Episode Two
SISTA TWO

Chapter Five
VISITORS' WELCOME

It was at that time that Zane and Jhondy entered the cabin and saw the intimate moment.  Not wanting to intrude, but knowing they should not be witnessing anything more, Zane gave a slight cough to indicate their arrival.  At that, Max and Logan looked each other ruefully, glad for the interruption – the greater damage it prevented - before they both turned to acknowledge their visitors.  Logan’s hand dropped to take Max’s right hand in his and squeezed it encouragingly.

They ate dinner together and enjoyed each others’ company.  But Logan knew what Max had intended to tell her two siblings.  Not wanting to intrude, Logan excused himself and went out of the cabin saying he had some calls to make.  Max smiled gratefully at him as he took Max’s gloved hand as he passed by and gave her another gentle squeeze before leaving her alone with her siblings.

Sitting on the porch, Logan dialed Alec’s number, “Hey. Need you to hook me up with someone from the PD…”

Inside, Max was finishing her story, “…Logan got him into this family… and I am not sure if he would know anything by now.”  Max held her breath, waiting for the reactions of her siblings.

Zane looked disbelievingly at Max, “I never needed to use the voicemail… I never knew…”

Jhondy asked Max, “You been in contact with Syl and Krit again?”  Max shook her head.

Zane went over to Max and sat beside her, “We’d have to go after him, Max.  We got to find Zack.”  Max nodded, “I’ll ask Logan…”

Jhondy sat at Max’s other side, “You did great, baby sis.  They all got to be free.”

Max said in a steely voice, “And the government is all over us.”

Zane merely shook his head, “You gave them what we escaped for… an experience to run their own lives… it’s better than anyone ever did.”

Jhondy agreed, “If they screw this up, it’ll be on their head, not yours.”  She exchanged a meaningful look with Zane, “So… you got some space in that car of your rollerboy?”  Jhondy teased Max.  Max was reminded of Original Cindy… maybe that’s why she felt so at home with Cindy, she thought.

Zane butt in, “Now THAT is something, you and I would have to talk about, baby sis.”

Jhondy merely laughed and stood up, “I’ll leave you two alone… need to pick in on your rollerboy’s brain.”

Zane looked as Jhondy left and then said, “So…”

Max merely stared at the fire, “So.”

< LATER >

“Jhondy said something about a virus between you and Logan.”

“Yeah.”

Zane asked seriously, “Any cure on that yet?”

Max’s eyes flickered to hide the pain she felt every time she is faced with the virus, “That’s what we came here for.”

Zane teased her and stood up, “Then what are we doing here talking?”  At that Max stood up as well and Zane embraced her, “You’re gonna get over this, Max… just hang on.  You’re both doing good.”  It was at that moment when Logan and Jhondy entered the cabin.  Zack released Max and said to Logan, “We’d best be going.  We’ll see you at the rendezvous at 2200 tomorrow.”

Logan smiled, “Got you your sector passes and new identities right before we enter Seattle.”

Zane walked over and he and Jhondy went out the porch.  Max hugged her siblings and whispered to each one, “Thanks.”  Zane ruffled her hair and Jhondy hugged her more tightly this time before the two left her alone in the cabin with Logan.

Max turned and saw Logan sipping his wine as he looked at her smiling, “So…”

“So.”

Logan offered her another glass of wine, “That turned out well.”

Max walked over to the couch and sat down at the other end of the couch, reaching for the glass Logan offered, “It did.”

Walking on shallow water, Logan tried to ease her tension out by teasing her, “You can come closer, you know.  It’s allowed.”

Max only smiled and heard Logan’s sigh of relief when she let the comment pass by saying, “I know.”

They stayed there seated in silence, sharing each other’s presence.  Though both were continuously aware of each other, they were also content to just be able to stay in the same room.  The virus is still there hanging between them… prohibiting them from any physical contact, but for tonight, fully clothed, they could enjoy staying in one cabin… just by themselves.  It was at this point that Logan’s gloved hands put down his wine glass, reached over and tucked Max’s long hair.  She let her head slowly fall onto his legs as his hand supported her neck, her face looking up at him as he rested his rested on the couch’s backrest, his hands running absent-mindedly through her hair as he drifted off to sleep and, later on, so did Max.

< NEXT DAY >

Max bolted up from Logan’s leg as she heard some noise outside the cabin.  She saw Logan half-lying on the couch, rumpled with sleep, his glasses nearly falling from his face.  She reached up just in time to catch it from meeting the floor and replaced it on the side table.  Logan merely mumbled an indistinguishable, “mmphf!” 

Max crouched over towards the windows to scan the perimeter, whoever was in here did not want anyone to know he was here, but she could feel the vibrations of his steps, the normally undistinguishable sound of his footsteps… light steps… coming from a girl… who’s breathing heavily – either from exertion, fatigue, or something else.  Max immediately went from the window to the back door, following the sound.  She braced herself against the side of the frame as the door was picked and a body garbed in cargo pants and a light gray shirt stumbled into the kitchen, head first, shaking violently.  Max immediately pulled the kid inside and closed the door.  Recognizing the barcode from under the shoulder length hair, she carried the kid into the guest room and got into her duffel bag.  She took out some of her tryptophan and realized that the kid was shaking too violently to take in the pills.  She ran into the living room and gently woke Logan up, “Logan!  I need to know if you have any liquid tryptophan with you!”

Logan immediately bolted from his sleep and looked at Max to see if she’s okay.  She wasn’t shaking… or was she?  He used his hand to rub off the rest of his sleepiness as Max ran into the Aztec, got some syringe from one of the cases she and Jhondy had packed the day before and ran back up into the cabin to find Logan at the door of the bigger room with a small bottle of liquid tryptophan at hand.  She grabbed it from him, went into the room and proceeded to inject the medicine into the blood dtream of the girl.  She held onto the girl’s hands, squeezing it reassuringly as she talked to her over and over again, “You’re gonna be fine… you already have the medicine with you… just wait till it kicks in… you’re gonna be fine.” 

Logan walked in, recovering from his shock – at having slept with his clothes and latex gloves from the previous day… with a vivid memory of Max sleeping on his lap… and wondering where in the world this kid came from.  He walked on and sat beside Max and placed a hand over her shoulders.  She felt his other hand searching for his and he reached to take her free hand into his right hand as his left one continued to squeeze her shoulders to make him feel his support.  Slowly, they watched as the medicine started working on the kid and Max’s hand relaxed in Logan’s.  He then whispered to her, “I’ll make breakfast.  You both need it.”  Max nodded, her back still turned at him, looking at the still form of the kid on the bed.  Logan asked Max gently, “You’ll be okay?”  Max nodded again and he whispered, “Just yell if you need me.”  With that, he let go of Max’s hand and went to prepare breakfast in the kitchen.

He wondered whether Jhondy and Zane will be over for breakfast, but then brushed away the thought.  Zane had said that they would meet at the rendezvous point on the way back to Seattle.  He and Jhondy would be preparing for it… and would lie low till then.  He could not help looking towards the bedroom as he prepared breakfast. The young girl looked familiar to him, but she would have to be only between 6 to 8 years old… ad he couldn’t quite place the face of he girl.  She had to be Manticore.  He didn’t need to see the barcode to know that.  It was a good thing Max was awake to find her – if she did find her… or was it that the young girl found them?  It’s a good thing they were leaving at tomorrow…

Just then, Max walked into the kitchen and asked as Logan was putting some bacon on a plate. Max asked “Done yet?  Sugar level’s gone down and needing a coupla carbo turned into glucose for supplement.”  Logan merely smiled at Max’s bad a**ed attitude, though he could hear worry in her voice.

Logan turned smiling at Max, carrying one platter with pancakes and cheese on one hand and another platter with eggs on another, placing them on the table.  “The milk’s in the fridge. You get the blue glass and plate while I get the plain glass ones, bacon’s almost done and here are the eggs, pancakes, and cheese.” 

Max went to the fridge and got the carton of milk, which she poured onto a glass.  She turned and looked at Logan as she drank it, “you read my mind.”  She had finished off the glass and poured some more.  Then she brought it back into the fridge and took out the carton of orange juice for Logan. “Guess we haven’t got tea here, huh?”

Logan turned off the range and covered the skillet.  He placed the platter of bacon onto the table and sat down as Max handed him the carton of juice, “No, I didn’t bother since we’d just be here for the weekend.  Thanks.”

They ate in companionable silence until Logan decided to break it, “About the kid…”

Max stared into her plate without really seeing it, “she entered through the back door.  I guess she wasn’t sure if there were people, but was careful just in case…”

“She seemed familiar…”

Max nodded and tried to take off the conversation from what would be an unpleasant subject, “she was already having the seizures.  From the looks of it, she wasn’t just running because of it either.  Must be people running after her…”

Logan was still trying to put everything together, “I can’t quite put the face, but…” 

Max sighed knowing that Logan would not back off from this one, “Let’s not pin the face on the barcode Logan.”  Logan looked at Max to hear her voice become so steely as a deadly silence came over the room.”  Logan got irritated for Max’s harsh tone.  He was only trying to help – trying to tell her indirectly that it was okay and that she could tell him what was on her mind… Unburden the load she was carrying… Free of charge… No judgments to be made… No advice to be given… No nothing… Just an ear to listen.  Logan pushed his chair and got up – too abruptly that his still healing leg nearly set him off-balance and he had to brace himself on the table.  Max’s hand immediately shot up to hold his arm and steady him.  She mumbled, “Sorry… for this too.”  Logan looked at Max’s hand gripping his arm and then looked at Max, who stared into his eyes and let him see the pain tearing up inside her at this moment.  “She’s an X9…” Logan merely looked at her as he let her go on, “…from Tinga.”  A look of pain washed over Max’s face as Logan understood.  He went over to stand beside Max, who was still seated on dining chair and cradled her against his chest. 

They stood like that for quite a while until Logan broke the silence once again, “I guess she’ll be needing breakfast, huh?”  He looked down at Max’s upturned face and smiled.  Max smiled gratefully at him as she pushed herself reluctantly from his embrace.  Logan backed a little as he gave her room to stand, but held her hands, their gloved hands holding each other in a tight grip.

Max looked up at Logan, drowning in his eyes and said as she held onto his hand, “I’ll go take a look at her.”  She did not move.

Logan looked down onto Max, loving the emotions clouding over her eyes and said as he held on to Max’s hands,  “Better go and take a look at her.”  he did not move either.

Their faces coming closer as Max motioned with her free hand, “I… better go… there… gotta… check.”

Logan stood drowning in Max’s eyes.  He can’t seem to stop his head from lowering onto Max’s, wanting to kiss Max, “You… better… check…”

Max looked pleadingly onto Logan, “Logan…”

“Max…”

Knowing she had better do something to prevent the inevitable contact, Max dipped her head and used her forehead to lean onto Logan’s chest.  She took a few deep breaths before saying, “I better go… now…”

Logan brought his arms around Max, his hands cradling her head as she leaned onto his chest, fingers going through her hair as he struggled to let her go while his fingers were running through her hair.  Logan pleaded with Max, “Go… now…” At that, Max tore herself away from Logan and half-run into the bedroom where the X9 was asleep.

***********

Author's Notes here

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