We Meet Again (6/?)
Joel glanced at the clock in the room where he had been pacing and reading files for the last five hours. Midnight.
Joel was confused. Confused and scared. The folders had done their job. They had given him all the answers he needed to know, except now he wished he could go back to questioning; to go back to not knowing about them, or this mission, or about Lydecker and what Manticore actually was.
How could a man do such a thing? Torturing innocent children all in the name of finding a superior warrior. And now Joel had gotten himself mixed up in all of this, and he didn't know what to do. Going against Lydecker would mean almost certain downfall. Lydecker knew too much about Joel that he would detect any change in loyalties.
But then how could he walk away from them? Now that he knew what was going to happen to them. Lydecker had captured 11 of them she was the only one left. Maybe she could help rescue the others. But then how could she fight against all of them? And Dan, Don and Den were these superior warriors. How could Max fight off the three D's by herself.
The thoughts swirled in Joel's head, but the thought of the three D's made Joel mouth twist into something of a smile. "Guess I can't call them that anymore, not since I found out their real names are Zack, Ben, and Zane," said Joel out loud.
Joel continued to pace around the room, muttering to himself and trying to make sense out of the mess that he got himself into. Cursing himself for accepting this job. Suddenly, the room felt awful small to Joel and he knew that he had to get himself out of here, and go clear his mind.
"The hell with Lydecker's orders," said Joel as he put on his jacket, "he may have a clear conscience about what he does, but I don't. I need to go somewhere that I can think and possibly drink until I puke."
Joel opened the door and stepped into the drizzling weather outside. "Does it ever not rain?" said Joel, as he flipped up the collar of his jacket and started to walk. Joel walked and walked and walked, trying to clear his mind and not paying much attention to where he was going. Every once in a while he would look up before trudging along the dirty streets of Seattle. It was during this action that a sign caught his eye. A moldy neon sign displayed the name of this bar, "Crash". His heart stopped for a few seconds.
This was where she hung out and had a couple of beers. Something told him to run away, to keep on walking and not risk running into her and spilling everything that he knew. But a stronger force willed him to go into the bar, and just see what she was like. For all he knew she could be a criminal, or some cold-hearted bitch that belonged where Lydecker was going to put her, and she would deserve what she got. Or she could be a nice person that was just trying to live her life, hiding from her past. Throughout his observation of her he never got close enough to really see what she was like. Maybe he should just go and see what she was like. Not talk to her, o god no, that would be terrible, but just go and see…
While the thoughts were moving through his head, his feet were carrying him to the decrepit door of the bar. When he was five feet in front of the door, his head finally caught up with his legs and he decided to go for it.
All of a sudden a cold wind blew and Joel tucked his head into his coat and continued to walk to the door not really looking were he was going, so when the door opened he ran into the person that opened it. The stranger managed to stay standing, but Joel fell over.
"Oh my gosh!" a female voice said, "I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up. Just goes to show that beer and walking really don't mix."
At this point Joel looked up and he was shocked at who he saw. It was her, and she looked much prettier up close. At the shock of finding her, he forgot to cover up who he was without thinking he said the first thing that came to his head.
"M-Max?"
Max's forehead crinkled in suspicion and she gave Joel an icy glare, "How do you know my name?"
The glare cut through Joel and he thought of what she could do to him with only one hand. Joel began to stutter in response, without really thinking what he would get himself into, "W-well… L-Lydecker, and M-M-Manticore, I-I-I…."
Joel couldn't get another word out because she lifted him up and shoved him into the wall so hard that the wind was knocked out of lungs and he had to gasp for air.
"What about them!" The look on the girls face was menacing, and Joel willed his brain to formulate some response.
"W-well, I c-can't really say, but…"
Joel didn't have a chance to finish that sentence because he blacked out, and the last thing he saw was Max's fist coming straight at his face. When Joel finally woke up, it was still night outside, and he had a pounding headache.
Slowly he opened his eyes and the first thing that he saw that he was in a spacious and obviously expensive penthouse. This was the penthouse that Lydecker had shown to him on his first day in Seattle. The next thing that he saw was Max staring at him; if looks could kill… he didn't want to finish that.
Max didn't say anything for a minute. Then she only uttered one word, "Explain."
Please, read and review!! Also any suggestions would be helpful.
Joel glanced at the clock in the room where he had been pacing and reading files for the last five hours. Midnight.
Joel was confused. Confused and scared. The folders had done their job. They had given him all the answers he needed to know, except now he wished he could go back to questioning; to go back to not knowing about them, or this mission, or about Lydecker and what Manticore actually was.
How could a man do such a thing? Torturing innocent children all in the name of finding a superior warrior. And now Joel had gotten himself mixed up in all of this, and he didn't know what to do. Going against Lydecker would mean almost certain downfall. Lydecker knew too much about Joel that he would detect any change in loyalties.
But then how could he walk away from them? Now that he knew what was going to happen to them. Lydecker had captured 11 of them she was the only one left. Maybe she could help rescue the others. But then how could she fight against all of them? And Dan, Don and Den were these superior warriors. How could Max fight off the three D's by herself.
The thoughts swirled in Joel's head, but the thought of the three D's made Joel mouth twist into something of a smile. "Guess I can't call them that anymore, not since I found out their real names are Zack, Ben, and Zane," said Joel out loud.
Joel continued to pace around the room, muttering to himself and trying to make sense out of the mess that he got himself into. Cursing himself for accepting this job. Suddenly, the room felt awful small to Joel and he knew that he had to get himself out of here, and go clear his mind.
"The hell with Lydecker's orders," said Joel as he put on his jacket, "he may have a clear conscience about what he does, but I don't. I need to go somewhere that I can think and possibly drink until I puke."
Joel opened the door and stepped into the drizzling weather outside. "Does it ever not rain?" said Joel, as he flipped up the collar of his jacket and started to walk. Joel walked and walked and walked, trying to clear his mind and not paying much attention to where he was going. Every once in a while he would look up before trudging along the dirty streets of Seattle. It was during this action that a sign caught his eye. A moldy neon sign displayed the name of this bar, "Crash". His heart stopped for a few seconds.
This was where she hung out and had a couple of beers. Something told him to run away, to keep on walking and not risk running into her and spilling everything that he knew. But a stronger force willed him to go into the bar, and just see what she was like. For all he knew she could be a criminal, or some cold-hearted bitch that belonged where Lydecker was going to put her, and she would deserve what she got. Or she could be a nice person that was just trying to live her life, hiding from her past. Throughout his observation of her he never got close enough to really see what she was like. Maybe he should just go and see what she was like. Not talk to her, o god no, that would be terrible, but just go and see…
While the thoughts were moving through his head, his feet were carrying him to the decrepit door of the bar. When he was five feet in front of the door, his head finally caught up with his legs and he decided to go for it.
All of a sudden a cold wind blew and Joel tucked his head into his coat and continued to walk to the door not really looking were he was going, so when the door opened he ran into the person that opened it. The stranger managed to stay standing, but Joel fell over.
"Oh my gosh!" a female voice said, "I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up. Just goes to show that beer and walking really don't mix."
At this point Joel looked up and he was shocked at who he saw. It was her, and she looked much prettier up close. At the shock of finding her, he forgot to cover up who he was without thinking he said the first thing that came to his head.
"M-Max?"
Max's forehead crinkled in suspicion and she gave Joel an icy glare, "How do you know my name?"
The glare cut through Joel and he thought of what she could do to him with only one hand. Joel began to stutter in response, without really thinking what he would get himself into, "W-well… L-Lydecker, and M-M-Manticore, I-I-I…."
Joel couldn't get another word out because she lifted him up and shoved him into the wall so hard that the wind was knocked out of lungs and he had to gasp for air.
"What about them!" The look on the girls face was menacing, and Joel willed his brain to formulate some response.
"W-well, I c-can't really say, but…"
Joel didn't have a chance to finish that sentence because he blacked out, and the last thing he saw was Max's fist coming straight at his face. When Joel finally woke up, it was still night outside, and he had a pounding headache.
Slowly he opened his eyes and the first thing that he saw that he was in a spacious and obviously expensive penthouse. This was the penthouse that Lydecker had shown to him on his first day in Seattle. The next thing that he saw was Max staring at him; if looks could kill… he didn't want to finish that.
Max didn't say anything for a minute. Then she only uttered one word, "Explain."
Please, read and review!! Also any suggestions would be helpful.