Chapter Three:
Logan was just accessing the Informant Net when he heard the front door open. With whatever sixth sense it was, Logan knew it was Max and stood to greet her. "Get lost on your way to work?" He called as he made his way towards the door. "Or did you just change your mind…" He trailed of as he stepped into the living room to find Max standing next to Zack, her eyes red rimmed. Logan's immediate thought was that Zack had done something to her, but then regretted the hasty conclusion as he saw a similar look of pain in his eyes.
They all stood in silence a moment, before Max went to stand in front of the window, staring blankly into the city in front of her. Logan turned back to Zack who had now crossed his arms menacingly. "They got Syl." He spit. Logan was hit with a wave of relief that it hadn't been Max, and then once again felt guilty for his reaction.
Max flopped down on the couch, pulling her legs up to her chest. "Zack's got a contact inside Manticore who is willing to help us get her out. Can you help us set up a secure call?"
"Yeah, no problem." Logan said as he turned, walking back to his office with Zack on his heels.
Max wrapped her arms around her legs as she rested her cheek against her knees, closing her eyes as she thought of her sister.
***
Max squatted, shivering in the snowy woods, her brothers and sisters around her, all of them wearing the same drab military gowns. The sound of a nearby helicopter made them all glance up from their dark hiding places. Zack began making a serious of hand motions, and as Max mentally translated them her heart sank.
Split up, groups of two, go in opposite directions.
Max watched as two by two the only family she had ever known split up and ran into the woods. Krit and Zane. Ben and Tinga. Bryn and Jason. Alex leaving by himself. All that was left was Jondy, Syl, Ryan, Max, and Zack. Zack pointed to Ryan and Syl, and for one brief moment, Syl made eye contact with Max. As Syl ran through the woods, Max looked up as her sister left, watching as Syl looked over her shoulder at her younger sister. What neither of them knew was that it would be the last time in well over ten years that the sisters would see each other.
***
Max snapped back to reality when she felt a weight beside her on the couch. She changed the position of her head to look at Logan. "He's on the phone with him." Logan said quietly. "You alright?"
Max smiled weakly. "I'll be fine. Its just kind of hard knowing that they have her."
Logan could think of no words of comfort.
"I want to thank you, I mean, it seems like whenever something happens we are running to get your help. It probably gets old real quick." Max said.
Logan smiled softly. "I figure your allowed one stupid comment a day." He draped an arm comfortingly around Max's shoulder. "You just met your quota."
Max laid her head on Logan's shoulder as she fought back tears once again.
Zack walked back into the room, his permanent scowl deepening as he saw Logan's and Max curled up together on the couch. He had the urge to make some sort of sarcastic remark, but considering the circumstances he decided against it. "I set up the meeting."
Later that night, Max and Zack stood at the corner of a dark, abandoned street, next to a beat up payphone, waiting anxiously for the phone to ring. Zack tapped his foot, Max starred at her wringing hands, and they both jumped three feet into the air when the high pitched shrilling broke through the silence.
Zack snagged the phone with one hand, holding it out so they could both gather themselves close to it to hear the computer tech, whom Zack only knew as Rob, and what he had to say.
"Yeah." Zack snapped.
"I've got some information for you." The voice was low and mechanical, some sort of voice altering mechanisms being used.
"Go ahead."
"I can tell you where X5 834 is."
"That is what I am paying you for." Zack snapped.
"Well, I also have a small offer for you, since you are such a great…customer."
"Now is not the time to screw with me."
"Don't you want to hear what I have to offer?" Rob asked condescendingly.
"Not really, I want to get the X5."Zack snapped.
"Well, you can't get one without the other."
"What if we just want to get the X5 and nothing else?"
"Then I am just wasting my time."
Zack cursed. "What do you want? More money."
"Like I said, I have an offer for you. I've recently developed a virus, one that I am willing to upload onto the Manticore mainframe. I can upload it soon as you get the X5 out."
Zack looked over and made eye contact with Max. "For?" He asked after a moment of silence.
"Four million."
Zack cursed again. "You've got to be kidding. No way."
"Do you want to see Manticore gone for good? Or are you going to let them do to that poor girl what they want to do with the next group? Did you know the X8s are almost to term?" Rob asked with sugary sweet sarcasm.
"We'll be in touch." Zack snapped before slamming down the phone. "Damn it." Zack breathed. "God Damn it!" He shouted, turning to kick the side of the building.
"How are we supposed to get four million dollars?" Max spoke, reining her temper in on a short leash.
"How the hell do I know?" Zack snapped back, pushing off the wall to pace back and forth. Suddenly Zack stopped, stalking off away from Max down the street. "Zack! Where are you going?!"
"I need to think. I'll be in touch." He shouted over his shoulder.
"Great." Max muttered, running a hand through her hair and turning to walk back to the only place she could go at a time like this.
Logan was just accessing the Informant Net when he heard the front door open. With whatever sixth sense it was, Logan knew it was Max and stood to greet her. "Get lost on your way to work?" He called as he made his way towards the door. "Or did you just change your mind…" He trailed of as he stepped into the living room to find Max standing next to Zack, her eyes red rimmed. Logan's immediate thought was that Zack had done something to her, but then regretted the hasty conclusion as he saw a similar look of pain in his eyes.
They all stood in silence a moment, before Max went to stand in front of the window, staring blankly into the city in front of her. Logan turned back to Zack who had now crossed his arms menacingly. "They got Syl." He spit. Logan was hit with a wave of relief that it hadn't been Max, and then once again felt guilty for his reaction.
Max flopped down on the couch, pulling her legs up to her chest. "Zack's got a contact inside Manticore who is willing to help us get her out. Can you help us set up a secure call?"
"Yeah, no problem." Logan said as he turned, walking back to his office with Zack on his heels.
Max wrapped her arms around her legs as she rested her cheek against her knees, closing her eyes as she thought of her sister.
***
Max squatted, shivering in the snowy woods, her brothers and sisters around her, all of them wearing the same drab military gowns. The sound of a nearby helicopter made them all glance up from their dark hiding places. Zack began making a serious of hand motions, and as Max mentally translated them her heart sank.
Split up, groups of two, go in opposite directions.
Max watched as two by two the only family she had ever known split up and ran into the woods. Krit and Zane. Ben and Tinga. Bryn and Jason. Alex leaving by himself. All that was left was Jondy, Syl, Ryan, Max, and Zack. Zack pointed to Ryan and Syl, and for one brief moment, Syl made eye contact with Max. As Syl ran through the woods, Max looked up as her sister left, watching as Syl looked over her shoulder at her younger sister. What neither of them knew was that it would be the last time in well over ten years that the sisters would see each other.
***
Max snapped back to reality when she felt a weight beside her on the couch. She changed the position of her head to look at Logan. "He's on the phone with him." Logan said quietly. "You alright?"
Max smiled weakly. "I'll be fine. Its just kind of hard knowing that they have her."
Logan could think of no words of comfort.
"I want to thank you, I mean, it seems like whenever something happens we are running to get your help. It probably gets old real quick." Max said.
Logan smiled softly. "I figure your allowed one stupid comment a day." He draped an arm comfortingly around Max's shoulder. "You just met your quota."
Max laid her head on Logan's shoulder as she fought back tears once again.
Zack walked back into the room, his permanent scowl deepening as he saw Logan's and Max curled up together on the couch. He had the urge to make some sort of sarcastic remark, but considering the circumstances he decided against it. "I set up the meeting."
Later that night, Max and Zack stood at the corner of a dark, abandoned street, next to a beat up payphone, waiting anxiously for the phone to ring. Zack tapped his foot, Max starred at her wringing hands, and they both jumped three feet into the air when the high pitched shrilling broke through the silence.
Zack snagged the phone with one hand, holding it out so they could both gather themselves close to it to hear the computer tech, whom Zack only knew as Rob, and what he had to say.
"Yeah." Zack snapped.
"I've got some information for you." The voice was low and mechanical, some sort of voice altering mechanisms being used.
"Go ahead."
"I can tell you where X5 834 is."
"That is what I am paying you for." Zack snapped.
"Well, I also have a small offer for you, since you are such a great…customer."
"Now is not the time to screw with me."
"Don't you want to hear what I have to offer?" Rob asked condescendingly.
"Not really, I want to get the X5."Zack snapped.
"Well, you can't get one without the other."
"What if we just want to get the X5 and nothing else?"
"Then I am just wasting my time."
Zack cursed. "What do you want? More money."
"Like I said, I have an offer for you. I've recently developed a virus, one that I am willing to upload onto the Manticore mainframe. I can upload it soon as you get the X5 out."
Zack looked over and made eye contact with Max. "For?" He asked after a moment of silence.
"Four million."
Zack cursed again. "You've got to be kidding. No way."
"Do you want to see Manticore gone for good? Or are you going to let them do to that poor girl what they want to do with the next group? Did you know the X8s are almost to term?" Rob asked with sugary sweet sarcasm.
"We'll be in touch." Zack snapped before slamming down the phone. "Damn it." Zack breathed. "God Damn it!" He shouted, turning to kick the side of the building.
"How are we supposed to get four million dollars?" Max spoke, reining her temper in on a short leash.
"How the hell do I know?" Zack snapped back, pushing off the wall to pace back and forth. Suddenly Zack stopped, stalking off away from Max down the street. "Zack! Where are you going?!"
"I need to think. I'll be in touch." He shouted over his shoulder.
"Great." Max muttered, running a hand through her hair and turning to walk back to the only place she could go at a time like this.