"Close call." Max commented as they regrouped at the intersection where Max had indicated.
"Very. I don't need detectives snooping around my business." She said grumpily.
"Logan can take care of it in the morning." Max said, shrugging. "No doubt, Lydecker called up local PD. By tomorrow morning he'll have his goons closing off the city."
"So where off to now?" Byrn asked, inspecting a small scratch on her bike.
"There's a snitch named Rags down the street at the Skull Bar. Mostly underground drug ring operations and fencers. If anything is going down here, he should know."
Byrn nodded. "All right. Skull Bar it is."
***
"I don't know anything!"
Sheer panic wracked his eyes as Max lifted him a little higher, his neck becoming dangerously close to a shard of glass Byrn had placed on the shelf. It sat precariously, it's razor sharp edge jutting out.
"I disagree." Max said, gritting her teeth. She nodded to Byrn and she took out a bottle.
"That's vintage wine from 1998!" He said, his orbs looking down at the long wine bottle.
"Oh, right, I forgot." Max smiled. "You're a wine nut, aren't you? Well, if you value your wine, then tell us what we need to know."
"I told you!" He said. "I don't know anything!"
Byrn popped the bottle and jumped on the bar top. She took a shot glass off the counter and poured herself a drink. "Want one, Max?"
"No thanks, I'm a little busy. Maybe later." She said, still holding him up. "Rags, I know you must have some information for me."
"This is pretty good." Byrn said, nodding. She sighed and overturned the bottle, dumping it into the small sink on the bar. Rags struggled, one arm ineffectively reaching out, as if he could stop the flow of wine down the drain.
"Okay, okay!" He screamed.
"Byrn stopped pouring and looked up.
"A few days ago, one of Westport's drug guys got killed. Got his neck broken, he didn't even have a chance. His other guys said that a chick did it. And then those commandos were here earlier with guns and stuff."
Max glanced at Byrn.
"What did the girl look like?" Byrn asked.
He shook his head. "I don't know. Westport's guys said she looked like she was sick or something. She started coughing after she killed the guy."
"Where did she go?" Byrn asked, popping a cashew into her mouth.
"I don't know. The drop was next to the harbor though."
Max shrugged and let go. Rags let out a cry as he plunged and hit the floor. He lifted his hand, which was covered in tiny scratches. Byrn threw him a towel and she and Max left.
"Okay, so I guess Lydecker didn't do such a good job curing them after all." Max said. "Harbor?"
"Why do all bad guys like the ocean view?" Byrn asked as she started up her bike.
***
Lydecker slammed his fist down angrily. "I want you to seal off every corner of this city. Starting tonight nothing leaves and nothing comes in. I want guards at every intersection. Nothing leaves, you got me?"
"Yes, Sir." The uniformed officer said, nodding. He turned and started separating the throngs of people into groups.
"Foster, how is it going?" Lydecker asked, putting a hand on his engineer's shoulder.
"It's going to take a lot to seal the city off." He said, pointing to the monitor in front of them. "We'll have local PD covering the edge, since you don't think they're going to make a move to leave, right?" He looked at Donald, who nodded. "Our guys will be all over this city. Not even rats are going to be able to walk around without us knowing."
Lydecker nodded. "Good work."
***
"The water smells horrible." Byrn said, wrinkling her nose. She zipped up her jacket. The chilly air was compounded by the sea.
"Alternate means of waste disposal never does." Max said as they reached the fence. After parking their bikes securely away from the harbor, they wove their way through the maze of warehouses, inspecting each one, just to be safe. Rags was reliable, but not Ithat/I reliable.
With one swift motion, they both raced up the fence and over, landing deftly on the damp concrete.
A whole other maze of warehouses greeted them.
"Let's split up and take the first five." Max said. Byrn nodded and they parted ways.
"Knock, knock." Byrn muttered. She pulled the handle lightly but it didn't budge, locked. Shrugging, she kicked the handle. It crumpled under her boot and she pulled it out of it's hinge. Casting it aside, she poked her fingers into the hole that was left and fingered the lock.
There was a sudden rush of light as she lifted the gate.
"Anyone home?" She mumbled as she walked in. She looked around her, her enhanced abilities letting her see better in the dark.
***
Max lifted a few newspapers. Nothing. She let them slide to the ground and they landed in a heap, a cloud of dust and dirt rising.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." She said so quietly that it seemed like a thought in her mind rather than something she spoke. But she was sure that the X1 could hear them.
Sighing, she left the warehouse to move on to the next one. She kicked it and it made a horrendous noise, lifting an inch. She walked inside.
***
"This is hopeless." Max said, throwing her hands up.
"Maybe Rags was wrong." Byrn said, looking around. "Every depot is the same. Dirty, dusty, and trashy."
"There's one on the far side of the harbor." Max pointed. "Want to check it out before leaving?"
"Sure."
They arrived at the front door.
"You want to, or shall I?" Max asked. She sighed and examined the garage door. "The lock's been broken. Someone's been in there before."
"Could've happened anytime." Byrn said. "I'm going to check out the roof." She said, looking up. She climb on top of a pile of crates and pulled herself up. Catching the ledge, she peeked over the top before fully climbing above. Moments later, Max joined her.
"The glass is broken." Max said, looking down at the open ceiling,
"Very astute." Byrn muttered. She kicked the shards of glass away and looked around for a rope or cable. "If you can't get in from the front, then what do you use to get down from the top?"
Then she saw it. A piece of rope was peeking out from under a pile of 4 x 4s.
"Here we go." She said, throwing the rope down into the abyss. It was attached to the gutter, which seemed a bit loose, but it would hold.
"Bon voyage." Max said as Byrn rappelled down first. She landed with a small thump on the uneven floor boards and almost tripped. She gave the rope a pull as a cue to Max.
"This place is a hole." Max commented.
"It's not a hole." Byrn stated. "It's more like a ditch."
Max stepped aside to avoid a lump oh some kind. Her shoes promptly kicked something less than solid and a clattering ensued as whatever it was raced away. "I think I just found a new species of mutated life."
"Who would ever live in a dump like this?" Byrn asked.
"You'd have no choice." Max said. She shrugged. "I guess some of us can't live in the world."
"What world are we living in? We run. We stop and maybe settle for a while. But we'll always start running again."
"What about you? Found anyone anywhere? Friends? Family?" Max asked, knowing that the last word was deemed impossible.
"Ash. I met a lot of people down in LA. Nice people, really. You're lucky you have those guys." She smiled.
"Speaking of guys, Sketchy has a mad crush on you, you know that right?" Max asked.
"He couldn't be more obvious if it was stapled to his forehead." Byrn said, rolling her eyes. "It's all right though."
"You wouldn't consider it, would you?" Max asked in disbelief.
Byrn sighed. "I will if we just find this X1!" she said. She stomped her foot down. Big mistake. The floorboard under her gave way and her legs plunged down. She cried out in pain as she pulled herself back up, staring above her at the gap.
"Are you okay?" Max asked.
"Yeah." She shouted up. "There's a room down here."
"I don't see an entrance or anything." Max said, looking for a door.
"I see a little bit of light above me. I think there's a access door on the ground." Max looked at the large gathering of tools and wood around her. "It's about ten feet towards the left." She said. Max walked, looking for anything. She held on to a nearby tower of crates as her shoe caught on an uneven floorboard. She looked down and with much disdain, brushed the dust off.
"I think I found it." She said.
***
"I think Sketchy's going to be very happy." Max commented as she joined Byrn. She had found the door and had used the small fold up ladder that was attached to it to get down into the underground room.
"I said I'd consider it." Byrn said, looking around her. "I think we've found it." She spoke softly as she wandered around the room. She stopped at an old dresser with duct tape down one side. "Check this out."
"What?"
"Newspaper articles." She said. "Numbers…"
Max drew back on her own memory. "She's circling her own barcode numbers."
"But why?"
"People do things when they're sick." Max said, thinking on the things she did when she was in her seizures. "Anything to get through it."
"Just lots and lots of numbers…" Byrn said.
Suddenly a knife whizzed out from the shadows and buried itself into the wall next to Max.
"Get the hell out." A voice called.
"Very. I don't need detectives snooping around my business." She said grumpily.
"Logan can take care of it in the morning." Max said, shrugging. "No doubt, Lydecker called up local PD. By tomorrow morning he'll have his goons closing off the city."
"So where off to now?" Byrn asked, inspecting a small scratch on her bike.
"There's a snitch named Rags down the street at the Skull Bar. Mostly underground drug ring operations and fencers. If anything is going down here, he should know."
Byrn nodded. "All right. Skull Bar it is."
***
"I don't know anything!"
Sheer panic wracked his eyes as Max lifted him a little higher, his neck becoming dangerously close to a shard of glass Byrn had placed on the shelf. It sat precariously, it's razor sharp edge jutting out.
"I disagree." Max said, gritting her teeth. She nodded to Byrn and she took out a bottle.
"That's vintage wine from 1998!" He said, his orbs looking down at the long wine bottle.
"Oh, right, I forgot." Max smiled. "You're a wine nut, aren't you? Well, if you value your wine, then tell us what we need to know."
"I told you!" He said. "I don't know anything!"
Byrn popped the bottle and jumped on the bar top. She took a shot glass off the counter and poured herself a drink. "Want one, Max?"
"No thanks, I'm a little busy. Maybe later." She said, still holding him up. "Rags, I know you must have some information for me."
"This is pretty good." Byrn said, nodding. She sighed and overturned the bottle, dumping it into the small sink on the bar. Rags struggled, one arm ineffectively reaching out, as if he could stop the flow of wine down the drain.
"Okay, okay!" He screamed.
"Byrn stopped pouring and looked up.
"A few days ago, one of Westport's drug guys got killed. Got his neck broken, he didn't even have a chance. His other guys said that a chick did it. And then those commandos were here earlier with guns and stuff."
Max glanced at Byrn.
"What did the girl look like?" Byrn asked.
He shook his head. "I don't know. Westport's guys said she looked like she was sick or something. She started coughing after she killed the guy."
"Where did she go?" Byrn asked, popping a cashew into her mouth.
"I don't know. The drop was next to the harbor though."
Max shrugged and let go. Rags let out a cry as he plunged and hit the floor. He lifted his hand, which was covered in tiny scratches. Byrn threw him a towel and she and Max left.
"Okay, so I guess Lydecker didn't do such a good job curing them after all." Max said. "Harbor?"
"Why do all bad guys like the ocean view?" Byrn asked as she started up her bike.
***
Lydecker slammed his fist down angrily. "I want you to seal off every corner of this city. Starting tonight nothing leaves and nothing comes in. I want guards at every intersection. Nothing leaves, you got me?"
"Yes, Sir." The uniformed officer said, nodding. He turned and started separating the throngs of people into groups.
"Foster, how is it going?" Lydecker asked, putting a hand on his engineer's shoulder.
"It's going to take a lot to seal the city off." He said, pointing to the monitor in front of them. "We'll have local PD covering the edge, since you don't think they're going to make a move to leave, right?" He looked at Donald, who nodded. "Our guys will be all over this city. Not even rats are going to be able to walk around without us knowing."
Lydecker nodded. "Good work."
***
"The water smells horrible." Byrn said, wrinkling her nose. She zipped up her jacket. The chilly air was compounded by the sea.
"Alternate means of waste disposal never does." Max said as they reached the fence. After parking their bikes securely away from the harbor, they wove their way through the maze of warehouses, inspecting each one, just to be safe. Rags was reliable, but not Ithat/I reliable.
With one swift motion, they both raced up the fence and over, landing deftly on the damp concrete.
A whole other maze of warehouses greeted them.
"Let's split up and take the first five." Max said. Byrn nodded and they parted ways.
"Knock, knock." Byrn muttered. She pulled the handle lightly but it didn't budge, locked. Shrugging, she kicked the handle. It crumpled under her boot and she pulled it out of it's hinge. Casting it aside, she poked her fingers into the hole that was left and fingered the lock.
There was a sudden rush of light as she lifted the gate.
"Anyone home?" She mumbled as she walked in. She looked around her, her enhanced abilities letting her see better in the dark.
***
Max lifted a few newspapers. Nothing. She let them slide to the ground and they landed in a heap, a cloud of dust and dirt rising.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." She said so quietly that it seemed like a thought in her mind rather than something she spoke. But she was sure that the X1 could hear them.
Sighing, she left the warehouse to move on to the next one. She kicked it and it made a horrendous noise, lifting an inch. She walked inside.
***
"This is hopeless." Max said, throwing her hands up.
"Maybe Rags was wrong." Byrn said, looking around. "Every depot is the same. Dirty, dusty, and trashy."
"There's one on the far side of the harbor." Max pointed. "Want to check it out before leaving?"
"Sure."
They arrived at the front door.
"You want to, or shall I?" Max asked. She sighed and examined the garage door. "The lock's been broken. Someone's been in there before."
"Could've happened anytime." Byrn said. "I'm going to check out the roof." She said, looking up. She climb on top of a pile of crates and pulled herself up. Catching the ledge, she peeked over the top before fully climbing above. Moments later, Max joined her.
"The glass is broken." Max said, looking down at the open ceiling,
"Very astute." Byrn muttered. She kicked the shards of glass away and looked around for a rope or cable. "If you can't get in from the front, then what do you use to get down from the top?"
Then she saw it. A piece of rope was peeking out from under a pile of 4 x 4s.
"Here we go." She said, throwing the rope down into the abyss. It was attached to the gutter, which seemed a bit loose, but it would hold.
"Bon voyage." Max said as Byrn rappelled down first. She landed with a small thump on the uneven floor boards and almost tripped. She gave the rope a pull as a cue to Max.
"This place is a hole." Max commented.
"It's not a hole." Byrn stated. "It's more like a ditch."
Max stepped aside to avoid a lump oh some kind. Her shoes promptly kicked something less than solid and a clattering ensued as whatever it was raced away. "I think I just found a new species of mutated life."
"Who would ever live in a dump like this?" Byrn asked.
"You'd have no choice." Max said. She shrugged. "I guess some of us can't live in the world."
"What world are we living in? We run. We stop and maybe settle for a while. But we'll always start running again."
"What about you? Found anyone anywhere? Friends? Family?" Max asked, knowing that the last word was deemed impossible.
"Ash. I met a lot of people down in LA. Nice people, really. You're lucky you have those guys." She smiled.
"Speaking of guys, Sketchy has a mad crush on you, you know that right?" Max asked.
"He couldn't be more obvious if it was stapled to his forehead." Byrn said, rolling her eyes. "It's all right though."
"You wouldn't consider it, would you?" Max asked in disbelief.
Byrn sighed. "I will if we just find this X1!" she said. She stomped her foot down. Big mistake. The floorboard under her gave way and her legs plunged down. She cried out in pain as she pulled herself back up, staring above her at the gap.
"Are you okay?" Max asked.
"Yeah." She shouted up. "There's a room down here."
"I don't see an entrance or anything." Max said, looking for a door.
"I see a little bit of light above me. I think there's a access door on the ground." Max looked at the large gathering of tools and wood around her. "It's about ten feet towards the left." She said. Max walked, looking for anything. She held on to a nearby tower of crates as her shoe caught on an uneven floorboard. She looked down and with much disdain, brushed the dust off.
"I think I found it." She said.
***
"I think Sketchy's going to be very happy." Max commented as she joined Byrn. She had found the door and had used the small fold up ladder that was attached to it to get down into the underground room.
"I said I'd consider it." Byrn said, looking around her. "I think we've found it." She spoke softly as she wandered around the room. She stopped at an old dresser with duct tape down one side. "Check this out."
"What?"
"Newspaper articles." She said. "Numbers…"
Max drew back on her own memory. "She's circling her own barcode numbers."
"But why?"
"People do things when they're sick." Max said, thinking on the things she did when she was in her seizures. "Anything to get through it."
"Just lots and lots of numbers…" Byrn said.
Suddenly a knife whizzed out from the shadows and buried itself into the wall next to Max.
"Get the hell out." A voice called.