door.
"Thanks," she said, but she was having trouble processing this. She knew she should be grateful that Logan had done such shrewd planning, but she felt somehow ...
betrayed. No, that was too strong. He hadn't taken her into his confidence—he was up to his old, Eyes Only, secret ways again.
As before, Joshua let the distance grow so the two of them could have some privacy.
Their feet barely made a sound as they strode down the tile floor.
"Something wrong, Max?" Logan said, the smirk gone.
"No."
"Max, I can read you better than that."
"... You did all this without telling me?"
"Some things are on a need-to-know basis, Max... and you didn't need to know this yet. I'm sure you have secrets you're keeping, to protect me better."
That was true.
Logan kept his voice low. "You're going to have to talk to them, you know."
"Who?"
"The cops, the National Guard... probably even someone from the feds."
Max shook her head slowly. "All I want is for us to be left alone."
"Terminal City is a toxic island, Max. The time for speeches is over. Brass tacks now."
"Okay. Say it."
"If you initiate negotiations, Eyes Only can get that word out to the world. If you do nothing, sooner or later, they're going to come in ... and you know what that means."
Genocide.
"Like it or not," Logan was saying, "we're about to enter a media war ... and we need all the good press we can get."
She winced in confusion as they walked along. "A media war? How is this—"
"Why do you think White tried to turn Jam Pony into a bloodbath?"
"To kill me."
"That's one reason ... but he was going to kill everyone in the place. Ordinaries like me and Cindy and Sketchy too."
"Yeah, I know—that's why I stopped Joshua from snapping White's spine. Carnage makes us look like the monsters everybody thinks we are."
"Bingo. Now you're gettin' media savvy."
She grunted something like a laugh and it echoed in the tunnel. "Don't you ever get tired of being right?"
"I'm always tired of being right, Max.... Ames White is going to fight you—not just you, Max, all of you—and not inside the gates of Terminal City, not right away. But in the media."
"It won't be hard," she said. "You saw those crazy assholes outside Jam Pony, and on TV. Everybody in Seattle already thinks we're monsters."
Logan stopped for a moment; he seemed about to touch her, but he didn't. Instead, his eyes held her.
"Not everybody," he said. "Not me, not Original Cindy, not Sketchy ... and now not even Normal."
"And you think we can convince everyone?"
"If a right-wing nutcase like Normal can be brought around, anything is possible."
Now that they'd stopped, Joshua was catching up to them.
"Have to convince people, Little Fella," he said, those soul-fiil puppy-dog eyes cutting to her core. "People are afraid of what they don't understand. Have to change their minds. Make them understand."
She stared into Joshua's unabashed sincerity, knowing he was right, but also knowing—even after all they'd suffered, all Joshua had suffered—that he was naive.
"There's an old pre-Pulse saying among the Normals of the world," Max said. "Shoot first and ask questions later."
Logan said, "That's another reason for you to start negotiations as soon as possible, Max ... before they start shooting. Besides, how much food and water is there in Terminal City? Realistically, how long can you hold out here?"
"Longer than they think we can," she said automatically.
"But is living the rest of your life in Terminal City—just waiting for the day they storm the place—is that what you're looking for?"
Max shook her head. "Of course not."
"Well, you've had your moment of triumphs—we have a flag flying. But it's time for a reality check, Max. You better get started talking to the other side."
They had made it to the end of the tunnel now, and Logan unlocked another door.
They all passed through and found themselves in the basement of a darkened building, where feline DNA allowed her to
"Thanks," she said, but she was having trouble processing this. She knew she should be grateful that Logan had done such shrewd planning, but she felt somehow ...
betrayed. No, that was too strong. He hadn't taken her into his confidence—he was up to his old, Eyes Only, secret ways again.
As before, Joshua let the distance grow so the two of them could have some privacy.
Their feet barely made a sound as they strode down the tile floor.
"Something wrong, Max?" Logan said, the smirk gone.
"No."
"Max, I can read you better than that."
"... You did all this without telling me?"
"Some things are on a need-to-know basis, Max... and you didn't need to know this yet. I'm sure you have secrets you're keeping, to protect me better."
That was true.
Logan kept his voice low. "You're going to have to talk to them, you know."
"Who?"
"The cops, the National Guard... probably even someone from the feds."
Max shook her head slowly. "All I want is for us to be left alone."
"Terminal City is a toxic island, Max. The time for speeches is over. Brass tacks now."
"Okay. Say it."
"If you initiate negotiations, Eyes Only can get that word out to the world. If you do nothing, sooner or later, they're going to come in ... and you know what that means."
Genocide.
"Like it or not," Logan was saying, "we're about to enter a media war ... and we need all the good press we can get."
She winced in confusion as they walked along. "A media war? How is this—"
"Why do you think White tried to turn Jam Pony into a bloodbath?"
"To kill me."
"That's one reason ... but he was going to kill everyone in the place. Ordinaries like me and Cindy and Sketchy too."
"Yeah, I know—that's why I stopped Joshua from snapping White's spine. Carnage makes us look like the monsters everybody thinks we are."
"Bingo. Now you're gettin' media savvy."
She grunted something like a laugh and it echoed in the tunnel. "Don't you ever get tired of being right?"
"I'm always tired of being right, Max.... Ames White is going to fight you—not just you, Max, all of you—and not inside the gates of Terminal City, not right away. But in the media."
"It won't be hard," she said. "You saw those crazy assholes outside Jam Pony, and on TV. Everybody in Seattle already thinks we're monsters."
Logan stopped for a moment; he seemed about to touch her, but he didn't. Instead, his eyes held her.
"Not everybody," he said. "Not me, not Original Cindy, not Sketchy ... and now not even Normal."
"And you think we can convince everyone?"
"If a right-wing nutcase like Normal can be brought around, anything is possible."
Now that they'd stopped, Joshua was catching up to them.
"Have to convince people, Little Fella," he said, those soul-fiil puppy-dog eyes cutting to her core. "People are afraid of what they don't understand. Have to change their minds. Make them understand."
She stared into Joshua's unabashed sincerity, knowing he was right, but also knowing—even after all they'd suffered, all Joshua had suffered—that he was naive.
"There's an old pre-Pulse saying among the Normals of the world," Max said. "Shoot first and ask questions later."
Logan said, "That's another reason for you to start negotiations as soon as possible, Max ... before they start shooting. Besides, how much food and water is there in Terminal City? Realistically, how long can you hold out here?"
"Longer than they think we can," she said automatically.
"But is living the rest of your life in Terminal City—just waiting for the day they storm the place—is that what you're looking for?"
Max shook her head. "Of course not."
"Well, you've had your moment of triumphs—we have a flag flying. But it's time for a reality check, Max. You better get started talking to the other side."
They had made it to the end of the tunnel now, and Logan unlocked another door.
They all passed through and found themselves in the basement of a darkened building, where feline DNA allowed her to
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