The Encounter Part 4
Max pulled up to Zack's apartment for the second time that night. She got off her bike and walked up the stairs. The door was open a crack like he was waiting for her. Max pushed the door open and stepped inside. Zack was sitting at a table drinking a beer. He motioned her to come and sit by him. "It never happened. I was just under a lot of stress and I just went a little crazy so that kiss never happened," Zack said taking another long drink.
Max nodded in agreement. "I need to get down to business Zack, I need your help," Max said taking a serious tone to her voice, "I know where the Mantacore base is. The original one where we trained at in Gillett, Wyoming. I want you to come with me and find out anything you can that could help us with what Lydecker wants with us and it could help us evade him in the future."
Zack sat quietly for a minute slowly sipping his beer and contemplating the information that had just been given to him, than he laughed. "You have to be joking," Zack laughed as another wave of mirth washed over him, "that would be suicide. Going to a military base where killer kids are trained. Think of the artillery, think of the guards, and think of the security system."
"Goddamn it Zack do you really think I am that stupid?" Max yelled at the boy, "the base has been deserted and it is just a recon mission for now we make no contact until we know the base is empty and void of troops."
Zack threw his empty beer bottle into the trash. "I don't know if you are stupid or not after all you obviously have let this Logan Cale person influence you," Zack sneered.
Max glared daggers at the boy and was about to jump him. "You think he influenced me? You are so full of it," Max shouted at him, "I was never influenced but Logan has given me a chance to find out about a past that I want to know about and I thought you might want to find out too. I guess I was wrong. I'll go alone."
Max headed towards the door but Zack stopped her with a strong hand on her shoulder. "I'll go with you," he said sheepishly.
Zack grabbed his jacket and motorcycle helmet and followed Max down the stairs. Zack hurried and got his bike as Max hopped on hers. Max lead Zack to Logan's apartment building and up to the penthouse apartment. "Here we are," Max said opening the door.
The two Manticore kids walked through the door of the apartment and to the computer room. Logan was sitting at his computer typing furiously pulling up maps and documents and printing them out just as quickly. "Hey Logan look who I brought," Max said with false cheerfulness.
Logan turned around and saw Max standing there with Zack leaning against the doorframe looking very uncomfortable. Logan just smiled and went back to his work. "What are these," Max asked looking at some of the maps on his desk.
"Maps of the area surrounding the base. Some are satellite some are geographical and some are physical but all of them will help you," Logan said pulling up some lists and printing them off as well.
Max pulled the sheets of paper off the printer. "And these are?" Max asked reading the list of names, social security numbers, and jobs.
"Remember how I found Hanna by looking at the lists of workers at Mantacore?" Logan asked. Max just nodded. "That is what these are. Lists of workers, all of them relocated shortly after x-5 escaped."
"How will that help us any," Zack asked butting in very rudely.
Logan sighed exasperated at the young man.
"If you have any better ideas please give them to us but if not butt out," Max growled.
Zack took a step forward and leaned over the computer screen and pointed to the maps. "We need to know if they can get in any heavy artillery if we get caught. Are there any runways or water canals, are there any hangers or weapons storage facilities, these are some of the questions we need to answer," Zack said with and edge of calmness and respect in his voice.
Max just smiled at Logan as they exchanged a silent meaning to each other. They had tamed the wild beast and they both knew it now all they had to do was bring their plan together. Max turned her attention back to the computer screen and began to watch what Zack was doing but in the tiny recesses in her head told her that with Zack on her side she might finally find some answers to a very difficult question.
