Part Two - Discoveries
ALEC
I woke up this morning feeling strange. All my senses were on full alert. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. I looked around the room, trying to detect any danger that might be lurking there. I couldn't pick up on anything. I ventured out into my living room. Again, nothing.
I shrugged off the feeling though there was still a peculiar awareness, akin to fear, in the pit of my stomach. I headed for the shower, hoping that the strong, hot spray would help dispel the uneasiness I felt.
10 minutes later and no less uneasy, I dressed, grabbed my backpack, and headed out to work.
Upon reaching Jam Pony, I strolled inside, catching a glimpse of Cindy and Sketchy huddled near the lockers. They seemed to be having a hushed yet heated conversation. I strode over to them.
"Morning Sketch, Cin!" I greeted them, smiling. Sketchy turned to me, his face suffused with hurt and anger. I stepped back, confused by my friend's reaction. "Jeez Sketch, I know you're not a morning person, but come on man it's just a greeting!" I said, flashing my trademark smirk. "Besides, isn't that Max's reaction? Can't go stealing her spotlight, Sketch. She's likely to beat your ass!"
Sketchy just looked at me, long and hard. Turning on his foot he walked away without saying a word.
"Cindy? What the HELL is going on?" I asked, getting angry.
She looked at me, head tilted to one side, as if debating whether or not to answer. "Baby boo," she said quietly, her voice harsh to my ears. "You done wrong. Big-time wrong."
"What are you talking…" I began as Normal's voice washed over us.
"Where the hell is Missy-Miss this morning? You tell her she can look for a new job. She's been late one too many times!" he grunted, looking at Cindy. "Now, bip bip bip, people! These packages won't deliver themselves you know!" With that he turned away.
"Cindy, where IS Max? Doesn't she know Normal's all over her ass?"
She turned to me and said quietly "She's exactly where you told her to be. She's gone." Cindy gave me one last pointed look and walked off.
I stood rooted to the ground in shock. The strange feeling in the pit of my stomach was growing stronger by the second. Oh my god, I thought as my feelings spun wildly out of control. Max gone? But why? Where would she go? What did OC mean Max is where I told her to be? Gone?
Then memories of the past few weeks flashed in my mind's eye. Max coming up to me in Crash saying she wanted to talk. Max open and vulnerable as she told me she loves me. Me throwing her out of my apartment, not willing to believe it possible that she shared my feelings. Me ignoring her. The sadness in Max's eyes as the days passed. And now she was gone. Oh god, what have I done?
I looked around quickly hoping to find Biggs. He must be off on a run. I reached for my cell phone and hit speed dial. The voice on the other end of the line bellowed out.
"Hey, man!"
"Biggs? Alec. I need to talk. Meet me at my place in 20?" I hung up before he has a chance to answer, calling out to Normal as I left. "Normal, I'm taking the day off." And with that, I hurried out of Jam Pony and went home.
Biggs arrived just moments after I let myself into my apartment. He took a step into the room and sat down on my ragged couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. He looked at me, concern evident in his eyes.
"So, shoot."
"God, Biggs. I fucked up. I screwed up bad." I said, lowering my head into my hands.
"Whadya do?"
"It's about Max." I said finally.
"Damn it, Alec. It's ALWAYS about Max. What did she accuse you of this time?" he retorted angrily.
"That's just it man. She didn't accuse me of anything."
His face scrunched in confusion. "Okaaaay. Now I'm really confused."
"Biggs, did you ever get the feeling that Max thought of me in any way other than as a friend?" My voice sounded a bit strained even to my own ears.
"Hell yeah, Alec! She's totally hot for you. She'll deny it till the day she dies, but come on! Totally obvious!"
"Obvious? She kicks me to the ground on a daily basis, insults me, calls me every name under the sun and its obvious? Which of us needs to get our head checked here?" I replied, more confused now than I was before.
"God, the two of you are impossible! You follow her around totally whipped, she pretends she can't stand you but makes every effort to touch you without making it noticeable. There's electricity between you two that could power the city of Seattle! Everyone can tell! You guys are an explosion waiting to happen, Alec. You've gotta be blind not to see it!"
"Shit, shit, shit! I totally fucked up!" I whispered as I banged my head against the wall.
Biggs stared at me, alarmed at my actions. "Get a grip, man! What are you talking about?" he asked, coming to stand by my side.
"She came to me…I…oh, god, what have I done..." I slid heavily down the wall to the ground, cradling my head in my one hand, the other repeatedly denting the floor.
Biggs reached out to grab my hand and barked, "WHAT?"
I glanced up at him before averting my eyes. "She told me she loved me and I sent her away." I lowered my head again and retreated into silence.
Awareness slowly dawning on him, Biggs maked himself scarce, knowing I needed my space and some time alone. I had nothing to say anyway. I wouldn't know how to say it even if I had the words. The only thought in my mind was that I turned away the one woman I loved because of my mistrust. And I may have lost her for good.
Biggs walked down the street deep in thought. Those two need help. A slow grin stole across his face. Yeah, that's it. And I know exactly what to do.
Arriving at her door, Biggs knocked softly. The door slowly opened to reveal a disheveled Cindy and an angry Sketchy. Looking back and forth between the two, the handsome X5 asked "Can I come in? We need to talk."
Stepping back from the door, Cindy motioned him inside.
"Whatcha wanna talk 'bout, boo?" she said tiredly. "Can I getcha anythin'?"
Biggs waved her off as he took a seat on the couch next to Sketchy.
"Guys," he started "We have a problem."
"You're telling me?" Sketchy interjected angrily. "Max is gone, man. Gone! He made her feel like shit and she's gone. She left! She was one of my closest friends and now she's gone. GONE! God, I hate Alec right now!" he fumed, pounding his fists into the couch cushion on his lap.
Left? Oh god, she actually left the city! So that's what Alec meant!
"Sketch, Alec's hurting real bad right now. Max surprised him. Alec thought she was playing him and god knows we can't hold it against him if he didn't believe her!" Biggs let out a deep breath before continuing. "Max hasn't always been exactly friendly towards him! If the girl I was hung up on beat me up day in and day out and then, out of the blue declared her love for me, I'd be running for the hills too!" he paused, waiting for his words to sink in.
Cindy nodded in agreement. "My boo always had a thing for Alec, Biggs. She just don't know how to break it down. That and Roller-Boy being all up in her face all the time didn't make it no easier on her!" She looked at Biggs sadly. "Max finally got the courage to tell Hot Boy what she felt and he went and told her to get gone. That's gotta hurt. So she did just what she always does when she's scared. She ran."
Sketchy was deep in thought. It made sense. Both of them were scared. Hell, in all the time he'd known Max she'd never had a serious relationship, other than with Logan. And we all know what a 'relationship' THAT was. Non-existent. Even by Max's own admission, they 'weren't like that'.
He looked pointedly at Biggs and then Cindy. "So, we gonna do something about this or what?" he suggested, winking conspiratorially. "We've gotta get our girl back and get those two together!"
The three of them laughed as they put their heads together and began to scheme.
Meanwhile on the road – MAX
I hurtled down the highway at breakneck speed, trying to make good time as I traveled from city to city. All the leads I had on my siblings turned up nothing and the growing sense of failure ate at me like acid.
I had been traveling for weeks. From Seattle to Tacoma, then through Olympia and finally over the border into Oregon; I drove without stopping. I'd finally stayed overnight in a motel when I reached Portland, the last known address of my brother Ash. I was disappointed but not defeated as I found no trace of him in the city. I continued on my journey.
I passed through Salem, Eugene and Sexton before reaching the state line of California. Traveling by night, I raced down the highway, just me and my thoughts, the roads clear and the air crisp. I replayed memories, pleasant memories, of my childhood. I laughed as I recalled the antics of my siblings, the good times we shared, the comfortable feeling of togetherness and love.
It was the night that I vowed to see them again, to experience the love of my family once more that I was made to see how impossible that dream might be. For on that night, the night I arrived in Sacramento, I found Krit and Syl.
Never in a million years would I have imagined our reunion to be like this.
As I approached the city, I slowed down. The sign on my right said "Welcome to Sacramento". I pulled out my map, consulting it for the quickest route into the city center. Krit and Syl were living in Sacramento and I hadn't seen them in almost a year, since we blew up the DNA lab at Manticore. I knew they thought I was dead and I hoped to give them a pleasant surprise.
I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I missed the slick spot on the road and I slid, my bike spinning out of control. I hit a guard rail and suddenly my world went black.
I woke up in a strange room. Blinking hard, my surroundings slowly came into focus. I was in a hospital. Thankful for my foresight, I knew my barcode wasn't visible, having been lasered off just days before. I was safe for a while. Until the hospital ran tests and blood work. I groaned inwardly. Shit. This is one mess I really don't need right now! I couldn't help but think as a nurse walked into the room, smiling at me.
"Good morning" she said cheerily. "So you're awake! Looks like you're healing just fine. We should have your test results back shortly. How are you feeling?" she asked as she went about her business, checking my vitals and stats.
"Where am I?" I asked, still slightly dizzy. "What happened to me?"
"Mercy General. You've been out for a few hours. You crashed your motorcycle. Slid on some oil. You should sue the city!" she chuckled lightly. "I'm Mandy, by the way. Do you have a doctor I can call to relay your info?"
I thought about Sam Carr. I could call him. But that would mean giving away my location, and the last thing I wanted was for Logan, or anyone else for that matter, to know where I was. But at the same time I realized that Sam could help me get out of this mess.
"Dr. Sam Carr. His contact number is on my cell phone. Side coat pocket," I replied. "Can I talk to him first though?" I asked warily, dreading what could go wrong if I didn't explain the situation to him first.
"Thanks. Let me get that. And yeah, sure you can." Mandy took my phone and retrieved the number, dialing.
A tired voice answered. "Hello? Sam Carr here."
I motioned to Mandy that I would prefer to take the call in private. She nodded and left the room.
"Sam, its me, Max."
"Max! Is everything ok?" he asked, suddenly alert and concerned.
"I've had an accident. I'm at Mercy General in Sacramento. Sam, I need your help. They've done blood work and I don't know how long I have before someone finds me out."
The silence on the other end of the line told me he was deep in thought. "Max, don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything."
"Thanks Sam, you're a lifesaver, literally. Oh, the nurse is here. She wants to speak to you." With that, I handed Mandy the phone, finally allowing myself to relax and my body to continue healing itself.
I nodded off into a restless sleep. Images of Alec, Logan, Cindy, Sketchy and Biggs filling my dreams.
I was awoken by screams and shouts, the sound of running feet and general pandemonium. I blocked out the sounds of the many machines in my room and focused on the noise outside my door.
"…two of them…shot…transgenic filth!...I WON'T treat them, they deserve to die.." I heard a voice yelling.
"Not…treat them!…agents coming…White…" another voice interjected.
Oh God, no! Not White! Not here! More transgenics in trouble! The thoughts spun in my head. I had to get out. NOW.
I rose into a sitting position, swinging my feet over the side of the bed. I stopped in my tracks as I heard two single shots fired. The screams that followed should have been warning enough, but I jumped off the bed and ran to the door. I had to see for myself.
Opening the door a crack, I looked out into the hallway. There was blood splattered on the walls, the floors slick with it. Puddles were forming around the upper bodies of what must be the two transgenics the doctors had been discussing. With my enhanced vision, I stared at them as my body grew cold and still. I stifled the sobs welling up in my throat as I looked out at the remains of the two transgenics lying still on the floor.
Our reunion.
Krit and Syl.
Dead.
And I fainted.
