Empty World Ch. 01

"Max..."

He turned his head to look her in the face - on the verge of tears, scared out of her mind.

"I'm here for you, Lu. No matter what happens," he covered her tiny trembling hands with his huge palm. She answered with a shadow of a smile and clutched his hand in hers.

The trip took less than ten minutes. Max raced the empty straight streets, occasionally shifting lanes to avoid service trucks, stopped forever late night or early morning two days ago. He swerved and missed the driveway, rolling across the front lawn to full stop right in front of the porch of Lucia's house. She nearly jumped out of her seat, forgetting about her wound and her weakness, and ran into the front door.

"Mamá! Abuela!.. Mamá!.."

Max caught up to her, standing on her knees beside the dining table. Two half-full coffee cups, cold, and a phone told a story of a late night in Martinez family waiting for a call from the hospital. Lucia let out a wail of despair.

"No... no... why... whyyyy..." She dropped her head on her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why..."

Max kneeled down, effortlessly picked her small frame up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom. He gently lowered her to lie on the bed, sat beside her and wrapped his arms around, holding her shaking body tight, letting her bawl her eyes out.

They didn't know how much time had passed. To Max, sometimes it felt like Lu was out of tears, but then she'd burst again, sobbing, sniffing, hiding her face in the pillow. She went quiet at last, her breathing became slow, shallow and steady, and, to much surprise, Max found she'd fallen asleep. He closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep too, never taking his arms off her.

--//--

Molly was ecstatic. Good fresh food! New clean clothes! Gore-tex boots she could walk the country coast to coast! Underwear... she shivered from nearly erotic sensation of plain cotton white bra and panties on her skin.

"It's been too long since you had new clean undies, eh, Mols? Months, years?.. Eh, I don't remember either."

After finding the right sizes for everything, she took everything off again and, standing in the corner, gave herself a bath using bottled water she found in the storage. She cleaned the wound on her ankle - "No meds in here, too bad." - and bandaged it with a stripe of cloth she tore from a bed sheet.

"Now get some rest, girl. Your journey was exhausting," then she yawned in response to her own thoughts.

She made herself an improvised bed out of packaged clothes and bedding, curled up on it after turning off the lights and soon fell asleep with a jar of peanut butter she had found in one of the boxes.

--//--

Max woke up at the feeling of Lu stirring in his arms.

"Hey," he called softly.

"Hey you... I missed your snoring, you know," she whispered back.

"Humm... I don't know if I should be offended or take this as a compliment," he frowned.

She twisted in his arms, turning to face him. Her eyes were still puffy from all the tears she shed, but she was trying to smile.

"You silly big man, Weller," she sighed and hid her face in his chest, inhaling his scent. Damn, she missed just about everything about him, and it took the fucking apocalypse to get them back together in the same room.

How I never got to get over her? He gently stroked her hair. Years of fucking around and not even a second date, much less a hint at relationship. And what if we're alone in the world now? That would be the most fucked up twist of fate, not that he believed this shit.

"I don't want to stay here, Max... Can I crash at your place?" She muttered. "Please?"

"Huh?" He shook his thoughts away. "Of course, you can, the Tower is at your disposal, Lu."

That's not what she had in mind, but the mention of the most secure and secret location in the area worried her more right now. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

"The Tower? Tell me you didn't apply for the security chief there," she frowned.

"Well, now, as the last manager in the succession line, I'm the chief of everything," he said flatly. "Engineering initially. I would happily delegate security... to someone."

"So... is it as good as rumors go? The Tower, I mean," she quickly changed the subject.

"Power, water, food. Fully autonomous fortress. Lots of space to host people. If only there would be people to host... C'mon, Lu, get your stuff, you'll have your own private space there."

She pondered her options. Power, water, food versus no power and scavenging was an easy choice, but still she hesitated - the Tower has been a constant source of weird and scary rumors among the locals.

"Oh, I guess I just have to see for myself what all the fuss was about," Lu sighed and extracted herself from his hands, standing up and taking off his jacket. When she reached the strings holding her hospital gown together, Max rolled on the bed and turned his back to her.

"It's not like you haven't seen everything already," she teased, dropping the gown and opening her wardrobe. Ugh, where do you get off being a slut, Lu. Max didn't offer a comment, but gave her a look over his shoulder, admiring her tight toned butt while she put on her underwear.

Tiny, compared to his hulking frame, 5'5 - maybe, he never asked, nice curves in all the right places and a wave of long black hair - she was incredibly feminine, and deceptively so. Lucia Martinez could tie a man in knots - literally - without breaking a sweat, was proficient with all kinds of firearms and could drive anything with wheels. Probably why she was so good at her job.

She pulled two stacks of neatly folded clothing from the wardrobe and paused. One, she dropped on the bed with a look of doubt in her face. Max propped himself on his elbow to look.

"Well, well, sheriff Martinez of Jackson County," he saw the star on the stack of green gray uniforms. "Congrats, I guess."

She scrunched her face. "Got promoted in November, when Patterson retired. Same job, better pay, what's not to like... I'm leaving this, I'm not sure if I need it anymore."

"Take it. Never know when the city will need a sheriff again. Take it, Lu."

She glanced at him, then grabbed her duffle bag and stuffed the uniform inside, then pulled on faded jeans and a tight black t-shirt, adorning the ensemble with an oversized gray hoodie and a pair of mid-calf military boots.

"What else I might need, Max?"

"Um... we don't have hygiene items and toiletries yet, as well as everyday clothes... lots of stuff actually, I will need to do some scavenging runs."

Lu got busy collecting her personal things out of the wardrobe, closet and bathroom, and putting everything into the bag. Then she walked to the weapons locker in the corner, tapped the code on the panel and pulled a full gun bag out of it.

"I'm ready."

Max opened his mouth to tell her about the Tower's arsenal, but thought better about it - Lu was very attached to her guns.

"Aaaaand we also need booze and smokes."

"Damn, pendejo, how you were gonna survive the apocalypse without the important stuff! Let's go, it's in the kitchen," she grabbed both bags and left the room. Max grabbed his jacket and followed. Lu stopped to pull a bottle of Casamigos and a pack of Marlboro from the kitchen cabinet, stuffed both into her bag, then walked through the back door.

"I'm going to take Mammoth," she nodded at the garage.

"A'ight, meet you out front," Max made a trip around the house, plopped into the driver's seat of the buggy and rolled it off the lawn into the street.

Lu's truck - heavily customized Dodge Mammoth 6x6 - roared in the driveway behind him and stopped. Max turned his head to see Lu giving her house one last glance, then she turned to him. Follow me, he gestured, and pushed the pedal.

--//--

Cars slowly rolled into the garage. Max backed the buggy into the charger station and gestured to Lu to take two empty spots on the other side. He pulled his bags from the back seat and waited for her to kill the engine and jump down from her monstrous truck.

"Intruder alert," Mother voiced as soon as Lu's feet touched the floor. She ducked instinctively, her hand went looking for a gun holster on her hip.

"Not an intruder," Max waved her off. "Mother, this is Lucia Martinez, sheriff of Jackson County. Give her level 4 security clearance, please."

"Nice to meet you, sheriff Martinez."

"Uh... likewise, I guess? You can call me Lu." She relaxed just a bit. What the fuck, she mouthed to Max.

"Mother is the Tower's brain, one of the most advanced AIs in existence. Mother, please close the garage."

"Brain, huh? So you're the muscle then," Lu smirked, pulling her bags out of the back seat.

"You could say that, yeah. Those nuts and bolts won't tighten themself," Max demonstratively played his torso muscles under his tight t-shirt, eliciting an eye roll and a groan from her.

"Showoff!"

Garage doors slowly rolled down, lights dimmed and went off as they left. They walked the hallway, Max leading the way in the direction of the lobby.

"Level 4 security, huh?"

"First is for tenants, second - maintenance staff, third - middle management, like I was, initially. Yours is the equivalent of the security chief."

"Oh," she wasn't sure she liked what he implied, again, but they would talk about that later. "What's yours?"

Max hesitated. "Fifth and last. Mother recognizes me as the superintendent."

"Why is everything so militarized?"

"What do you think? They were preparing for this place to be besieged at some point. Still not off the table, you'll see why."

They reached the security room, and Max dropped both bags on the couch.

"This was my main station for the last two days," he gestured to the consoles and displays. She looked around the room - everything looked familiar enough, probably because S&L sponsored local law enforcement too, hiring the same contractors for them and the Tower.

"I'll show you around later, let's settle you in first."

"Yeah, sounds good. Teach me those replicator things?" Her stomach growled so loud Max did a double take. His eyes widened as the realization dawned on him.

"Holy shit, you're starving! Drop your stuff here, room can wait!" He walked out. "Let's go eat!"

Max pushed the second door down the hallway on the opposite side and walked in, Lu following him closely behind into the large room filled with long dining tables and equally long benches.

"Canteen? Does that mean no eating in bed?" she chuckled.

"People shouldn't eat alone, that's depressing," he frowned. "You, of course, can stuff yourself with ice cream and peanut butter laying in bed as much as you want, every apartment has a replicator."

He walked up to the row of boxes in the wall, somewhat reminiscing of a fancy microwave installation in a household appliances store.

"What are you having? Look, you push this button and just say what you want," he pointed at the panel and pushed the button. "Spicy veal with udon."

Box flashed and played a soft tone a second later. Max slid the door up and pulled out a steaming bowl of wok and a pair of chopsticks wrapped in a paper napkin.

"Now you try," he nodded to the replicator nearest to her.

"How... how many dishes does it know?"

"A lot," he grinned.

"Okay, here goes nothing," she pushed the button and leaned to the panel to speak. "Um... I would like a steak, medium rare, with a side of roasted potatoes, please."

"That's my girl," Max muttered, grinning.

Lu took a step back then giggled excitedly, seeing the dish forming out of thin air in a flash of light. She carefully took the plate out, then raised her eyes to meet Max', her face an epitome of awe.

"Let's fucking eat already," she laughed and headed to the nearest table. He sat across from her, grinning. They ate in silence, Max amusedly watching Lu devour her steak. She finally cleared her plate and pushed it aside, burping.

"Wow, sorry for that... that was something else, I couldn't afford a steak this good even with Sheriff' salary!"

"Looking for bright sides of the apocalypse?" he chuckled.

She paused. Did she? Her eyes stinged, and she shut them tight, taking a deep breath. Single tear rolled down her cheek. She opened them again and met the piercing gaze of his, completely serious, steel gray with a hint of blue.

"What if I am... is that bad?"

"No, Lu, it's okay. Everybody grieves in their own way," he reached across the table and covered her hand with his, looking into her eyes. "Now, let's get you settled, okay?" She nodded.

They placed their plates and cutlery into the disposal box and returned to security, where Max stashed both his bags and Lu's guns into the armory. Taking her bag with him, he walked her to the service elevator in the lobby.

"This one is for the Tower staff," he explained. "Service 3."

Elevator accelerated smoothly, bringing them three floors up.

"Mother, activate S302 for Lu, please, that's going to be her apartment."

Not what she had in mind when she asked to crash at his place, but at least he's going to be somewhere near...

"S302 activated."

"Thank you," he stepped out of the elevator and headed across the hallway to the door with an S302 on it. "Put your hand on the door handle to open."

"Duh! I know how doors work, Max," she cackled.

"Not these doors. Every apartment is locked biometrically, handles have scanners in them."

"Oh," she put her hand on the handle and more felt than heard a soft click a second later. She pushed the handle down, opening the door. Max made an inviting gesture.

"It's not much, but it's all yours."

'Not much' consisted of an entry room with a closet, bedroom twice the size of her old one, dining area with a replicator and a disposal unit and bathroom with a walk-in shower. Floor-to-ceiling window had a door to the balcony overlooking the inner courtyard. With rent prices lately you had to make at least 200K to afford something like that, she thought. Lu took a small tour around the apartment, finishing in the bathroom, looked around, then gave bidet a side-eye.

"Never learned how to use these things."

"I'd suggest you watch a tutorial online, but the internet's down."

They looked at each other and snorted, breaking into laughter. It felt so good to laugh again, pushing grief away and making awkward tension between them disappear. Lu reached for her bag, producing tequila, cigarettes and a lighter she brought from home.

"Party?" she wiggled her brows at him.

"Oh, it's on!" he laughed. "But wait a sec."

Max took the party items off her hands and placed them on the table in the dining area, then moved away.

"Mother, sample these, please."

Beams of green light shoot out from a gimballed replicator mounted on the ceiling, scanning all three.

"Scanning complete. Please specify the domain."

"Make it public. Oh, get us shot glasses, please."

Blue beam formed two glasses on the table beside the bottle. Lu was watching the entire process with a mix of amazement and curiosity on her face.

"C'mon, Lu, whatcha waiting for?" Max opened the bottle, poured two glasses to the brim and took one. She sat across from him and took the other.

"Should we say something?.."

"No. We don't have to," Max slugged his shot and knocked the glass on the table. Lu followed suit. Both exhaled, liquid fire burning down their throats. He pulled a cigarette out of the pack and lit up.

"So, Mother, huh?" she pointedly raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Whose nerdy idea was that?"

Max kicked back in his chair, blew the smoke through his nose and gave her a crooked smile.

"Oh my God, Weller! You just couldn't get over your Scott obsession, could you?" she laughed.

"What? It's certainly better than HAL or GLaDOS," he grinned and poured again. "At least Mother didn't try to kill anyone. And Raised by Wolves is not canon, before you say anything!"

"You're incorrigible," she shook her head and slowly downed the second shot in small sips, then reached for a cigarette. "Damn, Max, what we're gonna do..."

"Get wasted then go to sleep," he killed the second shot the same way he did the first. "I know, I know, tha's not what you've meant."

He paused and took a drag of his cigarette.

"We do the same thing I did for the last two days - search for survivors. Me finding you means there are more people out there. We won't starve, or die from elements - the Tower was built exactly for this. We can rebuild here."

"And what if we don't find anyone?" she blew the smoke into the ceiling.

"Well, we spend the rest of our lives here, making the best of it."

She poured another round and took her shot in two big gulps, then took the last drag.

"Mother, an ashtray, please."

Crystal ashtray formed in the middle of the table, and she stubbed her butt.

"Sorry for not coming to your dad's funeral," she said, not looking at him and pouring another.

"I didn't expect you to drive all the way to Arlington. Besides, we broke up."

"Yeah, we did," she chuckled somewhat sadly, remembering her throwing bilingual curses at him at the top of her lungs. She took a small sip, already feeling the effect of alcohol. Max was slowly sipping his.

"I'm glad he didn't know. I felt no need to add to his list of reasons why I failed in this life," he muttered.

"Failed?" she shook her head. "The fuck is you talking about? Bronze Star and Purple Heart? Summa Cum Laude in MIT? You're fucking hero of this city, Max!"

"There's nothing heroic about invading other countries under false pretenses," he shrugged and swigged his shot. "Especially when you come back a broken mess and your retired parent has to deal with your shit," he knocked his glass on the table and took the last drag of his cigarette, then put it out.

"Fuck your self-pity. I'm kinda happy it's you I'm stuck with in the post-apocalypse, y'know."

"Why is that? I'm the same self-loathing asshole you dumped."

"Self-loathing, yes. Asshole, maybe. But you got the biggest shaft I've ever seen," she made big eyes and giggled. Her cheeks were rosy - from alcohol or her months old dry spell, or both, but she didn't care,

Max rolled his eyes. Lu changing her usual flirty mode to straightforward meant she's had enough.

"What? Handsome hunk with a big cock, not some shrimp-dick James Dalton," she continued.

"Damn, Lu, that was, like, fifteen years ago, you still can't get over your high school crush?" He laughed.

"Not fucking funny, Weller, that was the biggest disappointment of my life!"

She poured another shot - just for her - and downed it immediately before he could stop her. She tried to stand, but her legs nearly gave out and she crashed back into the chair.

"Okay, I'm down... I mean, I'm done..."

"Oh yeah, you definitely are, girl. Let's get you to bed," Max helped her stand up and walked her to the bedroom, where she exhaustedly let herself fall on the bed. Lu tried to undress while lying on her back, failed and pouted.

"Help me, Maxi?"

"You'll be alright," he chuckled, but took her boots off. "I'm next door, S301, holler if you need anything. G'night, Lu..."

He left her apartment, turning off the light on his way out.

"Shit," she muttered. "You know what I need but playing hard to get... asshole..."

Hot wave rising between her legs demanded a release. She unzipped her jeans and snaked her hand into her panties, not surprised to find them wet and sticky already. No preamble, no teasing - she pulled her hood up and began mercilessly rubbing her nub, gasping and squirming. Her senses dulled by alcohol, it took her some time but finally a jolt of... something, a weak one, rolled up her spine. Her body tensed, she arched her back, more of a habitual reaction than an actual ecstasy, and gave out a small whimper, rolling on her side and rubbing her thighs together, trapping her fingers to prolong the fleeting pleasure, and closed her eyes. Tears rolled down her face and dripped onto the pillow.