Episode Two
SISTA TWO

Chapter Eight

PIT STOP

A few miles away from Seattle, Logan’s phone rang.  He took his phone from his breast pocket and asked Max, “Can you -?”

Max took his phone and their gloved hands touched a second too long before Max answered the phone.  “Alec? Why the hell are you-”

Alec smiled his usual self-assured smiles, “ – calling Logan?”  Inside Logan’s car, Max had a stunned albeit irritated look across her face.  Logan looked at her for a second as Max shot him a deadly look before turning back on the road. “Just wanted him to know I’m at the rendezvous point.  Will wait for you guys here -”

“Don’t bother.”

“-with the papers for your brother, sister, and the kid.”

Max looked incredulously at Logan, “You had him-?”

Logan turned to max and tried to look innocent since he knew that despite the lie and everything that Alec had been doing for Max, there are just some things that’ll never change. And that, for Max, includes Alec being his usual smart aleck self, which means that he gets on Max’s nerve.  “Hey! I had to get someone who knew the score, knew how we work, will be at the meet, and not turn the transgenics we’re bringing in.”

Max opened her mouth to say, “you could have -”

Logan looked pointedly at Max, “Max.”

Max glared at Logan and then went back to talk to Alec, “We’ll be there in 20.”  She closed the phone and cut off whatever smart comment Alec was bound make.

< RENDEZVOUS POINT >

Logan and Max simultaneously got out of the Aztec.  Alec walked over from his bike to give Logan the sector passes. “Thanks.”

“No problem man.”  He went straight for the back of the Aztec, “Where’s the kid?”

Max stopped him midway, “She’s sleeping.”  As she shot him a look that had him smiling sarcastically at Max, getting Max irritated at him.

“Don’t worry Max. I can always use my eyes,” He said flippantly.  Using his genetically enhanced eyesight, Alec could see Cyd’s sleeping form, “Looks like an X9, alright.”  He looked at Max, “What? You couldn’t just leave her alone some happily married couple?”

Max glared at him, “The whole town was chasing after her.”

That shut Alec up, “Oh.”

Just then, Jhondy arrived. “Hey,” she said as she took her glasses off.  “Zane here yet?”

Alec took one look and said, “Whoa, sister!”

Max hit him at the ribs with her elbow, which had him bellowing down in pain, before sidestepping to go to Jhondy.  Jhondy took one look at him and asked, “Ben?”  She ran up to Alec when Max shot up her hand to stop Jhondy.

“No!  Jhondy, meet Alec – as in smart Alec.”

“But he looks just -” Jhondy said in confusion.  Max shook her head.

Alec walked towards them as he said, “Okay.  I get it you’re one of the original escapees.”  He gave his boyish smile and said, “Nice to meet you,” as he reached out his hand.  Jhondy, still confused by the whole ordeal took Alec’s hand and shook it as she raked her eyes all over Alec trying to convince herself it’s not Ben.

Logan broke the silence as he walked up and said, “Okay.  Here’s you sector pass – complete with picture.”

That drew Jhondy’s attention to Logan.  Max smiled at Logan gratefully for delaying the inevitable explanation she has yet to give to her sister… and brother once he – Just then Zane arrived in his bike. 

“Glad to be invited for the party,” he said cheerfully.  Upon seeing Alec, Zane nearly ran over to him as he said, “Ben!”

Max, Logan, and Alec shouted a resounding, “NO!” this time. 

This confused Zane and stopped him dead on his tracks. “Okay.”

“Hey man, I’m Alec… and you’re on of the escapees just like Jhondy here.”  Again he offered his hand and Zane took it.

“Zane.”  He looked at Alec and said, “You look just like-”

Alec nodded, “Ben.  I know.  What can I say?  Manticore loved our DNA too much that they decided to create more of us.”  Alec held out his hand, “…that’ll be X5-493.”

Zane confusedly said, “Oh.”

Max seized the moment, “We gotta go.  Sunrise is coming soon.  We can’t be prowling about.” At that, they all said their goodbyes as Alec walked Logan towards the Aztec.

He spoke to Logan silently, not oblivious to the fact that no matter what he tells Logan, the others can hear him.  “Listen, Logan.  About this thing between me and Max -”

“I got it Alec.”

“Yeah I know.  I just wanted to -”

“I don’t approve of what you did, but I’ve thought about it.  Confidence is something that’s hard to gain.  I should know.”

“Thanks, man.”  With that, Alec rode with Jhondy and Zane towards Seattle.  Max and Logan would soon follow them. 

Logan looked over his shoulders at Cyd’s sleeping form and then turned towards Max, “I guess she doesn’t have shark DNA, huh?” 

Max looked at Cyd and then at Logan, as she smiled, “No. Guess not.”  She took the opportunity once again, “Listen Logan -”

But Logan stopped her before she could even say anything else as he looked intensely into her eyes.  “She can stay with me, Max.  Heck, they can all stay with me.  I fixed up two rooms in the basement that functions as a guest room.  Jhondy and Cyd can each have a room or share on and Zane can stay in the basement library or the extra room if the the two err… ladies decides to share.”  Max looked at Logan her face a mask, but Logan knew that she wasn’t angry.  If anything, Max was trying to control her emotions.  He brought up his hand to the side of her face and cradled it as he said, “Max.  They’re your family… and I’m only glad that they do not have Alec’s attitude.  I was beginning to think that Manticore had a special DNA that made you all smart asses – giving Alec the worse of it.” 

That elicited a smile from Max.  She looked intensely at Logan, trying to convey her emotions as Logan’s face drew closer to hers.  They were mesmerized by each other as they drew closer and closer together, their lips and noses almost touching, each one breathing the against the other.

“Hey.” 

It was like a cold ice bucket was dropped on Max and Logan as they immediately let go of the other and drew against the car doors – Logan holding onto the steering wheel as Max held onto the car seat.  They both took in deep breaths.

“Sorry.  Didn’t mean to interrupt.”  Cyd who had witnessed - and possibly saved Logan from the inevitable virus infection – was staring at the Aztec’s ceiling and trying to cover her embarrassment at what she had just witnessed.

“No problem.”  Was Max’s immediate response.  “We better go.”

Logan stared onto the road in front of them and said, “Right.”

< JOSHUA’S PLACE >

After spending the whole morning sleeping off the events of the previous night, Logan started going through his Eyes Only informant net.  He had just prepared a big brunch for his guests when an up and about Max sneaked up on him, her gloved right hand resting beside his, making him lift it and almost touching Max accidentally, causing Max to use her reflexes to back away from him. 

Max quipped, “You shouldn’t keep your catburglar in if you’re afraid of your own shadow.”

Logan looked menacingly at Max before smiling, “I guess not.”  He indicated the kitchen with his eyes, “There’s breakfast there.”

“Had one?”

Logan stood up from his chair, “I was waiting for you.”  He followed Max as she went into the kitchen – dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and the inevitable gloves.  He looked at himself and smiled – except for the styles of their clothing and the colors – his being bigger and more masculine while hers have her more feminine shape in them – they were dressed in exactly the same way.

They shared breakfast silently as Logan thought about the changes in his relationship with Max.  Normally, Max would have breezed on out of the Aztec, the cabin, the hosue, anywhere where he was at the few incidences that they nearly touched.  However, ever sicne she had told the truth to Logan.  She seemd more accepting of the situation – not the virus -, but the fact that they can live through it.  Maybe finding Sandeman’s notes are going to help…

Trapped in the same thoughts herself, Max thought that Sandeman’s files had better give them something.  She didn’t know what she would do otherwise.  She can’t hang around Logan this way.  She may just finish what Manticore started with the virus… but she also can’t stay away from him.  A determined look came across Max’s face.  And then there’s Zane and Jhondy.  They have to be told.  Today.

Logan knew upon seeing grim determination across Max’s face that she was thinking about how she needed to tell her siblings about Tinga and Ben, “I can keep Cyd company as you tell them.” 

Max turned to Logan, drank her glass of milk, before saying, “If Cyd could make herself read some book or something.  I want you there when I tell them.  Logan reached over and covered Max’s gloved hands with his own gloved ones.

Later that day, Max proceeded to tell Zane and Jhondy about Tinga and Ben… and everything to do with their known transgenic siblings as Logan listened to Max’s account of Ben and held her hands when she had finished her tale, while her two siblings embraced her.

< SPACE NEEDLE >

Max sat on the needle as she stared out onto the sky.  She thought, “I used to sit here wanting to be one of those ordinary people below.  But there’s a new mission now.  Have my sister here and my brother.  Then, there’s this little girl ho could have been the daughter of my sister… only she’s not exactly her daughter… could have been our sister too.  Went out to look for my past and instead I found the future… not exactly a cut and dried mission, but something… guess we all make do with bits of information and go on from there.”

***********

Author's Notes here

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