City Hall, Seattle � October 1st, 9:00 AM

�Commander Clemente, sir,� the pretty, young secretary announced,
opening the door to the Mayor�s office.

The Mayor swiveled his chair to face Clemente, and gestured to him
to take a seat. Unlike the furniture in the outer offices, the polished
wood of the desk glowed softly, and the leather chair was soft and comfortable,
not cracked and peeling. There was a thick carpet on the floor and sparkling
clean windows overlooked downtown Seattle and Elliott Bay. The office was a marked contrast
to the battered furniture and equipment Clemente was used to in Seattle
Police headquarters.

�Commander, I haven�t heard from you recently about the�situation
in Terminal City. I�ve been expecting a progress report,�
the Mayor opened testily, tapping his fingers on his desk.

�Things are quiet, sir. I advised you when you gave me this assignment
that I didn�t intend to provoke a confrontation. The inhabitants of
Terminal City are highly trained military
personnel. Any confrontation has the potential of significant injury
and loss of life, if they�re as good as I�m informed they are. They
can�t hold out forever in there.�

�So you say, Commander, but they don�t seem to be hurting so far,�
the Mayor observed sourly. �At the same time, our personnel standing
guard are becoming restless. Not to mention the expense of housing and
feeding the National Guard troops quartered in the city. There�ve been
rumblings lately about the effect on our budget and with the elections
coming up soon��

Clemente was silent for a moment. �Do you have an alternate proposal,
sir?� he finally asked.

The Mayor glared at him. �Have you heard the latest news, Commander?�

Confused, Clemente asked, �About the transgenics, sir? There is no
news.�

�About the hospitals. In the last twenty-four hours, over 500 people
have come to various emergency rooms, complaining of severe diarrhea,
nausea, and headaches. Seems we have some kind of mystery disease going
around.� He looked at Clemente expectantly.

�And that affects me�how?� Clemente responded.

�Don�t you get it, man? Those�freaks are holed up in a place
where all kinds of biological research was going on. Who knows
what kind of nasty bugs were left behind when it was abandoned! What
could be better than to release one out into the population? This is
the second time in three months that we�ve had something like this pop
up. The first one didn�t work, so they�re trying another!�

�But, sir, I don�t think�� Clemente began. The Mayor slammed his
hand on his desk. He was visibly agitated.

�I don�t care what you think. I expect you to get to the bottom of
this. I don�t want Federal troops here, but if the freaks are waging
biological warfare on us, I will bring the Feds in and let them
wipe them out. You have twenty-four hours to get me an answer. Is that
understood?�

�Yes, sir. I�ll get right on it.�

�See that you do. And while you�re at it, what�s the progress on
that murdered blind girl? Wasn�t it one of those freaks that killed
her? I want answers, Commander, ANSWERS!� The Mayor�s voice had risen
to almost a bellow. �Your twenty-four hours starts now�I suggest you
get a move on.� He turned back to the window, dismissing Clemente.

Marketplace, Seattle – 10:00 AM  

Asha browsed the rows of stalls in the Seattle marketplace. The vendors
held out various foodstuffs for her consideration, and she took each
item in turn, examined it, then returned it and moved on.

�Fresh raspberries just in from Guatemala. I give you them cheap,�
the current vendor pressed her. �You lucky today – we got a big shipment.�

�Sorry. Not my thing. Thanks anyway.� Asha started to move on.

�You know, if you�re that picky, you could starve.� She started at
the familiar voice and turned to see Alec giving her one of his cocky
grins.

�A girl�s gotta maintain her standards, in food and�other things,�
she retorted sassily.

Alec raised a brow, but didn�t return a volley. �I know a place that
serves a decent cup of coffee. Can I buy you one?�

The vendor in the stall was watching with interest, so Asha tossed
Alec a flirtatious smile and answered, �With the price of coffee these
days, how could I turn down that offer?�

Alec took her arm and guided her away from the curious vendor. In
minutes, they were seated at a small table in front of an open-air coffee
stand, with steaming cups in front of them. Alec glanced around to be
sure they were clear and, without looking up from stirring cream into
his coffee, asked casually, �So what was the urgent summons about? And
why call me and not Logan?�

Asha hesitated, �I called you instead of Logan because�well just�because.�
Alec saw something flash across Asha�s eyes, but she averted them before
he could discern what he had seen. She added sugar to her coffee and
continued, �I have a friend who works in City Hall. She takes butt breaks
with the Mayor�s secretary.� She paused to sip her coffee, savoring
the luxury.

�You gonna tell me what this friend of yours said, or do you need
to worship the Starbucks god a little more?� Alec asked, his tone both
sarcastic and utterly serious.

Asha set her cup down, leveling her gaze on him. �This morning, the
secretary told my friend that she heard the Mayor talking to Ramon Clemente
about biological warfare. The Mayor thinks the transgenics have released
some kind of bio-weapon against Seattle. He�s threatening to bring in
Federal troops to wipe out Terminal City.�

Alec was visibly startled. �He what? Why would he think that?�

Asha shrugged, �You heard about all the hospital admissions, right?
People are getting scared, and who better to blame than the freaks.
Especially with all the abandoned bio-labs in Terminal City at your
disposal.�

�Damn. I need to get back to TC.� Alec rose and pulled money out
of his pocket.

�I can get it,� Asha protested. �I know you guys are short on stuff
in there. Use it for something you need.�

Alec shrugged, �When I ask a pretty girl for coffee, I pay.� Their
eyes met and Alec started to say something but stopped. Asha blushed
slightly and held his gaze. She saw something pass across Alec�s face.
His expression was almost pained, regretful. He put the money on the
table and started to leave.

�Thanks for the coffee, Alec.� Asha said quietly.

He hesitated, then said to her, �No big deal�I guess I�I better go.�
With that, he turned and left, leaving Asha staring after him, a bemused
look on her face.

The Atrium, Terminal City

Max sat on a bench in the middle of the deserted, weed filled Atrium.
She stared sightlessly at the broken fountain in the center of the scummy
pool of water that had once been an ornamental pond.

�Max. I�ve been looking for you,� Logan�s voice broke the silence.
�Now that Eyes Only is starting up again, I�ve been working on a new
investigation for him. Seems that some of our upstanding leaders may
have their hands in some dirty doings in the import field, paying off
agricultural inspectors to look the other way when some of their imports
don�t pass the inspections. I just need to get my hands on�� He trailed
off, realizing she wasn�t paying attention. �Are you okay? Ginger said
you left the mess hall in a hurry earlier. Is something wrong?�

She turned to him as he dropped down onto the bench next to her,
a question in his eyes. �I�m fine, Logan. Just needed to clear my head.�
She looked away, not meeting his eyes.

�What is it?� Logan asked, puzzled. He checked to be sure they were
alone, and then dropped his arm around her shoulders. Next thing he
knew, Max was literally attacking him, her hands in his hair and her
mouth locked to his as she pinned him against the backrest of the bench.
His arms came up automatically, and he pulled her closer as he responded.
The kiss continued until the wailing of distant sirens broke the silence.
At the sound, Max pulled away as quickly as she had attacked, jumping
to her feet.

�Max?� Logan was bewildered by her actions. �What�s going on?�

�Logan�I…� She looked around like a hunted animal. �I can�t talk
about this.�

�Talk about what?� He took her hand and pulled her back down.

Max�s eyes glazed over as he looked at her quizzically. They traveled
from his scruffy beard to the neck of his dark gray, button-down shirt,
which was opened to reveal a faint sprinkling of the blonde hairs that
lightly covered his chest. From there, her gaze traveled downwards�Suddenly,
a hand with long, strong fingers was waving in front of her eyes, calling
them back from their wayward journey. Max gulped and fanned herself,
muttering something about how �hot� it was.

�Earth to Max. What�s up?� Logan sounded worried and impatient. He
studied her closely. Her skin had a faint flush and her pupils were
slightly dilated. Realization hit him and he fumbled for words, �Are
you having�I mean, is your feline DNA�?� He stopped and then blurted
it out, �You�re in heat, aren�t you?�

�Logan! Shhh. You think I want all of TC to know?�
Max didn�t deny it. �I have a load of stuff to deal with today, so I
can�t lock myself up somewhere until this is over. And I can�t be jumping
everything and anything male that comes near me. I need Original Cindy,
and she isn�t here!� The last was almost a wail.

�Why do you need Original Cindy?� Logan asked, confused.

�She helps me keep this bitch under control.� Max explained.

Logan chuckled, �I�m not Original Cindy, but
that might not be so bad in this case.� At Max�s glare, he sighed and
tried to explain, �I mean�it�s just that when you�damn it, I�m a guy,
Max, and we are�� He stopped and took a deep breath, �What can
I do?�

Max had drifted off as he spoke, her glazed eyes wandering freely
over his body. At his last words, she smiled and teasingly ran her hands
down his chest to play with the top button of his shirt. She made quick
work of opening it and moved on to the next one. �I can think of a few
things.� Her voice was husky and before Logan could react, she leaned over and lightly
ran her tongue over his exposed skin.

A tremor ran through him at the sharp contrast of her hot breath
and the cool outside air simultaneously hitting his moistened skin,
and he started to raise his hands to pull her closer. Then, with a visible
effort, he dropped his hands and stood before she could proceed any
further. He stepped back, away from Max, who had also risen and was
staring at him predatorily.

For a moment, Max stood poised, as if about to attack, and then,
slowly, sanity returned to her eyes. �Damn. Tell you what, if you really
wanna help�give me a smackdown if I do that again,� she said, resignation
in her tone.

�Max, I can�t,� concern mixed with desire in Logan�s eyes as he looked down at her.
�You shouldn�t be out like this. Let me ask Alec to cover for you.�

�He�s not around � Asha called, said it was urgent and he headed
out. And there�s stuff the CO needs to do up close and personal, ya
know.� Max sighed. �Just remind me if you happen to see me goin� to
the dark side. That�ll have to work. And�thanks for being chill with
this. Without Original Cindy, there isn�t anyone else here I can trust,
me being in charge and all.� She managed a weak smile. �Can�t have the
CO tryin� to knock boots with anythin� in pants.�

Logan smiled down at her reassuringly, �It�ll
be okay.� Their eyes locked and Max started to move toward him once
again, but she stopped at the sound of a cough. Max froze, then turned
to see an X8 standing there.

�Ma�am, Mole sent me to ask you to come to Command.��

�Tell Mole I�m on it.� The X8 nodded and left at a trot. Max sighed,
and followed Logan, her eyes roving hungrily over his tall
figure as he strode along in front of her.

Jam Pony�

Original Cindy sat on the bench in front of her locker. She braced
her hands on the edge and with a visible effort pushed herself to her
feet, muttering to herself.

�Normal�s gonna have yo ass for sure. Two hours late�with the muthah
of all hangovers�damn raspberry daiquiris. How you ever gonna push those
wheels round this sorry city?� She sat back down abruptly. Her t-shirt
was soaked with sweat and her face was flushed. �C�mon, girl, get movin�,�
she exhorted herself.

Rising, she started towards the bathroom, but after a few wobbly
steps, her legs gave way underneath her. With a soft moan, she collapsed
in a heap on the floor.

Command Center, Terminal City – 10:30 AM

Max and Logan had arrived at Command, only to find out that Mole�s
summons was nothing critical. Two Xs had questioned one of Mole�s orders
and he had sent for Max to deal with them. Max shot him an annoyed glare,
but refrained from comment.

With the problem solved, Dix had buttonholed Max to show her his
newest innovation for the video surveillance system. She dutifully listened
to him extol the virtues of his new system, while Logan stood at her elbow, preoccupation
evident on his face.

Max noticed Logan�s impatience and when Dix turned away for
a moment, she elbowed him and whispered, �I�m fine. You don�t hav�ta
be glued to me. Just keep an eye out.�

Logan looked at her doubtfully. �Are you sure?�

�Logan,
I�m okay.� She gave him a slight shove and with a shrug,
he turned away. Max�s eyes followed and when he looked back at her,
their gazes locked for a moment. A sultry smile spread over her face
as she looked him up and down. Logan frowned and shook his head slightly
and, with an almost imperceptible motion, Max shook herself and turned
back to Dix. Logan positioned himself at a workstation where he could
watch Max, but within moments, he was completely absorbed in a records
search.

Search complete, he finally looked in Max�s direction and stifled
an exclamation. While he was busy, Max had finished with Dix and started
over to join him, only to be accosted by an X6.

�Excuse me, Ma�am, Ginger sent this to you. She thought you might
be hungry.� The young man held out a package.

�Thank you, soldier.� Max looked him over from head to toe admiringly.
�Why haven�t I met you before?� She moved closer to him.

�I d-don�t know, Ma�am,� the boy stammered, not sure how to react.

Max reached out for the food and let her hand trail lightly down
his arm. �Wanna help me eat this?� Her voice was husky, promising more
than just a shared snack.

At that moment, a hand fell on her shoulder and spun her around to
face Logan. �I�d love to help you, Max.� With
a curt nod, he dismissed the soldier, who quickly left. Max transferred
her interest to Logan, smiling seductively up at him.

A movement behind her caught Logan�s attention, and he spotted Mole
watching with an irritated expression on his face. Making a quick decision,
he quickly pulled Max behind a row of high shelves packed with equipment.
Hidden from prying eyes, he held her at arm�s length, as though unsure
of what to do with her. Max, on the other hand, had definite plans of
her own. A wicked grin crossed her face mere seconds before she literally
threw herself at Logan, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his
waist as she pressed her mouth against his, kissing him intensely. Logan
responded eagerly, fueled on by lust, adrenaline, and his own hormones.
She pressed her body against his and for several moments, the two were
oblivious to the rest of the world.

Nearby, a cell phone shrilled, and Max jumped out of his arms as
quickly as she had put herself there, eyes ablaze, cheeks flushed from
the rush of hormones. Logan�s hands remained cradling Max�s head, his
eyes full of shock and lust. Max let her arms fall from around his neck,
her hands resting on his chest briefly, before she pulled them away
sharply, as though she�d been burned.

�What the hell do you think you�re doing?� Max practically screeched,
forgetting not to make a scene. She clenched her fists as if to keep
from striking out at him.

Every eye in the Command Center was focused on the unseen
action behind the shelves, as they all held a collective breath. Behind
the obstruction, Max and Logan continued to stare at each other. Logan dropped his hands, but before he could
speak, a cough cut through the tension and caused them to jump apart.
Max turned to see Alec standing there, eyebrows raised. He opened his
mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Dix, who called out, �Max,
you better come take a look at this.�

 END OF ACT I