"White's SWAT team isn't here. Not surprising with all of the other X-5s to keep tabs on." Logan mentally prepared himself to break into his friend's house, hoping that Carr really hadn't been yet another enemy.
Max peered into the windows of Carr's house, using her cat vision to discern the shapes of furniture in the living room. She had checked the area for hoverdrones, but it seemed the police had also moved on. She motioned to Logan to enter the house first and kept an eye out for curious watchers as she stepped through the door behind him. They went through every room, checking drawers and closets for anything to prove, or hopefully somehow disprove, Carr's involvement with White.
Max guided her flashlight around Carr's office, noting the crooked "1962 Seattle World's Fair" poster above the desk. Logan walked in behind her and said, "The safe is behind the poster, but if White has been here, I'm sure whatever was in it is gone." Logan opened the safe and showed Max that it was empty.
"Is there another place he would've kept stuff? Maybe a place where no one would think to look?" Max looked at Logan, hoping for a good answer.
"I really don't know, Max. Where would you hide something that was too important to put in a safe?"
"I'd leave clues that lead to the treasure box," Max said sarcastically, "with a big red X marking the spot."
The light bulb in Logan's head suddenly went off. "Max, Sam has an X-Men poster in the living room!"
The blank look on Max's face told Logan that she had no idea what he was getting at. "Max, it's like a treasure hunt."
"Great." Max rolled her eyes and followed Logan into the living room.
Logan took the poster off the wall and examined the back.
Max saw Logan's face go from excited to disappointed. "Well? What did you find?"
"Nothing. There's nothing here!" Logan whispered incredulously.
"What do we do now? Raid the cabinets and rip apart the mattress?" Max walked into the bedroom, ripping the sheets and pillows off the bed. She felt something in one of the pillows, and upon removing it from the case, found a piece of crumpled up paper.
Logan looked at Max skeptically. "Max, what in the world are you doing?"
"In the pillow?" Really? Max couldn't believe Sam would be so lame.
Logan inquired again. "What's in the pillow?" Logan stood next to Max and finally saw what she was talking about. "Oh, a clue."
Max sighed. "You read it. As much as I find this type of thing exhilaratingly amusing, I'm tired of playing hide-and-seek. This is life or death."
Instead of reading what was on the note, Logan lead Max into the kitchen.
"Where's this clue? In the freezer? Stuck in the ice cream?" Max stood with her hands on her hips.
"Don't be silly, Max. It's under this." Logan pointed to the bottom of the fridge.
"You're kidding me. You got this from his clue? It's under the heaviest appliance he could find? Are you sure you had nothing to do with this?"
"Pretty sure. Now are you gonna help me or do I have to do all the dirty work myself?" Logan was already feeling around the fridge for a hold.
"Move over, cyber man. Let the X-5 do what she was made to do." Max easily moved the fridge and waited while Logan looked around for the next 'clue.'
Logan felt the wooden panels on the ground, testing them to see if they moved under any weight. He found one that did and lifted it to reveal a small, dark cavity.
Max craned her neck to see inside the hole. "Dang. Guess this was all for nothing. I'll meet ya outside."
"Wait." Logan moved his flashlight around, looking for some glimpse of a clue. Sighing, he put his hand into the hole, hoping there were no inhabitants waiting to bite his hand off. He was about to abandon all hope when he felt 'it.' Although he wasn't sure what 'it' was. He yanked it out of the hole, holding in his hand a dust-covered manila envelope.
He sat on the floor beside Max and read the letter that he found in the envelope.
Logan and Max,
If you've found this letter, it means I'm gone. Captured, missing in action or dead. I want you to know that I'm glad you made it this far, but you still have a long way to go. You've survived attacks from Lyedecker and White, and you deserve to know what I have been involved in. You probably have some questions about why I've been so mysterious lately.
"Just lately?" Max scoffed.
Well, the truth is, as I'm writing this letter, White and his men are off finding other doctors like myself. Why? It's simple. White's scientists discovered a new virus. A virus targeted only to X-5s. You should know that although humans can't be affected, they can carry and transfer the disease to transgenics. I'm sure you're asking what I had to do with this. As you probably know, I used to work for Manticore. But after several years of being forced to do inhuman (or inhumane?) things, I left. I chose Seattle because I grew up here, and yes, when I heard of the X-5s' escape in '09, I kept an eye out for them. I did not see any until the day Logan brought you in, Max. You were the first and somehow I knew you'd be the last. I managed to evade White for a while, but White is determined, to say the least. He found me, and although I never gave you away, I'm sure he could tell I'd had dealings with transgenics.
He blackmailed me. He threatened to destroy my practice if I didn't inject the new virus into my X-5 patients. At first, I refused. But I soon gave in, knowing that I only had a short time to live if I lied to him, and also if I followed his orders. Breathe, Max, for I did not pass on the virus. Quite the opposite, actually. I finally found the antigen for the Guevera/Cale virus. I injected you with it, Max, the last day I saw you for the blood tests. I am 100% sure that the virus is now dead, and you and Logan can go on living your lives like you have always wanted.
Your friend, Sam
Max noticed something on the note and said, "Logan, Sam wrote this just a few days ago."
Logan nodded. "He must have known he was in trouble."
"Well, why the heck didn't he come to us? We could have saved him!" Max's eye welled up with tears.
"No, I'm afraid we couldn't have, Max. Like he said, White is determined. It's a miracle he hasn't caught up to you yet."
"Well, when he does, I'm gonna kick his butt once and for all." Max dramatically spun around and headed for the front door, determined to find justice for Sam's mysterious disappearance…or death.