The only noise that penetrated the silence in the penthouse was the light typing noise coming from the computer room. Logan was looking up any information that he could find on Wye. Ire and Max were both staring out of the window, lost in thought.
"Max." Logan called out, breaking both Max's and Ire's train of thought. Max and Ire looked at each other then walked into the computer room.
"What?" Max asked quietly.
"I just got an interesting message. I thought you'd like to see it." Logan said and moved so that Max could read the screen.
Escape. 2night @ 9pm. Be in woods outside Manticore. Hope you be there.
-Brin
"Is it some kind of joke?" Max asked when she finished.
"I don't know. It does seem a little odd." Logan said. "What do you think?"
"I think...I think if she took the objective to hack through Manticore systems to find a way to contact me, I should at least be in the woods for her." Max said.
"It could be a trap." Logan said.
"I'm willing to take that risk." Max said. "Plus I won't be going alone."
"What? You mean me?" Ire asked, coming out of her stupor.
"Of course I mean you." Max said. "I won't do it without you, that'd just be stupid."
"Well..."
"Don't even think of finishing that sentence."
"Fine, but what are we going to do? I doubt that they think she's dead." Ire said.
"Actually," Logan said as he pulled up Brin's file. "They do."
"What? Why?" Max asked.
"She was shot." Logan said.
"Okay, if she's dead then how did she send that?" Ire asked.
"I don't know. Probably just a really good cover-up by somebody." Logan guessed.
"Hmmmmmm. So, it's 7 o'clock right now. We better get a plan and go." Max said.
"Mmmhmmmm." Ire agreed.
They all went into the living room to work out a plan. None of them noticed the blonde watching from the window.
"Okay, she told us to just be in the woods. That would mean that she's already got an escape plan. All we need to do is be ready in the woods to get her out, right?" Max surmised.
"Actually," A voice broke in. "You should probably go to the perimeter fence just to be sure."
They all looked up.
"Syl?" Max asked.
"In the flesh." Syl replied.
"What...how?" Was all Max could get out.
"I always knew that you weren't the articulate one." Another voice broke in.
"Krit!" Max exclaimed.
"I don't want to copy Syl so, the one and only." Krit said with a smirk.
"What are you guys doing here?" Max asked.
"We were...uh..." Krit stuttered.
"What we were doing was looking for somebody." Syl said coolly.
"Yeah. We were looking for somebody." Krit agreed.
"Who?" Max asked.
"It's not important." Syl said. "We heard you're helping Brin."
"How did you hear that?" Max asked.
"Honestly. Do you think you're the only one can hang off the side of a building?" Syl said sarcastically.
"Ha ha." Max said. The looked at Ire, who was watching the little reunion with confusion and interest. "Oh, this is Ire. Ire, this is Krit and Syl."
"Does she know?" Syl asked.
"Do I know? Oh that's a good one. That really cheered me up, thanks." Ire said.
"I'm confused." Krit said.
"She's from Manticore." Max explained. "She helped me escape."
"Better." Krit said. "So, what's the plan?"
"So, you're getting involved?" Max asked.
"You already died on us once, we won't let you die again." Syl said.
"That was months and months ago, plus last time we didn't have a very angry XS." Max said.
"I have issues." Ire said.
"Just don't get too mad, we don't need a massacre. We just need to get in and get out with Brin." Max said.
At 8:30 they were all in the Aztek and driving in silence to the woods.
"Stop here." Max instructed. Logan stopped and everyone looked at each other. Ire, Krit, and Syl got out and went to the trunk to get the equipment. "If we don't come back in half an hour -"
"You'll be coming back." Logan interrupted.
"Just, if we don't come back in half an hour, just go." Max said, then got out and went to the trunk. Krit, Syl, and Ire had a gun each and there was one left in the trunk.
"Go on Max, take it." Krit said as he loaded his.
"No." Max said looking at the gun. Krit, Syl, and Ire just looked at each other.
"Fine, just stay behind us, okay?" Syl said.
"Yeah, okay." Max said.
Krit closed the trunk and they all just stood for a minute. After they had mentally prepared themselves, they headed up the small hill and into the woods.
They all walked along, Max behind the rest. They reached the end of the woods and crouched down. Krit signaled for Syl and Ire to go right. They nodded and left. Krit signaled for Max to follow him left.
They all crouched, on the edge of the woods, all eyes on the perimeter fence. They waited for a few tense minutes, then Krit's voice came through the comm.
"It's 8:45, get ready. She'll be coming soon."
He was right. A few minutes later, a side door opened and a head poked out. The head disappeared back in the door, then someone burst out, but whoever it was wasn't alone. The person was helping someone across the yard.
"Is that her?" Ire asked Syl.
Syl adjusted her vision and looked.
"Yeah, that's Brin, but I don't know the guy who's with her."
Ire adjusted her vision and took a look.
"Theo." Ire practically whispered.
"She's going too slow. Whoever she's helping is slowing her down. You two go for her, we'll wait for you by the fence." Krit's voice said through the comm.
Syl and Ire looked at each other, nodded, then ran for the fence. When they reached it, they jumped over easily and ran toward Brin and Theo.
Ire and Syl both saw the guards rushing from the other side of the building.
"Help Brin with him, I'll take some down." Syl said to Ire, then rushed off in the direction of the guards.
"No!" Ire heard Krit yell over the comm, then she saw him jump over the fence and run to help Syl.
Ire made it to Brin and Theo and just looked at Theo. He'd been shot in the shoulder, but was healing. For a minute they just stared at each other.
"Max." Logan called out, breaking both Max's and Ire's train of thought. Max and Ire looked at each other then walked into the computer room.
"What?" Max asked quietly.
"I just got an interesting message. I thought you'd like to see it." Logan said and moved so that Max could read the screen.
Escape. 2night @ 9pm. Be in woods outside Manticore. Hope you be there.
-Brin
"Is it some kind of joke?" Max asked when she finished.
"I don't know. It does seem a little odd." Logan said. "What do you think?"
"I think...I think if she took the objective to hack through Manticore systems to find a way to contact me, I should at least be in the woods for her." Max said.
"It could be a trap." Logan said.
"I'm willing to take that risk." Max said. "Plus I won't be going alone."
"What? You mean me?" Ire asked, coming out of her stupor.
"Of course I mean you." Max said. "I won't do it without you, that'd just be stupid."
"Well..."
"Don't even think of finishing that sentence."
"Fine, but what are we going to do? I doubt that they think she's dead." Ire said.
"Actually," Logan said as he pulled up Brin's file. "They do."
"What? Why?" Max asked.
"She was shot." Logan said.
"Okay, if she's dead then how did she send that?" Ire asked.
"I don't know. Probably just a really good cover-up by somebody." Logan guessed.
"Hmmmmmm. So, it's 7 o'clock right now. We better get a plan and go." Max said.
"Mmmhmmmm." Ire agreed.
They all went into the living room to work out a plan. None of them noticed the blonde watching from the window.
"Okay, she told us to just be in the woods. That would mean that she's already got an escape plan. All we need to do is be ready in the woods to get her out, right?" Max surmised.
"Actually," A voice broke in. "You should probably go to the perimeter fence just to be sure."
They all looked up.
"Syl?" Max asked.
"In the flesh." Syl replied.
"What...how?" Was all Max could get out.
"I always knew that you weren't the articulate one." Another voice broke in.
"Krit!" Max exclaimed.
"I don't want to copy Syl so, the one and only." Krit said with a smirk.
"What are you guys doing here?" Max asked.
"We were...uh..." Krit stuttered.
"What we were doing was looking for somebody." Syl said coolly.
"Yeah. We were looking for somebody." Krit agreed.
"Who?" Max asked.
"It's not important." Syl said. "We heard you're helping Brin."
"How did you hear that?" Max asked.
"Honestly. Do you think you're the only one can hang off the side of a building?" Syl said sarcastically.
"Ha ha." Max said. The looked at Ire, who was watching the little reunion with confusion and interest. "Oh, this is Ire. Ire, this is Krit and Syl."
"Does she know?" Syl asked.
"Do I know? Oh that's a good one. That really cheered me up, thanks." Ire said.
"I'm confused." Krit said.
"She's from Manticore." Max explained. "She helped me escape."
"Better." Krit said. "So, what's the plan?"
"So, you're getting involved?" Max asked.
"You already died on us once, we won't let you die again." Syl said.
"That was months and months ago, plus last time we didn't have a very angry XS." Max said.
"I have issues." Ire said.
"Just don't get too mad, we don't need a massacre. We just need to get in and get out with Brin." Max said.
At 8:30 they were all in the Aztek and driving in silence to the woods.
"Stop here." Max instructed. Logan stopped and everyone looked at each other. Ire, Krit, and Syl got out and went to the trunk to get the equipment. "If we don't come back in half an hour -"
"You'll be coming back." Logan interrupted.
"Just, if we don't come back in half an hour, just go." Max said, then got out and went to the trunk. Krit, Syl, and Ire had a gun each and there was one left in the trunk.
"Go on Max, take it." Krit said as he loaded his.
"No." Max said looking at the gun. Krit, Syl, and Ire just looked at each other.
"Fine, just stay behind us, okay?" Syl said.
"Yeah, okay." Max said.
Krit closed the trunk and they all just stood for a minute. After they had mentally prepared themselves, they headed up the small hill and into the woods.
They all walked along, Max behind the rest. They reached the end of the woods and crouched down. Krit signaled for Syl and Ire to go right. They nodded and left. Krit signaled for Max to follow him left.
They all crouched, on the edge of the woods, all eyes on the perimeter fence. They waited for a few tense minutes, then Krit's voice came through the comm.
"It's 8:45, get ready. She'll be coming soon."
He was right. A few minutes later, a side door opened and a head poked out. The head disappeared back in the door, then someone burst out, but whoever it was wasn't alone. The person was helping someone across the yard.
"Is that her?" Ire asked Syl.
Syl adjusted her vision and looked.
"Yeah, that's Brin, but I don't know the guy who's with her."
Ire adjusted her vision and took a look.
"Theo." Ire practically whispered.
"She's going too slow. Whoever she's helping is slowing her down. You two go for her, we'll wait for you by the fence." Krit's voice said through the comm.
Syl and Ire looked at each other, nodded, then ran for the fence. When they reached it, they jumped over easily and ran toward Brin and Theo.
Ire and Syl both saw the guards rushing from the other side of the building.
"Help Brin with him, I'll take some down." Syl said to Ire, then rushed off in the direction of the guards.
"No!" Ire heard Krit yell over the comm, then she saw him jump over the fence and run to help Syl.
Ire made it to Brin and Theo and just looked at Theo. He'd been shot in the shoulder, but was healing. For a minute they just stared at each other.
