She stepped out into the damp night, and decided she would rather
walk home in silence unbroken by the roar of a bike engine. Ever the
doting mother, she knew her baby would be safe in Logan's underground
garage. Max set off for her apartment, but as she walked, her path
became more wandering and aimless. Disintegrating steel structures
towered dark and unrelenting above her. A thick fog had rolled in,
muting the few streetlights that were still working. She was glad of
the coolness in her lungs and nose, she breathed deeply, specters of
steam curled from her mouth and floated away. She tasted- a light
salty tang.. she smelled- hints of ocean and urban grit. Soon she
became tuned in to the sounds of the sleeping city. Somewhere, a
woman was telling somebody about a pickpocket who had stolen her
wallet, not that she had much in it anyhow.... further away a
baby was crying, its forlorn sobs distorting as they rippled through
space... She could see a man through an apartment window, sitting on
a child's bed, reading a book together... What must it be like,
to have someone to read to you? To tuck you in at night, to tell you
what was right or wrong?
Images of Zach's and Jace's faces surfaced..
Max was gently cupping an immature fledgling, Zach was climbing the tree towards a nest,
Jace was watching.
"Hurry guys, he's already called us 3 times!" she whispered urgently.
Max reached up to hand the chick to Zach-- the underbrush snapped,
a man with a cruel face suddenly loomed over them.
"DON'T TRY TO TELL ME YOU DID NOT HEAR THE WHISTLE!" he bellowed.
He surveyed the scene, and without warning, grabbed Max's wrist and
smashed her hand into the tree trunk. Jace cried out, Lydecker
backhanded her. She sprawled backwards, and held her
hands up to her face. As if in a dream, Max slowly looked at her
hand, still pinned by Lydecker's. Crumpled feathers, blood trickling
from between her fingers... She was nauseous, she wanted to run,
she wanted to wipe off her hand.. Zach looked down, his face stricken.
Max's eyes were reflected in his, tears burning behind the surface,
but under control, ... under control...
"The weak are meant to die. The smart, the strong, survive."
Lydecker's voice more than demonstrated his disgust with them. He
pointed up to the nest, where fuzzy heads were cheeping.
"They know where they belong; they weren't foolish enough to
try and leave."
********
Max once again became aware of her surroundings, aware that there was
a ball of sick, furious rage in her gut...
Surely, what they were doing hadn't been wrong... She wanted someone
to tell her that it was right, it was ok, that Lydecker had been
wrong, but she was only answered by indifferent mumblings of the
streets.
She picked up sounds of disturbance, then of distress. She zeroed in
and walked towards the source.
"Daaavveeeyyy!!" a small girl's voice screamed.
"NO! .. You... Can't!" sounds of struggling, a boy's voice..
She saw a man trying to carry away a young girl, hampered by her
struggling and kicking. A teenage boy was being held back by another
man. It could just be a simple family dispute, Max rationalized.
She should keep walking, this was none of her business..
"No one.. Is taking .. my.. sister!!" he growled, trying to break
free. The girl was crying now, writhing, dragging her heels on the
concrete.
"Come on baby.." the man purred. "We'll break you in nice, not like-"
Sh**! Max walked closer. This was Logan's area, HE was the masked
avenger out to rid the world of evil, not her. She didn't even know
how to tell evil from survival or necessity. It was so much less
complicated, when she didn't care, when she lived and let live. The
strongest will survive... .. right?
The girl screamed again, and Max swung into action...
walk home in silence unbroken by the roar of a bike engine. Ever the
doting mother, she knew her baby would be safe in Logan's underground
garage. Max set off for her apartment, but as she walked, her path
became more wandering and aimless. Disintegrating steel structures
towered dark and unrelenting above her. A thick fog had rolled in,
muting the few streetlights that were still working. She was glad of
the coolness in her lungs and nose, she breathed deeply, specters of
steam curled from her mouth and floated away. She tasted- a light
salty tang.. she smelled- hints of ocean and urban grit. Soon she
became tuned in to the sounds of the sleeping city. Somewhere, a
woman was telling somebody about a pickpocket who had stolen her
wallet, not that she had much in it anyhow.... further away a
baby was crying, its forlorn sobs distorting as they rippled through
space... She could see a man through an apartment window, sitting on
a child's bed, reading a book together... What must it be like,
to have someone to read to you? To tuck you in at night, to tell you
what was right or wrong?
Images of Zach's and Jace's faces surfaced..
Max was gently cupping an immature fledgling, Zach was climbing the tree towards a nest,
Jace was watching.
"Hurry guys, he's already called us 3 times!" she whispered urgently.
Max reached up to hand the chick to Zach-- the underbrush snapped,
a man with a cruel face suddenly loomed over them.
"DON'T TRY TO TELL ME YOU DID NOT HEAR THE WHISTLE!" he bellowed.
He surveyed the scene, and without warning, grabbed Max's wrist and
smashed her hand into the tree trunk. Jace cried out, Lydecker
backhanded her. She sprawled backwards, and held her
hands up to her face. As if in a dream, Max slowly looked at her
hand, still pinned by Lydecker's. Crumpled feathers, blood trickling
from between her fingers... She was nauseous, she wanted to run,
she wanted to wipe off her hand.. Zach looked down, his face stricken.
Max's eyes were reflected in his, tears burning behind the surface,
but under control, ... under control...
"The weak are meant to die. The smart, the strong, survive."
Lydecker's voice more than demonstrated his disgust with them. He
pointed up to the nest, where fuzzy heads were cheeping.
"They know where they belong; they weren't foolish enough to
try and leave."
********
Max once again became aware of her surroundings, aware that there was
a ball of sick, furious rage in her gut...
Surely, what they were doing hadn't been wrong... She wanted someone
to tell her that it was right, it was ok, that Lydecker had been
wrong, but she was only answered by indifferent mumblings of the
streets.
She picked up sounds of disturbance, then of distress. She zeroed in
and walked towards the source.
"Daaavveeeyyy!!" a small girl's voice screamed.
"NO! .. You... Can't!" sounds of struggling, a boy's voice..
She saw a man trying to carry away a young girl, hampered by her
struggling and kicking. A teenage boy was being held back by another
man. It could just be a simple family dispute, Max rationalized.
She should keep walking, this was none of her business..
"No one.. Is taking .. my.. sister!!" he growled, trying to break
free. The girl was crying now, writhing, dragging her heels on the
concrete.
"Come on baby.." the man purred. "We'll break you in nice, not like-"
Sh**! Max walked closer. This was Logan's area, HE was the masked
avenger out to rid the world of evil, not her. She didn't even know
how to tell evil from survival or necessity. It was so much less
complicated, when she didn't care, when she lived and let live. The
strongest will survive... .. right?
The girl screamed again, and Max swung into action...