Logan's Run

This is inspired by the book and the movie, obviously.

I wrote this for my wife, who doesn't know I write here. Please don't let her know.

Thank you to sbrooks for the quick turn and making it fit for the masses. Don't blame him for the spelling of Carrousel, blame William Nolan and George Johnson. Bonus points for knowing who those two are.

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Jessica woke up justifiably nervous. It was her time, she could feel it. Today was her day.

The time had come for her rite of "Carrousel." She knew what it meant, they were going to kill her. Once she turned thirty her life would be ended and her body would be reborn. Or so that is what they told the people so they would go to their deaths willingly.

But Jessica knew the truth.

They had even fit her with a life-clock to keep track of how much time she had left.

She knew they were always watching her, just like they watched everyone else.

Keeping track of everyone until that one day.

Then when that day came...

But Jessica was on to them and she knew she needed to become a runner to escape.

She just needed help to do it.

And she knew just the man to help her escape. The same man who she knew had escaped from the Carrousel on multiple occasions.

Logan.

She didn't know how he was able to escape and she didn't know why he kept coming back but she knew she had a special connection with him.

Jessica knew she just had to play the game and not let anyone know she was on to their scheme.

She sat out in the area next to screen with the moving objects on it. While the others were captivated by the lights and sounds, Jessica watched the door. She knew her savior was going to be coming that day.

He had to. He just had to!

Jessica talked to the others' when she was asked questions because she didn't want to give anything away.

"I'm doing fine, thank you; no, I don't need anything." Just pretending that she didn't know what they were really up to.

She was so nervous that her hands were shaking.

"Do you need a blanket?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you" Jessica replied. She had to be more careful.

She had only looked away for a moment but when she looked back up, he was there.

Logan.

He looked so handsome her heart fluttered. She'd never seen a better looking man. Maybe that was why they let him leave, because he was so good looking.

He immediately saw her looking at him and smiled.

Jessica got up from her seat and grabbed his hand before he could say anything.

She took him to her secret space that they didn't visit very often. This way she could talk to Logan without them knowing her plan.

When they arrived, she shut the door so they couldn't be heard.

Trembling, she told him, "it's my time for Carrousel. You need to help me escape to Sanctuary, Logan!"

He looked down for only a second. Then looking back up with a tear in his eye.

"Ok, Jessica. How do you want to get to Sanctuary?"

She couldn't help herself, she grabbed and kissed him.

Crying and trembling as she held on to him, "you believe me."

Stepping back, she held on to his hand as she laid out her plan.

"We need to steam one of their magic keys. They have that ankh symbol on them that lets them know that they are part of that secret group. That's how we get out of here"

He shook his head in acknowledgement.

And she looked at him with what she hoped was a sweet and innocent smile, "and

I was hoping that you had one already. Logan, I know you are runner and that is how you escape from them."

He smiled back at her, then reached into his pocket and took out the key with a symbol on it.

"How did you get to know so much?"

"I've been watching every time you come and go," she said with a impish smile.

That she watched him because she thought he was really cute as well was beside the point.

Holding her hand, he smiled at her, "If you are sure you want to escape, then we need to make sure we have the right supplies."

She couldn't believe it, it was going to happen. She was going to live. She was so excited she was trembling.

He walked over to her closet and grabbed out her winter coat, hat and gloves. He helped her get dressed and once she was ready to go she looked at him, "where is your jacket? We can't go if you'll freeze to death!"

Smiling as he ran his fingers down her cheek, "It's ok honey, I've got my jacket hidden right before we go out into the cold."

"Into the ice cave?"

"Sure honey, the ice cave."

Jessica smiled since she knew the answer. "Great. I'm glad you have a coat, I wouldn't want you to get sick. That would be awful."

He gave her a hug and kiss her cheek to hide the tears suddenly falling.

Then taking a small step back he asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Of course. Thank you for saving me."

"You are most welcome Jessica, but you saved me first."

She couldn't remember what she had done to help Logan, but hearing him say it made her feel good.

He looked out into the hall way, "the coast is clear, let's go."

Jessica held on to Logan's hand as snuck down the hall.

As they got to the door that was always locked it was magically unlocked when Logan used the key card. They snuck down the hallway to the elevator, Jessica's walk more of shuffle in her excitement.

Logan pushed the button for the 1st floor, "that is where my coat is and it is also the way out'.

Jessica was still nervous, "are there any guards or robots that could stop us?"

"Don't worry about it honey, I've already taken care of everything" he said with a smile

"We're going to do it. We're going to make it to Sanctuary."

"Of course we are, you are always safe with me."

When the door open, Jessica held Logan's hand tight as he walked straight to his jacket. Putting his hat and coat on he nodded to the guard who smiled back at them both and went back to looking at his computer.

They stepped outside together. She'd made it. She was free.

He held her down the pathway. The snow had fallen but the path was clear of ice.

She smiled at him, "the ice cave is beautiful."

He squeezed her hand tighter, "not nearly as beautiful as you are honey."

Jessica was excited when they made there way to Logan's car. He opened the door for her and helped her in, buckled her and then kissed her head before closing the door.

As they drove she looked out the window she marvels at the world as it goes by her window.

After a few turns, Jessica feels the car come to a stop and looks at the home in front of her.

She admires the house, then turns to Logan.

"Sanctuary?"

Smiling back at her, "Yes honey, Sanctuary."

He helped her out of the car and to the front door.

As they stood in front of the door, Logan looked in Jessica's eyes.

"I love you honey, now don't be worried. Things are going to be confusing for a little bit but I'm going to be with you the whole time. You don't need to be scared of anything"

Jessica smiled back at him, "I know, you're my protector."

"That's right honey, I'll always protect you."

As they opened the door to Sanctuary a little girl came running up and gave Jessica a big hug, "Happy Birthday Grandma."

This was Jessica's proof, proof of a life outside the walls. A life outside the confines. She hugged the little girl with all of her might. She cried as she held the little girl she whose name she couldn't remember, only that she loved this little girl with all of her heart.

It wasn't a surprise party, they had talked about it with Jessica for weeks but of course she couldn't remember what they had told her. She had known that an important day was coming up and she wanted to be ready for it, she just couldn't remember what it was for.

The party lasted for a few hours. Everyone made sure that Jessica felt safe and secure. She sat most of the time as the shaking made it hard for her to stand up for long periods of time. As long as Logan stayed within sight she knew that everything was ok. She was safe and loved.

This was one of her better days so she was smiling and laughing by the end of the party. She wasn't concerned with being awful endings, just enjoying happy moments. She couldn't recognize most of the faces but she knew she was safe with everyone here.

He hated having to bring her back but he knew that he couldn't take care of her at home by himself anymore. The kids had their own lives with little ones at home.

As they drove back, Jessica was holding his hand the whole time. Even if it made it really hard for him to drive, it was worth it.

He walked her to her room. Got her settled and changed for bed, then read to her as she feel asleep.

He gave her a kiss on the head as she started to snore just a little. Tears were in his eyes as he closed the door and walked down the hall. Out the door with his key card, then up the elevator up to the main floor.

"Have a goodnight Tom" the guard said as he nodded and walked out the front door.

Despite the tragedy that had happened to his wife with her dementia, he wouldn't have changed their lives a bit. The well formed hallucinations caused in her mind by the Lewy body dementia couldn't be stopped or controlled. Luckily she didn't have the Parkisons yet that often accompanied it so she was still mobile for the time being.

That she still remembered the movie they saw on their first date brought a sweet sadness to Tom. In retrospect, Tom was pretty happy they had gone to see Logan's Run that weekend instead of The Omen, Midway, or one of the other movies that were also playing that same weekend so many decades ago.

Even when she called him Logan in her confusion, Tom knew that she loved him in the only way she was capable of. The irony of the Carrousel Assisted Living Home being the closest nursing home to his house had been too much for Tom so he'd put her in a different assisted living facility just a littler farther away but it didn't matter to Jessica. It didn't matter, she still called it Carrousel.

Just as she confused the Celtic cross on the assisted living facilities key card with an ankh. Her mind glossed over the differences between the two because it made the puzzle fit. To her, it was just the same as she had seen years ago.

Just as what Jessica called her life-clock was her identification wrist bracelet.

There was no point in arguing with her. He'd tried to do that initially and it only had made her confused, angry and frustrated.

There were still some bright spots though.

Her grandkids thought it was funny that Grandma was an escape artist. Even Tom had to chuckle a bit at it. Jessica had always lived fiercely as a wife and a mother in everything she did. No stopping her, no quitting, doing whatever she needed to do to make sure her family was taken care of before her own needs.

Each time she had tried to escape on her own she had been caught she had been easily discovered. Each time she told the staff how she had to get home to make dinner for Tom and the kids. The staff would call Tom and he'd come right over and held Jessica until had settled down, content that she'd done her wifely and motherly duties.

She'd always put everyone else first and her family had adored her for it. She was the one who made everything better for everyone around her.

And then her mind was slowly taken from her. Stolen by an awful disease that they couldn't be beat.

Every Saturday Tom would take Jessica out for the day. Most of the time they would visit one of the kids and everyone would try to make Jessica as happy as possible. Even when Jessica would get angry, they took it in stride. They loved her for who she had been and who she still tried to be. She would always be her families rock. Her birthday and their anniversary were always the hardest but just seeing her beautiful face made it all worth while to him. All of these years of marriage and he still got a rush just holding her hand.

Tom didn't know how much time he had left. No one knows the answer to that but each day was one less. They would eventually get to the point where she couldn't leave the facility and then.

And then..

And then they would cross that bridge when they got there.

All he really cared about, and all Tom knew was that he'd won big long ago on a blind date to a crappy science fiction movie.

And that would always be enough for him.