Episode 3.15 – Hot Run For Mars and Venus
PROLOGUE
Fogle Towers – Monday, December 6, 2021, early morning
Logan was sitting on the training table, lifting weights, when his cell phone rang. After setting down the dumbbells and drying his face with a towel, he reached down carefully and picked up the phone from the seat of his wheelchair nearby. He glanced at the caller ID before answering. “Hey, Max.”
“Hey,” Max said with a smile in her voice. Logan could hear her Ninja idling in the background. “Me hittin’ you back.”
“I was hoping you could stop by on your way to work. Got some dastardly deeds to discuss.”
She laughed. “It never ends, does it? So what’s on the mighty Eyes Only’s plate today?”
“I’m looking into some corruption. You know – same old, same old,” he joked.
“I’m on my way to Terminal City right now to pick somethin’ up,” Max said, “but I’ll swing by afterward.”
“Sounds good.”
“Cool. See ya later.”
Max closed her phone and tucked it into her pocket. She revved the engine, put the Ninja into gear, and began flying down the road.
It’s been a week and Logan and I still haven’t had that talk he mentioned. Sure, Normal’s been ridin’ my ass and givin’ me extra overtime, but that’s not the only reason. Logan keeps sayin’ it’s not a good time. It’s gotta be about his legs, but every time he stalls, I can’t help wondering what’s holding him back. Not like it would kill him to show a little more respect for me, and tell me the truth. But I guess that’s Logan – everything has to be just so before he’ll make his move. Only one of these days it’s gonna come back and bite him in the ass.
Detective Agency/Laundromat
“Picked up the supplies for our little P.I. business,” Alec declared, plopping two bags on the desk. “And the extra money will be nice if we can get those washers out there to start working again.” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “The Alec and Gem Detective Agency.”
Gem’s head shot up from where she sat behind the desk, cradling Elfie in her arms. “I was thinking the ‘Gem and Alec Detective Agency.’”
Alec shrugged. “Hey, I was just trying to keep it in alphabetical order…makes it easier for the public to remember,” he said. “Plus, I already put it on the sign out front.”
Gem rolled her eyes. “What, that piece of cardboard that’s gonna fall down at the first rain? Which will probably be in, what? Five minutes?”
Alec huffed, pretending to be annoyed.
“We could combine our names,” she offered.
“Hmm, let’s see...” Alec tapped his chin, feigning deep thought. “Gemalec? Lameceg? Acemelg? Legacem?”
Gem started laughing. “No, you’re right...we should keep it ‘Gem and Alec Detective Agency.’”
“You mean Alec and Gem.”
“No, I meant...” Gem trailed off as Alec began unloading the bags. “Alec, that isn’t the stuff I got for us!” she exclaimed. “What happened to the stapler, the hole punch, the paper?”
“Ah, we can go back and pick those up at Joshua’s later. For now, I was thinking we could blow off some steam and relax,” he said casually. Grinning, he produced a dartboard from the first bag, modeling it with flair for her approval.
Gem groaned in response. “I can see this is going to be a 60/40 arrangement, huh?”
“That’s right. 60 percent fun and 40 percent work,” Alec replied, positioning the board on the wall. He turned to look at her. “Aww, come on, Gem. Let’s just get everything set up today and then we can start actually working tomorrow. Deal?”
Gem eyed him and then looked down at Elfie sleeping peacefully in her arms. She sighed. Turning up one corner of her mouth, she said, “Okay. Three outta five wins.”
“That’s my girl.” Alec grinned. “Now why don’t—?”
Alec was interrupted by a loud banging from the front of the laundromat. Gem looked at him, alarmed.
“You stay here with Elfie,” Alec said. “I’ll go check it out.”
END OF PROLOGUE
Basketball Court, Terminal City
The streets of Terminal City were almost empty. Max passed a few transgenics here and there as they walked by, intent on their business, but the bustle that had become commonplace by the end of the siege was missing. She picked up the fancy lunch Ginger had asked her to deliver to Original Cindy at work, and then wandered by the basketball court on her way out of the complex. The court was intact, but no transgenics were shooting hoops on it; instead, about thirty were using it as a military training ground.
Max stopped in her tracks and watched from the cover of the building she had just rounded.
Children lined up, heads shaved, standing stock-still, with their eyes forward. They held the barrels of their guns with the butt ends resting on the ground. The drill sergeant shouted as he walked down the line, putting the young X5s through the same exercises that the transgenics on the basketball court were performing. Calluses had formed on Max’s eight-year-old hands from the hours of work. The whole unit was forced to repeat the drills from the beginning whenever she failed to perform fast enough. The voice of the drill sergeant echoed in her ears.
Lydecker stood nearby, and young Max glanced over at him with the slightest flick of her eyes. His face was emotionless during exercises, never changing even when one of the children dropped from exhaustion or a seizure. He simply indicated to the drill sergeant that the rest of the kids should work even harder. Then Max’s eyes were forced front again.
The transgenics in front of her now were as focused on the exercises as Lydecker had been. Disturbed, Max began to step into the open area surrounding the basketball court, only to stop when she noticed Mole and Zeri watching the proceedings and conversing. She remained hidden and listened in.
“Feels good to be soldiers again, doesn’t it?” Zeri observed.
“You got that right. Sitting on our asses and waiting to be jumped was a waste of talent,” Mole said around the cigar anchored between his teeth. “You’re sure Lydecker’s got a place for us in his new X-corps? I heard he wasn’t too keen on the freaks.”
“Talked to him myself, Mole,” Zeri reassured him. “He says he’s got room for any soldier willing to obey orders. Personally, I never saw him do anything against the freaks. He was always too busy chasing the rogues from ‘09.” She snorted and crossed her arms, never taking her eyes off the transgenics on the court. “I never did see what was so special about civilian life.”
“Alec and Max made it seem glamorous. That’s why most of the X-series left, especially the ones who came here straight from hiding. They never saw the outside world firsthand. Max and her boyfriend got ‘em all hyped up on ‘freedom’ and being ‘normal.’ Hah.” Mole laughed bitterly. “None of us will ever be normal, no matter what we look like. Not even Max.”
“They’ll find out, and they’ll be back, wanting to do what they were made to do. You wait and see.”
The conversation ended as Mole and Zeri joined the sergeant who was training the soldiers.
Neither one saw Max. She stood there for a moment, lowered her eyes in contemplation, and then turned and left the way she had come.
Alec walked through the swinging doors that led from the office to the laundromat. Walking past the rows of washers, he approached the front of the store and saw a woman peering through the large windows.
“We’re not open!” he yelled to her through the glass.
“Oh, please, I just wanted to come in for a quick load! Are you sure you can’t open it, just for me?” the lady asked, batting her eyelashes and pressing her body flat against the glass.
Alec raised his eyebrows. The woman, in her early thirties, was attractive, with big brown eyes and shoulder-length, dark brown hair.
“I dunno, lady...you’re gonna have to give me a good reason,” he replied.
She pointed to his crooked sign. “I have a job for you,” she said.
Alec broke out in a wide smile. “In that case, come right in,” he said, unlocking the door and ushering her in. “Let me show you to the office.”
The woman followed Alec to the back room. He burst through the doors, startling Elfie into waking up. She let out a loud wail, and Gem rocked her, attempting to calm the baby.
“Gem, we have our first client,” he said proudly. “This is, uh...”
“I’m Teresa Buckland,” the woman filled in, extending her hand to Gem. “But everyone calls me Teeny,” she said, flashing a coy smile at Alec.
“Hi, I’m Gem, and that’s Alec.” Gem glanced at Alec, puzzled.
Alec ushered Teeny to one of the chairs. “Ms. Buckland, here, take a seat, tell us all about it.”
“Oh, please, honey, call me Teeny,” she said flirtatiously. Gem raised an eyebrow in amusement as Teeny raked her eyes over Alec. Shrugging off her coat, Teeny sat down, suddenly becoming very quiet. Her eyes filled with tears, and she whispered, “I think my husband is cheating on me. I’m so ashamed, and I don’t know what to do.”
Alec knelt beside her. “Don’t worry about it. He’s a bastard for cheating on a beautiful woman like you.” Gem looked over Teeny’s head and caught Alec’s glance, rolling her eyes. Alec continued. “What do you want us to do for you?”
“Umm...uhh.” Teeny began to squirm. “It’s kind of embarrassing to talk about, especially with, uh...” she trailed off, glancing quickly at Gem. “With your wife here and all.”
Alec snorted. “Gem isn’t my wife, she’s my partner. You can tell us. It’s okay,” he soothed.
Elfie took the opportunity to once again let her presence be known, and began crying in earnest. Gem sighed. “It’s time to feed her.” Casting a glance at Teeny, she said, “I’m gonna step in the other room. Alec will fill me in later, but don’t worry, we’ll get the job done for you.”
Teeny flashed Gem an appreciative smile. Once the door shut behind Gem, Teeny turned her full attention to Alec and adopted a seductive demeanor. Licking her lips, she leaned into him, whispering in his ear. “Looks like it’s just you and me now.”
Surprised, Alec jumped up and looked at her. “Uh, yeah. Now what exactly do you want us to do? Tail him, beat him up, what?”
Teeny rose from the chair, walking slowly toward Alec, her hips swaying, until she had him backed up against the desk. Grinning, she trailed her finger down the front of his shirt. “Why don’t I just show you what I want you to do?” she suggested.
Alec gulped. Before he could respond, she shoved him back onto the desk, and swung her legs up and straddled him. The lamp clattered to the floor, and Alec managed to squeak, “Hey, that’s the only one we have!”
Teeny ignored him, frantically trying to pull his shirt out of his pants. She was breathing heavily and giggling, and Alec could only make out fragments of what she was saying. “...Such a stud...”
Emerging from his daze, Alec grasped both her arms, pushed up and stood, keeping her at arm’s length. “Why don’t we just take a moment here. You can catch your breath, hopefully regain your sanity, and I’ll just appreciate how bizarre this is.”
Teeny responded by launching herself at his neck. “I’ll pay you, sweetie. You just name your price,” she purred.
Suddenly, the back door swung open with a bang, catching her off guard. She turned to look at the intruder with a glare. He was in his early twenties, with sandy blond hair and a well-built body.
Alec pulled away from Teeny and turned to look at the man in wide-eyed shock. “What the hell! Where are you people coming from?”
The intruder responded tersely. “I’m looking for X5-238.”
“You mean Gem?”
“If that’s what X5-238 is callin’ herself, then yeah. Where is she?” the intruder asked.
Alec crossed his arms. “Why don’t you tell me your name, and I’ll decide if I want to tell you that information?”
Teeny, perturbed at being ignored, gathered up her coat. “I’ll let you boys work out your testosterone issues without me.” She brushed closely past Alec on her way to the door. “I’ll catch up with you later, sugar,” she demurred, sashaying out.
Alec shook his head after her. Turning his attention back to the intruder, he asked again. “So, pal, who are you?”
“X5-739,” the intruder responded.
Alec raised his eyebrow. “X5 huh? Manticore’s gone...what do you call yourself now?”
“Name’s Cody.”
“Cody, huh?”
The man shrugged. “Well, it’s ‘Cody Avenue East,’ actually…that’s where I happened to be when I realized I needed a civilian name.”
“Lucky you weren’t on a rural route,” Alec snorted. “What are you doing looking for Gem?”
“Just thought I’d come back and check on my kid. Heard all the transgenics got out of Terminal City.”
Alec couldn’t hide his shocked look. “You were Gem’s breeding partner at Manticore?”
“Yeah, that’s me, the one and only. And I want to see my kid. Can you tell me where she is?”
“Sorry, pal,” Alec told him. “Can’t do that. I don’t want Gem kicking my ass for tellin’ you. You didn’t see her in labor...she’s got a mean right hook.”
“Fine,” Cody said, clearly frustrated. “I’ll keep tracking her down. I got this far, didn’t I?” Cody turned and stomped out, slamming the door behind him. The force rattled the walls of the small office, sending the dartboard crashing to the floor.
“Dammit,” Alec said to the empty room. “So much for 60 percent fun.”
He turned and saw Gem coming back into the office from the outer room.
“What was all that noise?” she asked.
Alec paused, unsure whether to tell her about Cody. “Ah,” he said, “Teeny just stormed out when I refused her offer of sex.”
Gem’s eyes widened, and she started laughing. “On that note, I’m taking Elfie home so Joshua can look after her. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
Alec grinned. “Catch ya later.”
Gem strapped Elfie into her stroller and headed out the back door. Reaching the threshold, she turned back to Alec.
“Sublime P.I.,” she said.
Alec cocked his head. “You know, that could work.”
Fogle Towers
Max, wearing her Jam Pony work clothes and backpack, let herself in and wove around the translucent walls of the penthouse. She came to a dead stop when she entered the computer room and saw Logan sitting at the computer in his desk chair. He had obviously just come from the shower. His hair was wet, and the excess water dripped onto his glasses while he cleaned them; his T-shirt was a little damp as well. Max was entranced by the sight.
Feeling her stare, Logan smiled and greeted her without looking up. “Hey. Glad you could stop by.”
“Yeah. Me too,” she murmured as one side of her mouth curved into a smile. “Lookin’ good.”
He raised his head at that. Blinking, he put on his glasses and looked at her a second time. “You got your hair cut.”
“Yeah, well...” she responded jauntily, seeming to wake from her daze, “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to lose a few inches and get Original Cindy off my back. She said now that I’m a free woman, I should be doing somethin’ with it besides lettin’ it just hang there.” She rolled her eyes. “Her words.”
“Well, it looks good,” Logan said softly, reaching up to play with the ends of Max’s hair where it grazed her shoulders. His fingers lightly traced the gentle, soft waves.
Max smiled, enjoying his touch. She rested her own hand on top of his. “I came straight from Terminal City. Not too many people stuck around.”
“Everybody’s ready for their own lives,” Logan commented, turning to his computer and pulling up some files.
“Apparently not everybody. Would you believe Mole and the gang were doing maneuvers on the basketball court?”
“Didn’t know Mole played basketball,” Logan said, distracted. He began to focus on the task in front of him.
“This wasn’t dribblin’ and passin’. These were military maneuvers,” Max snorted. She stuck her hands in her back pockets and leaned against the desk with one hip. “Heard him talkin’ about hooking up with Lydecker and going to work for him. Can you believe it? He and the others don’t even realize they got a chance to live their own lives. It’s like we spent seven months fighting for nothing.”
She paused to ponder for a moment. “One of these days I’m going to—”
“Look at this,” Logan said at the same time, having taken her pause to mean she was done.
Startled, they looked at each other for a minute and smiled.
Logan decided to speak first, nodding his head at the computer screen. “List of charities in the area that’re supposed to be receiving food shipments. Most of them haven’t been getting much of anything for months now.” He sighed. “Trucks are being diverted at sector checkpoints. Somebody’s sending the cargo to the black market instead, and the sector police have been looking the other way.”
“Bastards as usual,” Max tossed off flippantly.
“I’ve tracked most of the divergent activity to a few main checkpoints. I’m checking on some leads, and then I’ll need to get proof.”
“I take it that’s where me and my skills come in?” Max said, leaning down to peer more closely at the map on Logan’s computer screen. Her hands were still in her back pockets, and the way she leaned over gave Logan a clear view of her rear end when he turned his head.
“Nobody else compares,” he confirmed appreciatively. Max smiled, standing up. Then she noticed where his eyes had been and grinned even more widely.
“Thanks for the affirmation,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. She wandered out to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. “Feel like making breakfast? This female is starving.”
“Uh...I can’t. I’m pretty involved in this investigation and I want to keep my momentum going,” Logan covered, discreetly rubbing a hand on his knee while Max was out of viewing range. Unable to think of a decent excuse to wear the exoskeleton in her presence, he’d been forced to leave it off.
“Your loss. I was going to entertain you with the uncut version of Original Cindy’s standup routine,” Max said, reaching to the back of a lower shelf.
“You can come over tonight for dinner, if you want.” Logan pushed on the desk to swivel the chair so that he faced the kitchen. Max pulled out a can of soda and headed back to the computer room. “We need to talk then, anyway.”
“Tonight’s no good,” she said, shaking her head good-naturedly and slurping on the can. “How ‘bout now? I got a few minutes before I need to be at work.”
“What’s wrong with tonight?” he asked, ignoring her suggestion.
“I’m workin’ late. What’s wrong with now?”
“I’m waiting for a phone call. As soon as I hear from this source, I can get moving on this Eyes Only thing.”
“Fine,” Max said, frustrated. “I’ll just leave and get out of your way, then.”
Logan sighed. “You’re not in the way. I just can’t have a long discussion now.”
“So bring your cell and walk me down to my bike. Won’t take long.”
“Can’t do that either, Max.”
“You can’t even come downstairs with me for two seconds? Why the hell not?”
“I can’t walk...
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