Logan was dead. The news still hadn't fully sunk in yet. Max couldn't believe it, she'd know if he was dead – wouldn't she?
The day had started out like any other. She'd gotten up, had something passing for breakfast and gone to work. She did her runs while listening to Normal gripe and ignored Alec. Then she'd received a page. The message simply said, "Come to Fogle Towers."
Max hadn't talked to Logan in over a week, not since she'd blown their latest chance to finally be together. Maybe Logan finally wanted to talk or maybe even (perish the thought) he'd discovered a way to get rid of the virus keeping them apart.
When she'd arrived at Logan's penthouse she was surprised to find Bling, Asha Barlow and Detective Matt Sung waiting for her. But no Logan. Asha was sitting against the kitchen table, her hand covering her mouth, apparently trying to stifle her sobbing. It was Bling who'd broken the news to her. Naturally she hadn't believed it at first. She would know if he was gone. But after Matt showed her pictures of his body and other physical evidence, the cold hard truth finally sank in. Max felt numb. Back at Manticore they taught her how to numb herself to pain. But this was different, she'd never felt so – empty.
At some point she ended up back at Jam Pony. Why she came back she didn't know. Shock probably, the need to get on with something routine to take her mind off the unthinkable.
Sketchy was the first to notice something was up with Max. That she was in pain was obvious. But this wasn't the cry on a good friend's shoulder pain. This was the type of pain that was one wrong word could result in severe bodily harm. And Calvin Simon Theodore was just person to say that one thing that would result with him missing several teeth and/or other body parts. There was only one way to handle this situation: keep your head down, stay out of Max's way and wait until Original Cindy got back from her run to defuse the time bomb that was Max. Sketchy did his best to prevent anyone from triggering the explosion.
"Hey Max," Alec said as he strutted back into Jam Pony from a run. "What's up with you? You and lover boy have a fight or something?"
And that was the trigger.
Anyone who saw the punch half expected to see Alec's head fly off and embed itself in the locker room wall. Instead witnesses were treated to a geyser of blood bursting from where his nose had once been. Alec, completely unprepared for (what he perceived as) an unwarranted assault, hit the floor hard. He used every swear word he could think of then made up few more as he tried to staunch the blood.
As Max stormed out of Jam Pony, Sketchy flattened himself and Druid against the wall as she stalked past.
"No fighting on the job," Normal reprimanded. "Sketchy, hot run, 396 Clancy. And somebody get Alec to Metro Medical. Druid, hot run, twenty-first and main. C'mon people – bip bip bip."
Max went straight home focusing her rage on Alec. She felt no remorse for slugging him – he'd had it coming with his selfish, self-serving attitude. He'd already proved that he'd gladly sell out every last one of their kind to save his own skin. If he wasn't Ben's clone twin, she'd have cut off all ties with him after burning down Manticore. Besides the anger kept her mind off Logan.
When she arrived the dilapidated apartment building she called home, she took the service elevator up to her floor and went straight to her apartment ignoring the greeting from her nieghbours.
As soon as the door closed she couldn't hold it in any more. Max let her bike fall to the floor and began to cry. Great gasping sobs erupted from her lungs as her own tears blinded her. So great were the emotions overwhelming her, her legs couldn't support her. She sank to the floor and just sat there letting the pain and grief consume her.
Max could just hear Zack and Lydecker berating her for his this show of weakness. Well fuck them. What the fuck did they know? The only man who'd always come through for her, who'd never let her down was dead and if she wanted to ball her eyes out she was damn well going to. Why did she have to be strong all the time? Other females were aloud to be weepy when there men died, so why couldn't she? No more miracle cures or wonders of modern science – Logan was gone and he wasn't coming back. So Max let the tears fall as this information sank in.
2 Hours Later
Original Cindy came straight home as soon as Sketchy told her what happened. With all the runs Normal put them on, Sketchy and her kept missing each other. The boy may have needed a good smack from time to time but not one that resulted in a shattered nose.
When she entered their apartment she found Max's bike lying carelessly on the floor and the shower running. Original Cindy followed the trail of discarded clothes to the bathroom and knocked tentatively on the door.
"Max," she called a couple of times before trying the door handle. It was unlocked. She entered cautiously, wary of being on the receiving end of Max's violent mood. "Max?"
Original Cindy slowly pulled the shower curtain to reveal Max sitting in the tub hugging her knees to her chest, staring dully forward was the water pelted her body and streaked down her body. She showed no reaction to Original Cindy's presence. OC turned off the shower and knelt down.
"Max."
Again Max didn't react to Cindy's enquiry. Now Cindy was worried. She'd never seen Max like this – so dead to the world. She grasped her friend's hand and said urgently, "Max! Boo please tell me what's wrong."
Max said nothing for a full minute before replying emotionlessly, "Logan's dead."
Original Cindy was taken aback by her response. "Damn. You sure?"
"Wouldn't say it if it wasn't."
"Oh boo, I'm sorry-"
Max suddenly stood up and got out of the tub. Damn, OC thought as her mind took a snapshot of Max's wet nude body. Max quickly toweled herself down and dashed out of the bathroom.
"Max," Original Max called after her. "Where're you going?"
Cindy tried to keep her mind off of Max's fine form as her friend ducked into her room and came out a moment later dressed in black jeans and halter top. As she threw on her leather jacket, Original Cindy again asked, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Logan's killers," Max said in a voice that froze Original Cindy's blood, as she guided her ninja towards the door. "And pay them back in full."
To Be Continued…