A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed, I'm glad you like it so far! I do
have a vague idea for where I wanna take this, but I could use a little
reader input. Please leave a review letting me know how big a role you
would Kayla to have in this story and where you want Max and Logan to end
up (i.e.- married, engaged, just together, etc.). Like I said, I have a
vague idea of what I want, but this could go in so many directions right
now, your vote would be really appreciated.
And since I was asked- the priest and priestess in this story are the ones
seen on DA. The priest was seen at the end of Exposure and the priestess is
the older one we saw in several eps (the one that told Max about how they'd
all 'proven themselves'). So no, they're not new characters just made up
for this fic. They might be given names at some point in the future, but
for now they will remain nameless as they were on the show.
________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 2: All About You
"So what are you gonna do now?" Original Cindy asked Max later that night as they washed the dishes together after dinner.
"Well, Logan's been looking into some private schools for Lex in the fall," Max answered. "I think the final decision will be hers, she'll be the one going there everyday."
"You know damn well what Original Cindy means," Cindy narrowed her eyes.
Sighing, Max's shoulders dropped in defeat, "I don't know where we'll take it from here."
"May Original Cindy suggest the altar," Cindy more stated than asked.
"OC!" Max smirked at her boo's frankness. After a beat she continued, "I don't know how fast Logan and I are gonna take this. We wanna be together, and he and Lex seem to be hitting off well, but a wedding is one of the last things in my mind right now. I mean, we had one night of being more than just friends, and now we've only been like that for about a month."
"Yet you two have fourteen year old baby girl together."
"I just wanna have as much of a normal life as I can right now," Max tried to close the subject.
Original Cindy just shot her the same look she used to when Max would deny her love for Logan, "Whatever you say, boo."
"I think I'll go unpack," Max headed off towards the bedroom before Cindy had a chance to push the subject of her and Logan any further.
"You do that sugga," she gave a teasing smile at Max's back. Hearing the TV turn on, she made her way into the living room to see who was in there. "What the heck are you watching?" Original Cindy sat down on the couch next to Lex.
"Yu-Gi-Oh," Lex answered without looking away from the TV. "Unpacked the DVDs."
"Original Cindy ain't neva heard of this movie before," Cindy was confused as to what was going on.
"It's not a movie, it's a show. Well, it was anyway. See, that's Yugi right there. And the guy he's playing against is Kaiba. They're playing Duel Monsters, it's a card game, and Yugi is trying to defeat Seto Kaiba to send is evil side to the Shadow Lands," Lex explained as if it was common knowledge. When Original Cindy looked at her as if she was speaking Latin, Lex laughed, "Yeah, I'm a major anime addict."
"So is this your favorite show?" Cindy tried to unlock the mystery that was Lex.
"My fave anime show? Probably, at least it's one of my favorites. But I've always had a soft spot for Sailor Moon. Some of the darker ones are good, but they could never be aired on TV, most of them are too violent or something," she laughed. As an uncomfortable silence settled between the two, Lex turned to Cindy, "Go ahead. Ask me whatever you wanna know."
"Fo' real?" Original Cindy asked as Lex nodded. "Ok, um, when's your birthday?"
"December 6th."
"Favorite things?"
"Lots," Lex laughed. "Colors- black, silver, and red. Food- chicken fried rice and ramen. Band- The Strokes. Stuff to do- ride by bike, read, listen to music, tease Aunt Jondy, watch TV, and mess around online."
"You want a bike like yo' momma's some day?"
"You mean her Ninja? I already have one."
"And you expect Original Cindy to believe that you that?"
"Black and red Ninja 950, it's down in the parking garage right next to Mom's and Jondy's Vulcan," Lex replied honestly.
"Damn, yo' daddy was right when he said 'baby boo' didn't fit you," Cindy shook her head in disbelief.
"Well, I'm sure you can think of something else," Lex grinned.
"Yeah, too bad 'Bulby' is already taken," Jondy rumpled Lex's hair as she climbed over the back of the couch. "Yu-Gi-Oh again? Damn, do you ever get sick of this show?" Jondy rolled her eyes as she saw the TV.
"Yes," Lex smirked in mock-defense. "Sometimes it gets a little too happy," she stuck her tongue out.
"Bulby?" Original Cindy was confused, and deep down a little jealous of the bond the two obviously had.
"Yeah, when she was one, she couldn't say "blueberry", which was her favorite kind of muffin. So every time I'd take her down to the coffee shop where Max worked, she'd point to the container and ask for a 'bulby' instead," Jondy laughed.
"Do you want me to start going down the list of nicknames you've been given over the years?" Lex threatened Jondy.
"You wouldn't dare," Jondy challenged.
"Try me. And don't forget who can kick whose ass, here. I may be half human but the hybrid has surpassed the original," Lex stated with a cocky smirk.
Jondy opened her mouth with a rebuttal, but closed it, knowing that what Lex had just said was true. Original Cindy looked on, wanting to say something to join in the banter, but having no idea where to start.
"Well," Lex sighed, interrupting Original Cindy's thoughts and turning off the TV. "I'm bored. I think I'll go explore Seattle for a little while. Tell Mom I'll be back," she said to Jondy as she picked up her jacket and grabbed her keys.
"You got your cell phone?" Jondy asked. As Lex nodded and held it up, Jondy gave a nod back, "Come back in one piece."
Shocked at what she'd just heard, Original Cindy turned to Jondy when she heard the front door shut, "You're letting a fourteen year old go out alone in Seattle after dark?! Have you lost your mind?"
"What?" Jondy was taken back by Cindy's reaction. "Lex can handle herself. You think Max can kick ass, you should see her go at it. She's not stupid, she knows not to use all her abilities." Seeing that Cindy didn't seem to be relieved at all, Jondy added, "Look, don't worry, She'll be fine, you'll see. The more you get to know her, you'll see she's more like a twenty year old."
"Original Cindy still don't like this," Cindy mumbled under her breath.
"Max isn't the only one with hypersensitive hearing you know," Jondy hinted to Cindy with a laugh, hearing what she said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You holding up ok?" Logan saw Max sitting on the bed, staring out at the night sky.
"I've been worse," Max tried to shake off her worried expression.
"Max, what's wrong?" Logan sat down next to her and tentatively put his arm around her shoulders.
Sighing, Max knew she'd have to come clean about what was running through her mind sooner or later, "Now I just keep thinking we shouldn't have come."
Logan felt his heart drop to his feet as he tried to cover up the look of hurt and disappointment that had come over his face, "What do you mean?"
"No, Logan its not that," Max caught the expression in Logan's eyes before he had attempted to mask it. Breathing deeply, she tried to explain herself, "I keep thinking that our coming here is going to get you killed. White's cult bitches aren't gonna just brush off his death like it was nothing; they're gonna want answers. And if they find whatever files he kept on me, guess who they're gonna come after. Then if they find out I came back for you, they'll kill you, too. That is, if they don't just kill you for being with me in the first place."
Logan took a minute to let Max's words sink in before shaking his head, "Max, we've been through this before. You've always had and always will have people after you, that's nothing new, and I'm not loosing you because if it. If the familiars show up, we can have every transgenic in Seattle ready to take them out."
"They're still here?" Max was slightly surprised. She'd expected most of them to flee the city at the first chance they got.
"Yeah, they set up their own little town in Terminal City," Logan answered. "Joshua even moved there a few months after you left," he added.
"Joshua?" Max suddenly felt guilty. In the entire emotional overload that day, she'd never once asked about him. "How's he doing?"
"He's fine, same as he always was," Logan smiled. "Misses you like crazy, though. I see him every now and then and every time he asks if you're coming back."
"Guess I'll be going to Terminal City tomorrow," Max snorted.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Olympia, Washington
"Is there any new information on 452?" the priest asked as he walked into the old warehouse.
"No, we haven't found anything yet," McKinley answered as he tensed up.
"She'll pay for what she's done," the priest threatened. "Remember, I want them alive."
"Why not just kill the transgenics and get it over with?" Senator McKinley asked, eager to just end the situation as quickly as possible.
"Because we want them for research. We never did find out how far Sandeman's work at Manticore progressed and she's the key to finding out," he explained. "If we can find out how she could be exposed to the pathogen in the snakes and show no symptoms, let alone not get sick, and whether or not she was able to pass those antibodies onto her offspring, then we might be able to stop whatever Sandeman had planned."
"And what if we can't?"
"Either way, she and the girl will be killed when the testing is finished. After 452 and her offspring are dead, the threat is gone. Fe'nos tol."
"Fe'nos tol," McKinley turned back towards his car.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Terminal City
"Hey Joshua," Alec sauntered into the converted warehouse Joshua lived in.
"Alec," Joshua greeted him back.
"What's that you're working on?" Alec walked around the canvas in front of Joshua.
"Little Fella," Joshua answered somberly, continuing to paint yet another picture of Max.
Max was sitting on her Ninja, the lights and buildings blurring into a brilliant sea behind her. There was an empty look in her eyes as she focused on something out of the picture, as if she was charting a path she didn't want to travel.
"I know you miss her, Josh, but I'm sure she'll come back some day," Alec tried to offer him words of comfort.
"No," Joshua shook his head. "Logan says that, Original Cindy says that, you say that, but Little Fella still gone."
"Hey, Alec," Dix called to him from in front of several computer screens. "Come take a look at this."
Alec walked over to Dix as he pointed out an image of a girl climbing up the fence around Terminal City.
"I wouldn't worry about it," he said. "There's two feet of barbed wire on top if that fence, it's not like she could ever- " he stopped short as the girl effortlessly flipped herself over the barbed wire and landed flawlessly on the ground below, "clear it," he squeaked. "Ok, everybody at their stations out there, we have an unknown girl in the city," Alec shouted out to all the transgenics in the warehouse, "Don't hurt her, I wanna see how she cleared the fence."
"You think she could be an X-series?" Dix questioned.
Alec shook his head, "No, the youngest X-series we have here are X8s and they're all in their 20s now, this girl's a teenager. And watch the way she's looking around, like she's never been here before."
"Then if she's a human, how did she clear the wire like that?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Alec grabbed a gun and followed the transgenic militia outside. ________________________________________________________________________
A/N: I had several people share my opinion that the first chapter was a little weak, or at least the characterization. I just didn't really know where to start, but I promise, it'll get better from here. Now that I've gotten the ball rolling, the chapters will come more easily, too. Please leave a review with your votes on the stuff from the first author's note (where M/L will end up and Kayla's role.) Thanks in advance to all those who click the purple button!
Chapter 2: All About You
"So what are you gonna do now?" Original Cindy asked Max later that night as they washed the dishes together after dinner.
"Well, Logan's been looking into some private schools for Lex in the fall," Max answered. "I think the final decision will be hers, she'll be the one going there everyday."
"You know damn well what Original Cindy means," Cindy narrowed her eyes.
Sighing, Max's shoulders dropped in defeat, "I don't know where we'll take it from here."
"May Original Cindy suggest the altar," Cindy more stated than asked.
"OC!" Max smirked at her boo's frankness. After a beat she continued, "I don't know how fast Logan and I are gonna take this. We wanna be together, and he and Lex seem to be hitting off well, but a wedding is one of the last things in my mind right now. I mean, we had one night of being more than just friends, and now we've only been like that for about a month."
"Yet you two have fourteen year old baby girl together."
"I just wanna have as much of a normal life as I can right now," Max tried to close the subject.
Original Cindy just shot her the same look she used to when Max would deny her love for Logan, "Whatever you say, boo."
"I think I'll go unpack," Max headed off towards the bedroom before Cindy had a chance to push the subject of her and Logan any further.
"You do that sugga," she gave a teasing smile at Max's back. Hearing the TV turn on, she made her way into the living room to see who was in there. "What the heck are you watching?" Original Cindy sat down on the couch next to Lex.
"Yu-Gi-Oh," Lex answered without looking away from the TV. "Unpacked the DVDs."
"Original Cindy ain't neva heard of this movie before," Cindy was confused as to what was going on.
"It's not a movie, it's a show. Well, it was anyway. See, that's Yugi right there. And the guy he's playing against is Kaiba. They're playing Duel Monsters, it's a card game, and Yugi is trying to defeat Seto Kaiba to send is evil side to the Shadow Lands," Lex explained as if it was common knowledge. When Original Cindy looked at her as if she was speaking Latin, Lex laughed, "Yeah, I'm a major anime addict."
"So is this your favorite show?" Cindy tried to unlock the mystery that was Lex.
"My fave anime show? Probably, at least it's one of my favorites. But I've always had a soft spot for Sailor Moon. Some of the darker ones are good, but they could never be aired on TV, most of them are too violent or something," she laughed. As an uncomfortable silence settled between the two, Lex turned to Cindy, "Go ahead. Ask me whatever you wanna know."
"Fo' real?" Original Cindy asked as Lex nodded. "Ok, um, when's your birthday?"
"December 6th."
"Favorite things?"
"Lots," Lex laughed. "Colors- black, silver, and red. Food- chicken fried rice and ramen. Band- The Strokes. Stuff to do- ride by bike, read, listen to music, tease Aunt Jondy, watch TV, and mess around online."
"You want a bike like yo' momma's some day?"
"You mean her Ninja? I already have one."
"And you expect Original Cindy to believe that you that?"
"Black and red Ninja 950, it's down in the parking garage right next to Mom's and Jondy's Vulcan," Lex replied honestly.
"Damn, yo' daddy was right when he said 'baby boo' didn't fit you," Cindy shook her head in disbelief.
"Well, I'm sure you can think of something else," Lex grinned.
"Yeah, too bad 'Bulby' is already taken," Jondy rumpled Lex's hair as she climbed over the back of the couch. "Yu-Gi-Oh again? Damn, do you ever get sick of this show?" Jondy rolled her eyes as she saw the TV.
"Yes," Lex smirked in mock-defense. "Sometimes it gets a little too happy," she stuck her tongue out.
"Bulby?" Original Cindy was confused, and deep down a little jealous of the bond the two obviously had.
"Yeah, when she was one, she couldn't say "blueberry", which was her favorite kind of muffin. So every time I'd take her down to the coffee shop where Max worked, she'd point to the container and ask for a 'bulby' instead," Jondy laughed.
"Do you want me to start going down the list of nicknames you've been given over the years?" Lex threatened Jondy.
"You wouldn't dare," Jondy challenged.
"Try me. And don't forget who can kick whose ass, here. I may be half human but the hybrid has surpassed the original," Lex stated with a cocky smirk.
Jondy opened her mouth with a rebuttal, but closed it, knowing that what Lex had just said was true. Original Cindy looked on, wanting to say something to join in the banter, but having no idea where to start.
"Well," Lex sighed, interrupting Original Cindy's thoughts and turning off the TV. "I'm bored. I think I'll go explore Seattle for a little while. Tell Mom I'll be back," she said to Jondy as she picked up her jacket and grabbed her keys.
"You got your cell phone?" Jondy asked. As Lex nodded and held it up, Jondy gave a nod back, "Come back in one piece."
Shocked at what she'd just heard, Original Cindy turned to Jondy when she heard the front door shut, "You're letting a fourteen year old go out alone in Seattle after dark?! Have you lost your mind?"
"What?" Jondy was taken back by Cindy's reaction. "Lex can handle herself. You think Max can kick ass, you should see her go at it. She's not stupid, she knows not to use all her abilities." Seeing that Cindy didn't seem to be relieved at all, Jondy added, "Look, don't worry, She'll be fine, you'll see. The more you get to know her, you'll see she's more like a twenty year old."
"Original Cindy still don't like this," Cindy mumbled under her breath.
"Max isn't the only one with hypersensitive hearing you know," Jondy hinted to Cindy with a laugh, hearing what she said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You holding up ok?" Logan saw Max sitting on the bed, staring out at the night sky.
"I've been worse," Max tried to shake off her worried expression.
"Max, what's wrong?" Logan sat down next to her and tentatively put his arm around her shoulders.
Sighing, Max knew she'd have to come clean about what was running through her mind sooner or later, "Now I just keep thinking we shouldn't have come."
Logan felt his heart drop to his feet as he tried to cover up the look of hurt and disappointment that had come over his face, "What do you mean?"
"No, Logan its not that," Max caught the expression in Logan's eyes before he had attempted to mask it. Breathing deeply, she tried to explain herself, "I keep thinking that our coming here is going to get you killed. White's cult bitches aren't gonna just brush off his death like it was nothing; they're gonna want answers. And if they find whatever files he kept on me, guess who they're gonna come after. Then if they find out I came back for you, they'll kill you, too. That is, if they don't just kill you for being with me in the first place."
Logan took a minute to let Max's words sink in before shaking his head, "Max, we've been through this before. You've always had and always will have people after you, that's nothing new, and I'm not loosing you because if it. If the familiars show up, we can have every transgenic in Seattle ready to take them out."
"They're still here?" Max was slightly surprised. She'd expected most of them to flee the city at the first chance they got.
"Yeah, they set up their own little town in Terminal City," Logan answered. "Joshua even moved there a few months after you left," he added.
"Joshua?" Max suddenly felt guilty. In the entire emotional overload that day, she'd never once asked about him. "How's he doing?"
"He's fine, same as he always was," Logan smiled. "Misses you like crazy, though. I see him every now and then and every time he asks if you're coming back."
"Guess I'll be going to Terminal City tomorrow," Max snorted.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Olympia, Washington
"Is there any new information on 452?" the priest asked as he walked into the old warehouse.
"No, we haven't found anything yet," McKinley answered as he tensed up.
"She'll pay for what she's done," the priest threatened. "Remember, I want them alive."
"Why not just kill the transgenics and get it over with?" Senator McKinley asked, eager to just end the situation as quickly as possible.
"Because we want them for research. We never did find out how far Sandeman's work at Manticore progressed and she's the key to finding out," he explained. "If we can find out how she could be exposed to the pathogen in the snakes and show no symptoms, let alone not get sick, and whether or not she was able to pass those antibodies onto her offspring, then we might be able to stop whatever Sandeman had planned."
"And what if we can't?"
"Either way, she and the girl will be killed when the testing is finished. After 452 and her offspring are dead, the threat is gone. Fe'nos tol."
"Fe'nos tol," McKinley turned back towards his car.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Terminal City
"Hey Joshua," Alec sauntered into the converted warehouse Joshua lived in.
"Alec," Joshua greeted him back.
"What's that you're working on?" Alec walked around the canvas in front of Joshua.
"Little Fella," Joshua answered somberly, continuing to paint yet another picture of Max.
Max was sitting on her Ninja, the lights and buildings blurring into a brilliant sea behind her. There was an empty look in her eyes as she focused on something out of the picture, as if she was charting a path she didn't want to travel.
"I know you miss her, Josh, but I'm sure she'll come back some day," Alec tried to offer him words of comfort.
"No," Joshua shook his head. "Logan says that, Original Cindy says that, you say that, but Little Fella still gone."
"Hey, Alec," Dix called to him from in front of several computer screens. "Come take a look at this."
Alec walked over to Dix as he pointed out an image of a girl climbing up the fence around Terminal City.
"I wouldn't worry about it," he said. "There's two feet of barbed wire on top if that fence, it's not like she could ever- " he stopped short as the girl effortlessly flipped herself over the barbed wire and landed flawlessly on the ground below, "clear it," he squeaked. "Ok, everybody at their stations out there, we have an unknown girl in the city," Alec shouted out to all the transgenics in the warehouse, "Don't hurt her, I wanna see how she cleared the fence."
"You think she could be an X-series?" Dix questioned.
Alec shook his head, "No, the youngest X-series we have here are X8s and they're all in their 20s now, this girl's a teenager. And watch the way she's looking around, like she's never been here before."
"Then if she's a human, how did she clear the wire like that?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Alec grabbed a gun and followed the transgenic militia outside. ________________________________________________________________________
A/N: I had several people share my opinion that the first chapter was a little weak, or at least the characterization. I just didn't really know where to start, but I promise, it'll get better from here. Now that I've gotten the ball rolling, the chapters will come more easily, too. Please leave a review with your votes on the stuff from the first author's note (where M/L will end up and Kayla's role.) Thanks in advance to all those who click the purple button!