here's the next chapter. i'm glad u enjoy this. this is the chapter where everything goes extremely nuts. i don't know anymore...anyways, enjoy the chapter! this is fairly short, so enjoy and read and review!
Chapter Four
Running.
He was cornered on all fours. This was unbelievable.
He cursed beneath his breath; for a former X5 member, he was getting out of shape around here. Being chased by a couple of Manticore guys should be no problem to him. Him, an X5, genetically engineered guy like him.
Not unless these dudes had heavy artillery. Heavy, heavy artillery.
Geez, this was such a shame. A talent put to waste.
Gun fires. Muttered curses.
He ran another corner; this was ridiculous. Here he was, a genetically engineered killing machine running around being chased by some jarheads from Manticore with some serious, heavy artillery that he had sort of encountered with.
He gasped slightly; the gash on his arm was bleeding.
I have to warn Max, he thought furiously as he ran another curve, trying to quicken his already-fast pace. This is serious stuff...how they got me pining down like that remains a mystery.
A gunshot missed his head by fractions.
Damn, enough contemplating, I've got some really nasty firepower behind me, he thought as he turned again.
Dead end.
"Oh, damn," he swore as he turned around. "It's show time."
Ring!
Cell phone.
Max lifted the phone from her inside pocket of her black jacket as she sped down the street in her baby, her motorcycle. The cell phone was a late gift from Logan for all the things she had done for him. Keeping him in shape, keeping him in line, okay, maybe saving his sorry butt every now and then...
What did I do for him?
"Hello?" she asked at the receiver.
"Max." Huffy breaths.
Max frowned. This was another caller. She was hoping it was Logan again. To hear his voice again..."Who is this?"
"Max...it's me...Zack."
"Zack? Why...how...you know we weren't supposed to..."
"Sorry, my fault." A pause. Ragged breathes. "I'm caught."
"What?!"
"They got me, Max," he said, which sounded slightly sincere. "They caught me...damn, I can't believe I'm saying this. They came outta nowhere...they hounded me down like a criminal...Max, this is crazy!...I don't know what they want...you gotta warn the others...Max..."
She scowled as she ferociously skidded beside another car and then in front. "Zack, calm down! You're not making any sense!" She scowled again. This wasn't good. Zack, caught? Where was he? How was he caught? Was Lydecker getting smarter or what?
"I can't calm down, Max!" A sudden thud, a sickening groan.
"Zack!" she cried.
"Max...you gotta...protect the others...Max, you got to!"
The phone hung up.
So much for one phone call.
Max looked forward in the night sky, the city lights (or what was left from the Pulse) glistening like stars against the darkness of space. Two things popped into her mind; the eyes of all her siblings, and the electrifying blue eyes that belonged to Eyes Only.
"You ready to go through with this, Mr. Cale?" Bling asked.
Logan looked up at Bling. Medical personnel and visitors waiting with wounded or sick patients surrounded them. The white never changed in any hospital. It hurt his eyes.
Max...
"I'm okay, Bling," he told him confidently. "I'll be okay."
"You sure, man?"
No. "Yah, sure, no problem."
Bling rolled his eyes. "If you say so, sir."
Logan fumbled his fingers and turned to face the nurse who was coming over. After a fumbling series of curt orders and instructions, the nurse took Logan. Bling told him he'd be waiting. So Logan left to his operation.
Bling sighed and sat down, relaxing his position.
A few hours past.
He didn't notice a girl approach him, in some rich schoolgirl's uniform, packed with the short-sleeved white blouse, dark-coloured kilt, black polished heels, wire glasses and long hair. She walked calmly up to Bling. "Um...sir?"
"Yes?" he asked.
She fumbled slightly. "Well," she said softly, calmly, a bit nervously, "maybe if it's okay...I'm sit and wait for him and you can go." She sighed, as if she just made a speech to the president.
Bling frowned. "Do you know him or something? Why?"
She twitched, as if she were uncomfortable. "Yes, I do know him," she replied meekly. "He's doing some research for me, and I found out that he was having an operation today, so I decided to drop by and wait for him. You have a family...don't you?"
Bling was now confused. "How---?"
"Don't you want to be with them right now?" she asked him coolly.
He blinked again; actually he did. But how did the kid---
"It's okay. I won't abandon him."
"But he'll need a ride home after, and---"
"It's all covered." She smiled partially.
Footsteps. Gun shots.
Max couldn't find any way to get out of this situation. In the outer districts, the Pulse severely bombed out the buildings. Everything was old and dirty, no places to hide except in the muck. Even with her enhanced capabilities, she could find no way to escape. No probability.
Behind her, Brin was panting as she ran behind her "sibling".
She sighed. Poor Brin. She shouldn't be in this mess. She was a good kid, a kid that shouldn't be going around being chased by Lydecker's men, or by Manticore anyhow.
Things were always too late around here.
Breathe, Max, breathe.
"Are they still behind us?" Max asked.
"Yes, five of them, armed," Brin responded breathlessly.
All her suspicions were confirmed. It was as bad as it looked. Her guts were screaming Cul-de-sac! but her mind was telling her that it wouldn't work. She felt like tearing herself apart. I'm a soldier, I have all the training I can ever need, so why can't I think straight?!
Electrifying blue eyes.
Why can't I get Logan out of my head?!
Brin was looking at her sister peculiar. She looked distressed. Confused. As if something was reaming out of her mind or sort. She seemed like she didn't know what to do. And this worried Brin. Sure she was younger and a little less buffed, but she could tell when someone was distressed.
Poor sister, she thought. It's as though she's concerned of someone's safety...but it certainly aren't me.
Another gunfire.
Both girls ducked, then sprinted towards their right. They were in a bad zone...really bad. Max was still figuring out a plan to get them out of their backs.
"Let's split," Max said huffily. "Full turn. Got the drift?"
"Yes."
At the next split of paths, Max sprinted left as Brin took the right path.
Max met an obstacle of fallen beams, pipes and other stuff that didn't belong in the path. An idea sprung as she began to jump about the junkyard and kicking the heavy pipes to her back. They flew, and started raining pipes and beams.
Okay, Max, you're getting the hang of it.
But they were getting the hang of it. They were fast...extremely fast for an ordinary human being. They dodged every throw and continued to go towards her. Panicking, she continued to go around the mess, leaping over large objects. They did the same.
Brin met something different. It was virtually swept clean. Only a couple of garbage cans were on the side, and a dumpster. About, beams of some kind of metal were connecting two broken-down buildings. Two guys were chasing her.
Here goes nothin, she thought as she jumped up and reached out for the beam. Her feeble hands caught it as she began to swing her way over. To her complete shock, they did the same thing, and much faster than she initially thought.
One of the guys leaped and grabbed Max.
Let's see how good you really are...
Chapter Four
Running.
He was cornered on all fours. This was unbelievable.
He cursed beneath his breath; for a former X5 member, he was getting out of shape around here. Being chased by a couple of Manticore guys should be no problem to him. Him, an X5, genetically engineered guy like him.
Not unless these dudes had heavy artillery. Heavy, heavy artillery.
Geez, this was such a shame. A talent put to waste.
Gun fires. Muttered curses.
He ran another corner; this was ridiculous. Here he was, a genetically engineered killing machine running around being chased by some jarheads from Manticore with some serious, heavy artillery that he had sort of encountered with.
He gasped slightly; the gash on his arm was bleeding.
I have to warn Max, he thought furiously as he ran another curve, trying to quicken his already-fast pace. This is serious stuff...how they got me pining down like that remains a mystery.
A gunshot missed his head by fractions.
Damn, enough contemplating, I've got some really nasty firepower behind me, he thought as he turned again.
Dead end.
"Oh, damn," he swore as he turned around. "It's show time."
Ring!
Cell phone.
Max lifted the phone from her inside pocket of her black jacket as she sped down the street in her baby, her motorcycle. The cell phone was a late gift from Logan for all the things she had done for him. Keeping him in shape, keeping him in line, okay, maybe saving his sorry butt every now and then...
What did I do for him?
"Hello?" she asked at the receiver.
"Max." Huffy breaths.
Max frowned. This was another caller. She was hoping it was Logan again. To hear his voice again..."Who is this?"
"Max...it's me...Zack."
"Zack? Why...how...you know we weren't supposed to..."
"Sorry, my fault." A pause. Ragged breathes. "I'm caught."
"What?!"
"They got me, Max," he said, which sounded slightly sincere. "They caught me...damn, I can't believe I'm saying this. They came outta nowhere...they hounded me down like a criminal...Max, this is crazy!...I don't know what they want...you gotta warn the others...Max..."
She scowled as she ferociously skidded beside another car and then in front. "Zack, calm down! You're not making any sense!" She scowled again. This wasn't good. Zack, caught? Where was he? How was he caught? Was Lydecker getting smarter or what?
"I can't calm down, Max!" A sudden thud, a sickening groan.
"Zack!" she cried.
"Max...you gotta...protect the others...Max, you got to!"
The phone hung up.
So much for one phone call.
Max looked forward in the night sky, the city lights (or what was left from the Pulse) glistening like stars against the darkness of space. Two things popped into her mind; the eyes of all her siblings, and the electrifying blue eyes that belonged to Eyes Only.
"You ready to go through with this, Mr. Cale?" Bling asked.
Logan looked up at Bling. Medical personnel and visitors waiting with wounded or sick patients surrounded them. The white never changed in any hospital. It hurt his eyes.
Max...
"I'm okay, Bling," he told him confidently. "I'll be okay."
"You sure, man?"
No. "Yah, sure, no problem."
Bling rolled his eyes. "If you say so, sir."
Logan fumbled his fingers and turned to face the nurse who was coming over. After a fumbling series of curt orders and instructions, the nurse took Logan. Bling told him he'd be waiting. So Logan left to his operation.
Bling sighed and sat down, relaxing his position.
A few hours past.
He didn't notice a girl approach him, in some rich schoolgirl's uniform, packed with the short-sleeved white blouse, dark-coloured kilt, black polished heels, wire glasses and long hair. She walked calmly up to Bling. "Um...sir?"
"Yes?" he asked.
She fumbled slightly. "Well," she said softly, calmly, a bit nervously, "maybe if it's okay...I'm sit and wait for him and you can go." She sighed, as if she just made a speech to the president.
Bling frowned. "Do you know him or something? Why?"
She twitched, as if she were uncomfortable. "Yes, I do know him," she replied meekly. "He's doing some research for me, and I found out that he was having an operation today, so I decided to drop by and wait for him. You have a family...don't you?"
Bling was now confused. "How---?"
"Don't you want to be with them right now?" she asked him coolly.
He blinked again; actually he did. But how did the kid---
"It's okay. I won't abandon him."
"But he'll need a ride home after, and---"
"It's all covered." She smiled partially.
Footsteps. Gun shots.
Max couldn't find any way to get out of this situation. In the outer districts, the Pulse severely bombed out the buildings. Everything was old and dirty, no places to hide except in the muck. Even with her enhanced capabilities, she could find no way to escape. No probability.
Behind her, Brin was panting as she ran behind her "sibling".
She sighed. Poor Brin. She shouldn't be in this mess. She was a good kid, a kid that shouldn't be going around being chased by Lydecker's men, or by Manticore anyhow.
Things were always too late around here.
Breathe, Max, breathe.
"Are they still behind us?" Max asked.
"Yes, five of them, armed," Brin responded breathlessly.
All her suspicions were confirmed. It was as bad as it looked. Her guts were screaming Cul-de-sac! but her mind was telling her that it wouldn't work. She felt like tearing herself apart. I'm a soldier, I have all the training I can ever need, so why can't I think straight?!
Electrifying blue eyes.
Why can't I get Logan out of my head?!
Brin was looking at her sister peculiar. She looked distressed. Confused. As if something was reaming out of her mind or sort. She seemed like she didn't know what to do. And this worried Brin. Sure she was younger and a little less buffed, but she could tell when someone was distressed.
Poor sister, she thought. It's as though she's concerned of someone's safety...but it certainly aren't me.
Another gunfire.
Both girls ducked, then sprinted towards their right. They were in a bad zone...really bad. Max was still figuring out a plan to get them out of their backs.
"Let's split," Max said huffily. "Full turn. Got the drift?"
"Yes."
At the next split of paths, Max sprinted left as Brin took the right path.
Max met an obstacle of fallen beams, pipes and other stuff that didn't belong in the path. An idea sprung as she began to jump about the junkyard and kicking the heavy pipes to her back. They flew, and started raining pipes and beams.
Okay, Max, you're getting the hang of it.
But they were getting the hang of it. They were fast...extremely fast for an ordinary human being. They dodged every throw and continued to go towards her. Panicking, she continued to go around the mess, leaping over large objects. They did the same.
Brin met something different. It was virtually swept clean. Only a couple of garbage cans were on the side, and a dumpster. About, beams of some kind of metal were connecting two broken-down buildings. Two guys were chasing her.
Here goes nothin, she thought as she jumped up and reached out for the beam. Her feeble hands caught it as she began to swing her way over. To her complete shock, they did the same thing, and much faster than she initially thought.
One of the guys leaped and grabbed Max.
Let's see how good you really are...
