Chapter 23 – day one
What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?
…
'13
0500
"I'm bored." Max whined in Alec's ear. "Are we there yet?"
"Max, we've only been in the car for an hour. We've still got another seventeen hours drive left."
"So? I'm still bored."
"You're a genetically enhanced soldier, trained to sit for hours in the pitch black, in silence, and you're bored?"
"Yes."
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it."
"You can think of something for me to do."
"Like what Max?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."
"Well I have no idea. Why don't you turn on the radio and listen to that."
"The radio? How do I turn it on?"
"Push that button. Then select the channel you want to listen to. Or you could see if there are any CD's in our gear, and listen to that."
"Oh. Give me a minute."
Max undid her seatbelt and turned around in her seat. There were three bags on the backseat, one full of clothes, the other two with equipment. In one of the bags she found a portable CD player and a stack of CDs. She grabbed them and pulled them out, and turned around again. With the CDs in her lap, she read the titles out to Alec.
"Ok, we have Mozart, Beethoven, Moulin Rouge, the Corrs, the Beetles and Avril Lavigne. What do you want? Wait a minute, there's one more. It's...Alec, do you remember that dream?"
"What dream Max?"
"The one we had when we were out in the forest, being rewarded for doing the mission."
"Well, yeah. How could I forget? Why?"
"You remember the start? How I was dancing with that Logan guy?"
"Yeah. Max, just spit it out."
"We were listening to a song by Sibelius. And I have his CD here."
"So?"
"Don't you think it's weird? The music I heard in that dream turning up in our gear, that Manticore selected for us?"
"I guess you have a point. Put it away Max. We'll listen to something else."
"What?"
"How about that Moulin Rouge one. Try that."
"Ok." Max shoved Sibelius' CD onto the backseat, before opening the glove box. She put all of the CDs in there, except for Moulin Rouge, which she opened, and put the CD into the CD player.
"Do you want to listen to the whole thing, or just some songs?" Max asked Alec.
"How about we listen to every song, but if we don't like it, then we can skip it?"
"Okay."
The music started, but Max and Alec quickly got bored with the first song, and the second, but left the third to play most of the way through. It wasn't until they came to the 10th song that they listened to the whole song. When it finished, Max hit the repeat button.
"What are you doing Max?"
"I like this song. Sing it with me?"
"I can't sing."
"So? I can't either."
"You're dreaming if you think I'm going to sing along with a pre-pulse song from a movie about the Moulin Rouge."
"No fair. Oh well, I'll sing it."
'Love is a many splendid thing
Love lifts us up where we belong
All you need is love
Please don't start that again
All you need is love...'
By the time Max had gotten through her third rendition, Alec had joined in, singing alone with Max. When they finished, Max hit the pause button, and turned and looked at Alec.
"That was fun wasn't it Alec?" Max asked slyly.
"Well..." A slight smile appeared on Alec's face.
"See! You enjoyed it!"
"Ok, ok. It was moderately fun."
"You're lying."
"Okay...It was the best fun I've had in ages."
"Now that's more likely. Shall we do it again?"
They spent the next hour singing along with the rest of the songs on the CD. When they came to a small town, Max stopped the music.
"Alec?"
"Yeah Max?"
"I'm hungry."
"Max, we ate three hours ago."
"So? That food tastes like crap. We have money, Alec, we can buy something decent to eat."
"But we don't need food."
"So? That's not the point Alec. Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"Jeez Max, not the pout! Now I'll have to say yes."
"Thank you Alec!"
…
2200 hours – Portland
Alec parked the car outside of the hotel that they were staying at. It was a two-story building that didn't look quite as run down as the rest of the town. Alec got out of the car, and gathered their gear from the backseat before locking Max in. He took their gear inside, got their key, and took it all up their the second floor room. He then walked back downstairs and out to the car. Unlocking Max's door, Alec undid her seat belt for her, and then picked her up in his arms. Shutting and locking the door behind him, Alec started back into the hotel. When he reached the stairs, Max stirred.
"What? Where?" Max asked, looking at Alec through sleepy eyes.
"Shh, Max. Go back to sleep. We're at the hotel. You need to sleep."
"Mm-kay."
Alec laughed to himself as Max turned her head back into his chest, and fell asleep once more. When he reached the room, he placed her on one of the beds. After taking off her shoes, he pulled the covers back, and shifted her so she lay under the covers. Satisfied that she was asleep, Alec got changed and got into his own bed, and fell asleep immediately.