Max seemed to be in her own world as she followed Logan and Bling into the penthouse. She barely noticed as Bling took her bags away, and headed toward the window, climbed out, and perched miles above the city to think and observe.
"I wouldn't exactly consider that normal behavior for us lesser-evolved, Max." Bling said gently. "Someone might happen to look up, and here you are, in the open, fair game for bounty hunters.."
Max ignored him for a minute, then climbed back into the living room and flicked on the TV. "You're right, Bling. Thanks" she said in a low voice.
I have become soft, unpracticed! she thought to herself. Zach was right.. He thrives in situations like this, and here I am, advertising my presence because I have established a routine, I have begun to take my safety for granted.. Even an untrained normie can do better!
Logan looked on as Max dully watched TV, a gale of emotions churning through him. What could he do? what could he do? Any attempt at comforting her would bring about hostility, enmity against pity. She was certainly in no mood to joke around. And if he told her how he really felt? She would shut him out and run away. Like she always did. He could only offer his help, and hope that she..
"Give it up Cale. There is obviously nothing to hope for here!" he chided himself.
Feeling sick and half dead, he wheeled into his computer office to work on the only things she would accept from him-- information, and gestures of friendship. But nothing more.
Max numbly surfed channel after channel. They were all spotlighting the Manticore project-- How could this have gone on? What were the X-5 soldiers really capable of? Who paid for this? Who was in charge, who is to blame? How could they have escaped into society? One show was detailing heinous crimes of the past 10 years, and attributing them to the X-5s, explaining in detail how only genetically engineered soldiers could have pulled such feats.
Another show was profiling the average person-on-the-street's experience with or sighting of an X-5.
"My son brought her home, and I could tell right away that she was no good!" a dour looking woman said contemptuously. "I told him, that woman will bring us nothing but trouble. Soon enough, three pieces of my fine silverware suddenly went missing, and a few weeks later, we found the cat dead under the porch. And even on the hottest days, she would never wear her hair up! Now I know it was because she was hiding a barcode tattoo, I'm sure of it. We're lucky to be alive!"
A nervous looking man was interviewed next. "My cousin's best friend's fiancée, he was nearly killed in cold blood by one of those freaks of nature! He was playin' cards at his local pub, jus like always, and one of them guys at the table was mighty ticked off that he won such a lucky streak. So he pulled a gun, and-"
Max groaned and flipped the channel.
The camera panned across an enormous group of people, shouting wildly and throwing things toward some people in the center. Max found it suddenly hard to breathe.. she was riveted on the screen as the camera zoomed in on the center of the horde. She gasped! There, tied up, battered and bleeding, was Lydecker and his top henchmen! A man with a microphone was shouting to the crowd.
"You, who have put our loved ones and our children in such terrible danger! What have you to say for yourself!" The crowd jeered. Lydecker said nothing. "We hold you responsible for every death, for every vile act your Frankenstein army has committed! Tell us, who did you answer to? It was certainly not the people of this country! The people, who trustingly gave you money to protect us! Tell us, who was in charge?!" The crowd roared in a frenzy.
Lydecker said slowly, "Madame X."
"And who is this Madame X? Your military code names are of no use to us! What was her real name?"
Lydecker looked at the man, then straight into the cameras. "Renfro" he said clearly, with a cold, satisfied smile.
"And where is she now? Do you have any identifying pictures of her?" the man asked testily.
"No." Lydecker replied curtly. One of his eyes was swollen shut, a projectile bounced off of his forehead, leaving a red gash.
Max sat watching, her mouth open in utter astonishment.
"I wouldn't exactly consider that normal behavior for us lesser-evolved, Max." Bling said gently. "Someone might happen to look up, and here you are, in the open, fair game for bounty hunters.."
Max ignored him for a minute, then climbed back into the living room and flicked on the TV. "You're right, Bling. Thanks" she said in a low voice.
I have become soft, unpracticed! she thought to herself. Zach was right.. He thrives in situations like this, and here I am, advertising my presence because I have established a routine, I have begun to take my safety for granted.. Even an untrained normie can do better!
Logan looked on as Max dully watched TV, a gale of emotions churning through him. What could he do? what could he do? Any attempt at comforting her would bring about hostility, enmity against pity. She was certainly in no mood to joke around. And if he told her how he really felt? She would shut him out and run away. Like she always did. He could only offer his help, and hope that she..
"Give it up Cale. There is obviously nothing to hope for here!" he chided himself.
Feeling sick and half dead, he wheeled into his computer office to work on the only things she would accept from him-- information, and gestures of friendship. But nothing more.
Max numbly surfed channel after channel. They were all spotlighting the Manticore project-- How could this have gone on? What were the X-5 soldiers really capable of? Who paid for this? Who was in charge, who is to blame? How could they have escaped into society? One show was detailing heinous crimes of the past 10 years, and attributing them to the X-5s, explaining in detail how only genetically engineered soldiers could have pulled such feats.
Another show was profiling the average person-on-the-street's experience with or sighting of an X-5.
"My son brought her home, and I could tell right away that she was no good!" a dour looking woman said contemptuously. "I told him, that woman will bring us nothing but trouble. Soon enough, three pieces of my fine silverware suddenly went missing, and a few weeks later, we found the cat dead under the porch. And even on the hottest days, she would never wear her hair up! Now I know it was because she was hiding a barcode tattoo, I'm sure of it. We're lucky to be alive!"
A nervous looking man was interviewed next. "My cousin's best friend's fiancée, he was nearly killed in cold blood by one of those freaks of nature! He was playin' cards at his local pub, jus like always, and one of them guys at the table was mighty ticked off that he won such a lucky streak. So he pulled a gun, and-"
Max groaned and flipped the channel.
The camera panned across an enormous group of people, shouting wildly and throwing things toward some people in the center. Max found it suddenly hard to breathe.. she was riveted on the screen as the camera zoomed in on the center of the horde. She gasped! There, tied up, battered and bleeding, was Lydecker and his top henchmen! A man with a microphone was shouting to the crowd.
"You, who have put our loved ones and our children in such terrible danger! What have you to say for yourself!" The crowd jeered. Lydecker said nothing. "We hold you responsible for every death, for every vile act your Frankenstein army has committed! Tell us, who did you answer to? It was certainly not the people of this country! The people, who trustingly gave you money to protect us! Tell us, who was in charge?!" The crowd roared in a frenzy.
Lydecker said slowly, "Madame X."
"And who is this Madame X? Your military code names are of no use to us! What was her real name?"
Lydecker looked at the man, then straight into the cameras. "Renfro" he said clearly, with a cold, satisfied smile.
"And where is she now? Do you have any identifying pictures of her?" the man asked testily.
"No." Lydecker replied curtly. One of his eyes was swollen shut, a projectile bounced off of his forehead, leaving a red gash.
Max sat watching, her mouth open in utter astonishment.