A/N:  This is a real long one. *shrugs* I got carried away.  Happy New Year everyone!  Sorry for the visual you are about to have- I tried to keep it to a bare minimum so to speak…. *little voice* don't hate me!  Please review

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Chapter sixteen: It's All Good… Right?

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'It's all good all the time'

-Herbal (Pilot)

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'Don't wanna be the one who turns the whole thing over

Don't wanna be somewhere where I just don't belong

Where it's not enough just to be sorry'

-Matchbox Twenty (Bed Of Lies)

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Erin was bored stiff an hour later.  She had nothing to do and couldn't go back to sleep.  She couldn't skate or board anywhere because all of the tricks she would normally practice involved ramps.  She couldn't talk to anyone because they were all downstairs somewhere, and she couldn't read because she thought it'd be rude to go through Josh's things looking for books.  Now, she was lying on her back on the couch, her legs dangling in the air as she lounged upside down examining her nails.  This was what she was reduced to.  Her life was crappy.  Oh, look! That nail needs filing.  How fascinating.

The stairwell door opened and heavy footsteps signalled the arrival of someone else.  Next, the smell of burnt food reached her.  Erin looked at the upside down Joshua.  "Hey Josh, how's it going?"

"Going good.  Brought food" he smiled shyly and held out the plate of toast.

"Cool" Erin flipped over and accepted the plate form Josh.  She stuck out her other hand and smiled up at him "Name's Erin.  Pleased to meetcha."

Joshua looked at her hand as if he'd never seen one before.  He looked back up at Erin "You… you're not afraid of Joshua?"

"Nah.  I'm not afraid of Joshua.  You're one of the good guys.  Hasn't Max and Alec explained about my situation?" Erin frowned and sat back down.

"Little fella explain, Joshua wasn't sure."

"You sure now?"

A slow smile spread on his face revealing his large teeth and he held out his giant hand.

Erin grinned and shook it before taking a bite of toast.  She spat it out immediately – making a face.

"What's wrong? Don't like bread?" Joshua looked at his new friend.

"I like bread, I just don't like bad toast.  In the morning I like something that isn't a shock to the system ya know?  Who made this?" Erin glared at the so called food.

"Alec.  Alec made it.  Said to bring breakfast."  Joshua took a step back as Erin shot to her feet.

"Alec? Can you take me to him?" Erin looked slightly miffed.  Was he trying to kill her?

"So…what's wrong Max?" Zack sat next to her on the couch in her office. 

Max bit her lip and looked at him "Are we really okay? I mean, how much do you remember?  I know you should be angry…"

Zack sat back and shrugged "I remember everything.  I remember trying to kill Logan, I remember you electrocuting me and saying you didn't know me in the hospital.  I remember everything before then- the escape, the raid.  Everything."

Max continued to stare "And we're still okay?  I mean, you must hate me…"

"We're fine" Zack interrupted, grabbing her hand "and I could never hate you.  You're my family Max.  I don't hate my family.  I love you guys."

Max stared for a minute before a grin broke out "That stint as Adam really changed you."

Zack grinned back "Yeah, I guess it did.  It helps that I'm not in charge anymore."  He looked at her seriously "You're a good leader Max.  I knew you would be."

Max's face fell despite the compliment "We're still soldiers."

"Didn't you ever listen to what I taught you? We'll always be soldiers.  It was what we were created to do and we can't change it.  We'll always be more than human.  This time, we take orders from you.  No more cages" Zack spoke as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"We've just moved into a bigger cage" Max gestured with her free hand, indicating Terminal City.

"Ah, don't worry Maxie, we'll get through this" He hugged her.

Max immediately hugged him back, relaxing into the comfort of his embrace.

There was a queue, a very long queue of transgenics lined up to get food that Alec was preparing.  He was outside with a large grill burning, a skewer and lots and lots of bread.

Erin stalked up to him, passing the line with a nervous looking Joshua in tow.  She shoved the plate into his hands and glared daggers at him.

"What?" Alec looked from the plate to Erin.

If looks could kill.  "I know you hate me but do you honestly think that poisoning me is gonna help?!"

"What?" Alec looked at Erin like she was insane.  He seemed to like that look.

"Taste it!" Erin folded her arms and waited.

Alec tasted the toast and spat it out "that's gross."

"Yeah, it is.  How can you not know how to make toast?  And how the hell did you burn the outside and keep it frozen in the middle?"  Erin continued to glare.

Alec shrugged "Don't worry, I'll make you some more okay?"

Erin's response was to stomp away.  Then she stopped. "Joshua, can you come with me?  This idiot doesn't trust me anywhere on my own."  Joshua silently followed her.

"Women!" Alec muttered and got back to work. 

A couple of minutes later, Erin and Josh came back, Erin carrying the blowtorch she'd brought the day before.

Alec watched her with amusement as she stopped next to him.  "Back off."

Shrugging, Alec did as he was told.  Erin skewered several pieces of bread, pulled a lighter from her pocket and lit the blowtorch. 

Glaring at Alec one more time, she let loose on the bread.  Creating near perfect toast, the queue got larger from then on.

Two hours later, Erin and Alec walked into HQ bearing gifts of toast.  Joshua had been left to finish up after proving that he could indeed cook.

"I smelled food!" Dix jumped up from his computer and eagerly accepted his rations.  He took a bite "mmm, this is so much better than the last lot.  Who made it?"

"Me" Erin smiled before smirking at Alec.

"Damn it!" a yell from the other side of the room caused everyone to turn.  Logan was glaring at the computer in front of him like it was the most disgusting thing in the world.  Too bad he didn't have a mirror.

He turned to see everyone staring.  "I forgot how to set this damn computer up!  If it was more up-to-date I'd have no problem but this piece of junk was made in 2007.

Erin put down her plate and moved over to Logan's table.

Logan stared at her "What are you doing?"

Erin began to look through the pieces of equipment.

"This isn't a video game, you know."

Erin stopped what she was doing, grabbed a piece of toast and stuck it in Logan's mouth.  She glared and pointed at the door.

"Better do what she says, man" Alec chuckled as Logan stared at Erin in disbelief "she's dangerous with a blowtorch."

 "I'm not leaving her here to mess up all the progress I've made with it.  I'll probably have it fixed in an hour or two."  Logan couldn't believe that this girl could do something better than him.  He was Eyes Only- the computer genius and saviour of the world.  She was, well, she was a nobody. 

"Progress?" Erin held up a bunch of wires that Logan had removed.

"Give her a chance Logan" Alec didn't see the dirty look Erin shot at him "she might make some progress."

Logan looked like he was going to argue but stopped when Zack and Max came out of Max's office.

"What's goin' on?" Max looked down over the balcony to see an amused looking Alec, a smirking Erin and a pale faced Logan.

"There's a… there's something I need to… I remember I need to… bye!" Logan darted from HQ.

Alec chuckled as Erin picked up a screwdriver and began to put the mess back together.  Zack and Max came to join them.

"What was that about?" Max stared after Logan.

Dix chuckled form his workstation "Logan again.  He couldn't remember how to get his old computer up and running.  Wouldn't let anyone else touch it."

"Yeah, thanks man" Alec slapped Zack on the back "you scared him away." 

Zack smiled slightly and Max focused on Erin.

"So Erin, you know a bit about old computers?"

Erin continued to work "A bit."

"You're not very talkative" Zack stated as Erin crouched down and began to plug lots of things in.

She shrugged "I don't talk to people who slam me up against walls.  Is that the way you say thank you to everyone or am I just an exception?"

Zack ignored Max and Alec's questioning looks and shrugged "I didn't know who you were.  You could've been working for the enemy.  You were being mysterious."

Erin grinned and straightened, screwing a panel back into place "Yeah, I'm real mysterious."

She put the screwdriver down and looked at them "What d'you wanna know?"

 "Where are you from?" Max ventured and Erin began to straighten the computer parts.

"The Midlands mostly" Erin smiled slightly "I suppose my accent isn't exactly obvious.  I was originally from the South but I moved when I was 10 to live with my grandparents.  I planned on…" Erin stopped talking when she turned on the computer.

Her face paled even more as she stared at the laptop screen.  Erin stared in total horror at the most horrendous sight she'd ever witnessed.  It was disgusting, totally wrong and should never be seen by the eyes of anything living on the planet.  Erin wouldn't even wish this sight on her worst enemy.

"What's wrong?" Alec moved around the desk and stopped. "That's wrong.  Just so, so wrong."  Alec's face mirrored her own as he stared "I'm gonna puke…"

"What?" Max and Zack moved to join them and they stopped.

There, on the screen was a picture of Logan Cale.  A picture of a very naked Logan Cale.  Pot marked and hairy, it was horrific.  He had a coy smile on his face as he looked directly at the camera baring all.   The words underneath read:

"Who could resist me?"

The real life version walked in and stopped when they looked up at him "What?"

Next chapter: Closer To You…

"I think you and I got off on the wrong foot"…

"You mean, with you acting like an ass because you thought I was the enemy?"

A/N: What can I say?  They could only afford bread?

Tramps-Like-Us: Where's the angry mob?  Obviously there weren't enough Sketchy lovers out there. *shrugs* Sorry dude