The streets were eerily quiet at the time of morning they were riding in. The noise of their motorcycles hummed through the air. The only thing that was visible at this time was the glowing neon signs that some shops managed to scrounge enough money to keep using. The occasional drunk and homeless person-there were a lot of them around here-stumbled though and tipped the bottle. Since there was no traffic, Max and Byrn rode in the middle of the road.
Neither of them quite knew where to go. The only thing they did know was that there was a surviving member of a very, very messed up group of people. And whoever that was, they had the information and unless they found her, Lydecker would locate them, and who knows what else might happened then.
Who the hell figured that this X1 had escaped anyway? And how did Ash know them? What if they're working for Lydecker? What if he already had the information and they were leading them by a shoe string so he could get to both of them? If that was the case, then they were lambs to the slaughter. She should get out now. Get out while she can. But then again, when did it stop? When would they stop running?
They stopped before an alley entrance.
Byrn shook her head. "This is going nowhere."
"I know." Max said. "We don't know where to start."
"Luckily, neither does Lydecker. But that doesn't help the good guys."
Byrn's eyes widened as the familiar shriek of a police siren ripped through the air.
She and Max quietly walked their bikes into the alley, hiding in the shadows.
Max coughed quietly at the stench of garbage.
The car rolled by and Byrn peeked her head out, making sure no one was making an unscheduled U-turn.
She stepped out and her bike was about to follow when a hand gripped her arm. She gasped and turned.
***
Max debated whether to step out or to stay hidden. She tried to look at who it was who had stopped Byrn.
"My name is Matt Sung, I'm a detective for the Seattle Police."
"Can I have my arm back now?" Byrn asked plainly. He complied and she continued to lead her motorcycle out toward the street, not giving any indication that she had been accompanied.
"I received a phone call a few hours ago from a man working for a hospital, he said that one of their patients had escaped a few days ago. Do you know anything about that?" He asked.
She shook her head. "Can't say that I do. Thanks for asking." She started to get on it.
"Wait a minute." He said, more sternly than before. "Let's go down to the station."
"Why?" She asked. "You don't have anything against me."
"You're out alone at 3 in the morning." He said. "And I have witnesses who saw someone fitting your description with a man who is now dead."
"I have one of those faces." She said, continuing with her task.
Matt frowned. She reminded him of someone. The girl, Max, that Logan knew.
He shook his head. "Do you know anything about this murder?"
"Nothing." She said. "Who called you anyway? Walking around at 3 in the morning stopping strangers and asking them if they murdered anyone isn't something that's noteworthy."
"Look, I can't tell you that, but get out of the street, okay? It's not safe around here."
"I can handle myself." She said. She was surprised that he was concerned. Genuinely so. She figured him for a checkpoint cop, disgruntled and dissuaded by the world around him. Hating anyone and anything that passed through. And she didn't blame him. The world was different now. The ones who remembered it pre-pulse had the luck of experiencing the goodness that existed. But were they really lucky? They had everything taken away in once instance. The suicide rate skyrocketed in the year after the pulse, once people started to think that it wasn't going to change. That it wasn't going to be okay. But some dealt with it. And some lived in it.
"I'm sure you can, but just to be sure, what's your name?" He asked.
She frowned. She could jump on her bike and leave right then, and he wouldn't be able to run to his car in time to catch her. She could hide, after all, Seattle was a big place,. She could disappear. She chose not to though, so that's where not hiding got her.
"Byrn." She said simply.
Matt nodded. "Okay, Byrn, is there a place I can contact you?" He asked, not sure why he was asking.
"Why?" She asked. "You don't have anything against me."
"But as you said, there's a lot of people fitting your description." He said. "I'd like to narrow that down as much as I can."
She shook her head. "I'm just passing through."
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"Nowhere." She said, noticing movement out of the corner of her eye. Her abilities enabled her to concentrate and distinguish Max's signals in the darkness where she had moved to.
"So where are you passing through to?" He asked, shaking his head.
"I don't know. Can I go now?"
"Not until I have a location where I can find you." He said. "I don't want any trouble, I just need a location. A phone number, a street, anything you can give me, so I can find you."
"I didn't murder anyone." She said, smirking.
"I'm sure you didn't. but there's a lot of other things that have been happening. I'd like to have as less murders as possible."
She shrugged. She revved her engine and the bike slowly moved forward.
"Fine." She said, coming to a brief stop. "It's 555-6922." Without another word, she sped out of sight, rounding a corner.
Matt was left staring at the empty street. He walked to his car and climbed in. backing out of his parking space, there was a ring on his cell phone. He picked it up.
"Matt Sung here."
"Mr. Sung, this is Dr. Eckerdly, I was wondering if you had found my patient."
"No, sir, I don't think I have." He said. "It'd be more helpful if I had a name."
"This girl, she's severely disturbed. She has a history of severe schizophrenia, and she's a danger to herself and everyone around her. When I started treating her, she'd tell me that her name was Jane. I've worked with her for about a year and she's gone through every name in the book."
"So what's her real name?" Matt asked.
"Her real name is Byrn Pierson." He said. There was some muffled shouts on the other end. Other patients, Matt guessed. "She's highly dangerous. She can be helped though, so I'd appreciate it if you found her and contacted me immediately. Our hospital staff will come and take care of the rest."
"I'll do whatever I can." Matt said, and he hung up. Something in the other man's voice raised his suspicions. And the girl he just met, she didn't seem like a schizophrenic. He looked at the piece of paper where he had written the phone number she had given him. He dialed it.
We're sorry, this number does not exist. Please try again.
"Damn." He said, crumpling the piece of paper.
Neither of them quite knew where to go. The only thing they did know was that there was a surviving member of a very, very messed up group of people. And whoever that was, they had the information and unless they found her, Lydecker would locate them, and who knows what else might happened then.
Who the hell figured that this X1 had escaped anyway? And how did Ash know them? What if they're working for Lydecker? What if he already had the information and they were leading them by a shoe string so he could get to both of them? If that was the case, then they were lambs to the slaughter. She should get out now. Get out while she can. But then again, when did it stop? When would they stop running?
They stopped before an alley entrance.
Byrn shook her head. "This is going nowhere."
"I know." Max said. "We don't know where to start."
"Luckily, neither does Lydecker. But that doesn't help the good guys."
Byrn's eyes widened as the familiar shriek of a police siren ripped through the air.
She and Max quietly walked their bikes into the alley, hiding in the shadows.
Max coughed quietly at the stench of garbage.
The car rolled by and Byrn peeked her head out, making sure no one was making an unscheduled U-turn.
She stepped out and her bike was about to follow when a hand gripped her arm. She gasped and turned.
***
Max debated whether to step out or to stay hidden. She tried to look at who it was who had stopped Byrn.
"My name is Matt Sung, I'm a detective for the Seattle Police."
"Can I have my arm back now?" Byrn asked plainly. He complied and she continued to lead her motorcycle out toward the street, not giving any indication that she had been accompanied.
"I received a phone call a few hours ago from a man working for a hospital, he said that one of their patients had escaped a few days ago. Do you know anything about that?" He asked.
She shook her head. "Can't say that I do. Thanks for asking." She started to get on it.
"Wait a minute." He said, more sternly than before. "Let's go down to the station."
"Why?" She asked. "You don't have anything against me."
"You're out alone at 3 in the morning." He said. "And I have witnesses who saw someone fitting your description with a man who is now dead."
"I have one of those faces." She said, continuing with her task.
Matt frowned. She reminded him of someone. The girl, Max, that Logan knew.
He shook his head. "Do you know anything about this murder?"
"Nothing." She said. "Who called you anyway? Walking around at 3 in the morning stopping strangers and asking them if they murdered anyone isn't something that's noteworthy."
"Look, I can't tell you that, but get out of the street, okay? It's not safe around here."
"I can handle myself." She said. She was surprised that he was concerned. Genuinely so. She figured him for a checkpoint cop, disgruntled and dissuaded by the world around him. Hating anyone and anything that passed through. And she didn't blame him. The world was different now. The ones who remembered it pre-pulse had the luck of experiencing the goodness that existed. But were they really lucky? They had everything taken away in once instance. The suicide rate skyrocketed in the year after the pulse, once people started to think that it wasn't going to change. That it wasn't going to be okay. But some dealt with it. And some lived in it.
"I'm sure you can, but just to be sure, what's your name?" He asked.
She frowned. She could jump on her bike and leave right then, and he wouldn't be able to run to his car in time to catch her. She could hide, after all, Seattle was a big place,. She could disappear. She chose not to though, so that's where not hiding got her.
"Byrn." She said simply.
Matt nodded. "Okay, Byrn, is there a place I can contact you?" He asked, not sure why he was asking.
"Why?" She asked. "You don't have anything against me."
"But as you said, there's a lot of people fitting your description." He said. "I'd like to narrow that down as much as I can."
She shook her head. "I'm just passing through."
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"Nowhere." She said, noticing movement out of the corner of her eye. Her abilities enabled her to concentrate and distinguish Max's signals in the darkness where she had moved to.
"So where are you passing through to?" He asked, shaking his head.
"I don't know. Can I go now?"
"Not until I have a location where I can find you." He said. "I don't want any trouble, I just need a location. A phone number, a street, anything you can give me, so I can find you."
"I didn't murder anyone." She said, smirking.
"I'm sure you didn't. but there's a lot of other things that have been happening. I'd like to have as less murders as possible."
She shrugged. She revved her engine and the bike slowly moved forward.
"Fine." She said, coming to a brief stop. "It's 555-6922." Without another word, she sped out of sight, rounding a corner.
Matt was left staring at the empty street. He walked to his car and climbed in. backing out of his parking space, there was a ring on his cell phone. He picked it up.
"Matt Sung here."
"Mr. Sung, this is Dr. Eckerdly, I was wondering if you had found my patient."
"No, sir, I don't think I have." He said. "It'd be more helpful if I had a name."
"This girl, she's severely disturbed. She has a history of severe schizophrenia, and she's a danger to herself and everyone around her. When I started treating her, she'd tell me that her name was Jane. I've worked with her for about a year and she's gone through every name in the book."
"So what's her real name?" Matt asked.
"Her real name is Byrn Pierson." He said. There was some muffled shouts on the other end. Other patients, Matt guessed. "She's highly dangerous. She can be helped though, so I'd appreciate it if you found her and contacted me immediately. Our hospital staff will come and take care of the rest."
"I'll do whatever I can." Matt said, and he hung up. Something in the other man's voice raised his suspicions. And the girl he just met, she didn't seem like a schizophrenic. He looked at the piece of paper where he had written the phone number she had given him. He dialed it.
We're sorry, this number does not exist. Please try again.
"Damn." He said, crumpling the piece of paper.