Just Another 48 Hours -- Chapter 2

[parallax23]

Chapter 2:  No Sleep Tonight

May 4, 2021 

Max just wanted to get away.  From the pain, the sorrow and gnawing guilt that filled her from the encounter with Logan.  And the loss of any semblance of a normal life that she could have ever had. 

She had gone to the Command Center hoping to get into the heart of the current situation, so she could ignore the cries of her own bleeding one.  Keeping busy would keep her mind off Logan.  There were more important things going on. 

Luke had reported back that there were enough food supplies to last the week, if the transgenics could exhibit some sort of self control and not eat everything in sight.  The problem was – how long were they going to be locked in Terminal City?  It was not one of those things Max liked to think about, but it had to be done.  They had to plan past tomorrow, past next week.  If there was a tomorrow… 

Dix had been on watch with Joshua, monitoring news bulletins and the outside perimeter.  The sector police and news crews were still out there, but no mention of the National Guard.  Yet.  Maybe they were hoping to keep the element of surprise?  Being in a city area prevented the army from breaking out their big toys, essentially the cruise missiles and war tanks, which just spoiled all their fun.  That meant that if anyone was coming in, it would have to be through the front gate.  And the transgenics were more than willing to make the intruders into the welcome mat if they tried. 

“Luckily that Korean arms dealer came through,” Mole said in the earliest hours of the morning.  “Got enough stuff to launch our own independence day.” 

Max almost thought she saw a happy tear well up at the corner of his eye, but opted to nod her head.  Biggs’ face flashed through her mind.  The last time she saw him alive, a triumphant grin was plastered across his face after they had just saved that Arctic division guy.  He had only joined their rag-tag team a week before he was murdered for simply existing.  It was his death that prompted Max to step up their defenses.  She knew he would be proud that he hadn’t thoroughly lost his life in vain.   

Of course, if Max had her way, he would have never died in the first place.  But at least he could be remembered as a hero, a teammate, a friend by those who knew him.  He was more than a soldier.  If he had died at Manticore, he would have just been another barcode in a field, long forgotten after a round of Psy-Ops. 

“So, oh fearless leader, what’s our next move?” asked Mole. 

Max glared at him.  “I’m not a leader.” 

She was the little sister.  The lone wolf.  Zack was the leader.  The Alpha. 

Leaders were brave and self-sacrificing.  They made difficult decisions to keep their people safe.  Leaders didn’t just look out for number one.  All of the things Zack had done over the years to keep them safe, to keep her alive, those were things only a true leader could do.  She didn’t feel like she was as brave, devoted, wise or tactical as he had been for ten years in a world he hardly knew.  She just jumped into things and hoped for the best.  Leaders couldn’t do that with the weight of so many lives on their shoulders. 

“Excuse me, but were you or were you not the one that held that little freak rally?  Then weren’t you the one to start delegating tasks?  In my book girly, that makes you our Commanding Officer,” was Mole’s reply.  Then he took a puff from his cigar and offered it to her, but she declined.  He shrugged and put it back in his mouth.  “Plus the whole being the savior of humanity thing is a great PR tactic.  I’m no fan of the ordinaries, but I’ll be damned if I’m stuck with only those stupid familiars running the show.  Those people did not breed for looks or charm or intelligence from what I saw.  At least you Xs have that going for ya.” 

Max let out a defeated snicker.  She had let them out into the world… Just like Zack had let her out.  It looked like she was following in her big brother’s footsteps after all.  She began to understand why he had done what he had done for her.  Being responsible for everyone wasn’t easy.  Maybe that was why Zack was so strict.  Maybe that was why she was so hard on Alec for screwing up and overly protective of Joshua.  It was the only way she knew how to show she cared.  Poor Zack, in spite of his faults, he always did what was best for them even when it hurt. 

In that moment, Max realized how much her big brother must have loved them.  Was she capable of that amount of love for those that had been put in her care? 

She needed to clear her head. 

The abandoned factory felt claustrophobic, even though she, Mole and Dix were the only ones in there at this hour.  Everyone else had gone to bed.  The room was suddenly heavy with responsibility and uncertainty, an awful mix that made her disoriented and distressed like after a round of Psy-Ops.  She needed to get out.  Maybe coming to Headquarters wasn’t such a good idea after all.   

She had only escaped from one dead end situation to another. 

It was times like these that she would climb up to the Space Needle.  But now with everything that had happened, it might as well have been on the other side of the world.  Terminal City had its own share of high rises, but there wasn’t a High Place there.  Not yet anyway.  And she wasn’t in a mood to spend time picking one out.  It would mean that the Space Needle wasn’t her High Place anymore, and she wasn’t ready to contemplate that scenario. 

Somehow, in her late night wandering she found herself at the Advanced Recombinant Genetics Lab.  The place had seen better days.  Max couldn’t help wondering what else Sandeman cooked up here in Seattle. 

Seattle. 

It all seemed like fate now… if she believed in that sort of thing. 

Sandeman had lived and worked here. 

Manticore had shut down its other bases across the country back in 2009 when they escaped, and consolidated them into the Washington facility.  But Max didn’t find that out until much later. 

Seattle had started out as just another place to disappear.  But then she found the idea of staying too appealing.  She had found a job, a few decent people to hang out with, lots of places to steal from, what more did a girl need?  It wasn’t like the stay would be permanent, even though a departure date hadn’t been set.  She was waiting to wear out her welcome, except it didn’t happen. 

Then Logan came along.  Another reason to stay.  He filled the emptiness that came from losing her siblings.  She didn’t have to hide who she was from him, and that had been so wonderful there were no words for it.  That wasn’t how it started though.  It started with her guilt and his paralysis, then a quid pro quo, a tit for tat that turned into a dance that neither could escape.  So she stayed.  Seattle became home. 

Wasn’t that how Alec ended up taking refuge here as well?  His guilt about costing her the cure to the virus had led to him joining her in that all consuming quest to aid the freed transgenics.  They had a rough start, but had come a long way.  Logan had once compared Alec to the Max he first met all those years ago.  She didn’t like to think of it that way, but the man had a point. 

Seattle had now become Ground Zero for the transgenic front.  Someone, somewhere was swearing that it was all those damn liberals’ own fault with their push for stem cell research back in the early 2000s.  Another would blame it on the overdose of coffee into the mainstream public, which gave people all sorts of energy to come up with superior genetic codes for soldiers.  It was Seattle’s fault that it had fallen. 

It was still home though.  All her worlds had collided here at her doorstep when she found Sandeman’s house.  Life outside, the breeding cult, and Manticore were now all one and the same. 

Max was getting the sneaking suspicion it wasn’t all a coincidence. 

“Couldn’t sleep either?” came a voice from behind her. 

She spun around to see Alec in her cat’s eye night vision.  He was wearing a pair of sweats and a white T-shirt with his trademark smirk topping it all off.  Max had almost forgotten that they had left some clothes for long stays in T.C. and that she was still in her cat burglar outfit since last night.  She needed to change soon. 

“I don’t sleep much, remember?” 

“Yeah, but I never believed it.  You’re way too cranky to be getting enough sleep.” 

Max scowled.  “What’re you doing here, smart ass?” 

He approached her.  “Told ya.  Couldn’t sleep.  Logan snores like a lumberjack, for future reference.” 

“Alec,” she said, her voice deathly sweet.  “Do you want me to knock you out cold so you can go back to dream land?” 

His grin fell.  She would probably do it.  “As tempting an offer as that is, I’ll pass.  Seriously, Max, even in this light you look like hell.  Get some rest.” 

“You crawled out of bed to drag me into it?” 

She quickly realized her error in wording but it was too late. 

Alec chuckled.  “Ah, I know the stress has gotten to you if you’re looking to take it out on me in such a creative way.  Can I get a rain check?  Kinda tired.” 

Max smacked him across the head. 

“Ow!” he exclaimed.  “I can’t believe you hit an injured man who you’re supposed to be dating!” 

“I told him the truth, you know,” she stated indifferently. 

Realization dawned on Alec.  “So that’s why he didn’t try to smother me with a pillow while I was sleeping?” 

Alec had been dozing off at Joshua’s apartment, where Logan, Cindy and Sketchy had also set up shop for the night.  Gem, her baby and Dalton had found some friends on Oak Street to stay with.  Max didn’t need to sleep.  She couldn’t, not with everything she needed to do. 

“There’s an idea for next time,” Max said thoughtfully.  “Seriously, Alec, it’s two in the morning and you’re in a lab.  Why?” 

“I was thinking I’d cut to the chase and start splicing up more mutant soldiers for our cause?” 

Max shot him an incredulous look. 

“What?  Not a good plan?  Maybe we’ve got something to make napalm,” Alec said, tumbling through the containers in the dark.  “Hmm… You know, that really isn’t such a bad idea.  Remind me to look into that.” 

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she said, “Why are you here?” 

“Figured you could use a friend.  I know I could,” he reluctantly admitted.  “My freedom, having my own life?  Poof, gone.  Along with everything I owned.  Well, you know – easy come, easy go.” 

Her response was a simple nod.  She sat down on the floor, her knees bent in front of her.  Contemplation mode.  Alec sat down beside her and leaned onto on the of the cabinets. 

“You know, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. 

“Yeah, it’s days like this that Brian really woulda come in handy.” 

“His name was Brain.” 

“Whatever.” 

She resisted the urge to smack him again. 

“I miss it out there already.” 

His words shocked her even though they shouldn’t have.  It was like a smack in the face. 

“Do you know that they don’t have cable in here?  I mean, sure what good is a great surveillance system if you can’t catch a little HBO every now and then?” 

There was the Alec she knew. 

“Of course.”  Then she let out a groan.  “This is not what I wanted.  None of this!  Is this better than Manticore?  Being hunted and caged?” 

“You’re kidding, right?  We chose to stay and fight.  We made that decision for ourselves, don’t fool yourself, you’re not that great of a public speaker.  That is worth it, or did you fry your brain moping over Logan?” 

She had been looking to gain some perspective on the situation for the last few hours.  Then wham!  Alec showed up and hit her over the head with it in just a few seconds.  It just figured.  He had been her pet project for these last couple of months, willingly or unwillingly on both ends. He was unlike Logan in that way.  He played as rough as she did.  

In spite of his annoying smart aleck remarks and incessant chattering, he was known for the occasional insightful moment when no one but Max was looking.   

“Shut up.  Logan’s out of the picture.  And for the record, I don’t mope,” Max told him. 

“Yeah, well you need to get with the times and update to MP3s, because all you’ve done is mope since I’ve met you.  At first I was sorry since it was my fault and shut up.  Not this time.  I came here to be your friend.  You would never talk to Sketchy or Cindy like that.  I watched my entire life collapse for what?  The third time in a year?  But I came to help you out and get my head bit off?”  He stood up and looked down at her.  His voice was not bitter, but cold.  “I’m a chump.  I always think we’re past this crap and you find some new way to make me the villain.” 

She simply sat there, watching him and taking in every word he said.  She didn’t even try to stop him from leaving. 

Okay, now too many things had come into perspective. 

Why was it so hard to forgive Alec’s misdeeds when she had never found it in her to blame Ben for his actions?  Why did she push Alec away this time?  He wasn’t exactly the cuddly, gather round a campfire and share your feelings kind of guy.  He was no more cold-blooded than Ben for all his years at Manticore.  Hell, Alec felt remorse for his actions while Ben was lost even until the end. 

Alec didn’t leave her the way Zack did.  He didn’t try to control her, force her to listen to reason.  Zack would have told everyone to go to ground.  He wouldn’t have let things get out of control like this to begin with anyway. 

In a strange way, Alec had been what her idealized big brothers couldn’t be for her – stable, listening, and most of all, there.  That was part of why she was angry at him, after the constantly screwing up part.  Why couldn’t he be them?  She missed her brothers so much.  Both dead on account of her.  There was a small part of her that imagined that if she had enough time, she could’ve talked some sense into Ben and saved him.  They would have had each other to hold when seizures got bad, stayed up together while the rest of the world slept, and just been there for each other come hell or high water.  But Ben was gone. 

Alec didn’t leave, not really.  He’d go away, but he’d eventually come back or Max would have to go to save him from whatever unsavory trouble he managed to get himself into.  She didn’t even like him all that much.  Honestly, she looked at him so often hoping that he would turn into Ben that she could only lash out when he broke the spell. 

Now to hear that it was his choice to stay, it was too much. 

He had just barged into her life and audaciously set up shop.  He strolled into Jam Pony and got a job there.  He broke into Logan’s apartment when the mood suited him.   

He decided to sit with her on the Space Needle that night. 

The only other people Max had been up there with were Logan and Ben.  She had found Ben.  She had brought Logan.  But Alec came. 

That was what made it so hard to figure out where he fit in her life.  They were friends, but it was more complicated than that.  He decided that they were friends, not her.  It drove her crazy because he didn’t even ask, he just sauntered into her life and decided that he was a part of it. 

She was kind of glad he had.  That thought startled the life out of her.  She wouldn’t admit it though.  Springing to her feet, she blurred after him.  He was at the end of the block when she caught him by the arm and turned him to face her.  It caught him off guard and he would’ve attacked, but he was too shocked.  Especially when she hugged him and he couldn’t breathe. 

Max wasn’t much of a talker.  A doer, a critic, a bad ass who was more idealistic than she’d like people to know.  Not a conversationalist.  Alec understood that.  He knew in his own way what Max meant by her gesture. 

It was more meaningful than anything she could have ever tried to say. 

He wrapped his arms tightly around her.  They were going to need each other for what was to come, though they would kill anyone who even implied such a thing.  She was a bitch and he was a jackass.  Still, it was them and their rag-tag bunch of genetic misfits against the world. 

“You’re not the villain,” Max whispered in his ear.  “You’re just the anti-hero.” 

“Glad you finally picked up on that.  Now, we need to get you showered and changed before Mole or one of the other transhumans thinks to ask you out.” 

She let go of him.  She stepped back just enough to put a little extra force into the smack she gave him.  He almost got out of the way but she was still faster.  They both laughed. 

Together, they silently walked back to Joshua’s apartment.  They both tried to act like it didn’t matter that the other was there.  Alec didn’t shorten his steps for Max keep up.  And Max didn’t look at him and wonder what exactly it was that kept them both coming back.