving her on the sidewalk.
"Boo. I don't know what the hell they did to you in that backwards- military mumbo-jumbo. I do know that something happened today that has made you trip all of a sudden. Now what is it suga? Was there somethin' side' that electric shit?"
Her eyes were dark and angry, on the edge. Her voice trembled, "I can't tell you. I want to forget that it ever happened. Don't ask me again."
