"I'm on my way to Portland," Alec said into the phone as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"No," Seth stated quickly, "I'll get to Seattle and we can leave from there."
"Alright. Just hurry. I want to get out of here." Alec's voice was shaky and full of anticipation.
"What's wrong? Something I need to know."
"No. You don't need to worry about it," Alec stated half-convincingly. Seth was about to say something but Alec continued, "Ran into some trouble up here. Caused some too. I just need to get away from Seattle..... and Max."
"Cat trouble?"
"You could say that. It's some whole transgenic Manticore disease thing. Kind of stuck Max with it."
"Well, don't worry about it now. We'll deal with whatever as it comes. Right now Jared and Wren are coming to Seattle so we'll meet up with them after we go to Alaska. Not exactly going to be a happy reunion though."
"Why not?" Alec asked.
"Not a happy split. Wren........ felt differently about Jacen than he did for her."
"Oh," Alec stated. "Oh!" Alec repeated when what he meant sunk in. "That's a little twisted."
"I don't know. I try not to analyze things that don't concern me."
Alec smiled, "I know what you mean. When can I expect you?"
"Soon. I'll leave in an hour."
"Okay, I'll see you at the space needle. About midnight?"
"Yeah. Later."
Seth hung up the phone and turned around slowly. It was going to be a long few days and he didn't try and tell himself that everything would come out fine. Rubbing his eyes and reminding himself to sleep soon, Seth swung his leg over his motorcycle and gunned the engine off into the distance.
A figure in the dark slowly stepped from the shadows and into the small shaft of light emanating from the phone booth but still the figure was covered in darkness. It was as if the shadows melded around him and darkened the area. He pulled the hood of his sweat shirt down revealing a pair of creamy eyes and completely bald head. The man let out a hiss through his crooked teeth and formed a smile that would terrorize any creature no matter how evil.
Cond stepped closer to the payphone and picked it up. He typed at the keypad slowly as if struggling to remember the number he was dialing. After a few rings the other end picked up but there was no voice. Cond was the first to speak, "We have a....... gathering." A few jumbled words came in over the line and Cond replied, "No..... Seattle."
Donald Lydecker slowed down his vehicle as he replied to Cond, "It doesn't matter anymore. It may have in the past but now I have bigger things to cover. I promise you that I won't get in your way but I won't stop twice at putting a bullet in your twisted head." It had been a thin line Lydecker had been walking since Manticore had fallen. Playing every side had it's disadvantages but at this time he was coming out on top on every issue. White, Max, Eyes Only, Cond, Renfro, and even this new evidence failed to trap him in a corner. Now he was able to throw out everything else and focus on the history of Manticore and what Renfro had always withheld from him. He didn't even hang up as he flipped his phone closed and tossed it onto the passenger seat. He picked up the pictures he had taken from the burial site earlier and gave them a glance before the car beneath him shuddered under an impact from behind him.
"No," Seth stated quickly, "I'll get to Seattle and we can leave from there."
"Alright. Just hurry. I want to get out of here." Alec's voice was shaky and full of anticipation.
"What's wrong? Something I need to know."
"No. You don't need to worry about it," Alec stated half-convincingly. Seth was about to say something but Alec continued, "Ran into some trouble up here. Caused some too. I just need to get away from Seattle..... and Max."
"Cat trouble?"
"You could say that. It's some whole transgenic Manticore disease thing. Kind of stuck Max with it."
"Well, don't worry about it now. We'll deal with whatever as it comes. Right now Jared and Wren are coming to Seattle so we'll meet up with them after we go to Alaska. Not exactly going to be a happy reunion though."
"Why not?" Alec asked.
"Not a happy split. Wren........ felt differently about Jacen than he did for her."
"Oh," Alec stated. "Oh!" Alec repeated when what he meant sunk in. "That's a little twisted."
"I don't know. I try not to analyze things that don't concern me."
Alec smiled, "I know what you mean. When can I expect you?"
"Soon. I'll leave in an hour."
"Okay, I'll see you at the space needle. About midnight?"
"Yeah. Later."
Seth hung up the phone and turned around slowly. It was going to be a long few days and he didn't try and tell himself that everything would come out fine. Rubbing his eyes and reminding himself to sleep soon, Seth swung his leg over his motorcycle and gunned the engine off into the distance.
A figure in the dark slowly stepped from the shadows and into the small shaft of light emanating from the phone booth but still the figure was covered in darkness. It was as if the shadows melded around him and darkened the area. He pulled the hood of his sweat shirt down revealing a pair of creamy eyes and completely bald head. The man let out a hiss through his crooked teeth and formed a smile that would terrorize any creature no matter how evil.
Cond stepped closer to the payphone and picked it up. He typed at the keypad slowly as if struggling to remember the number he was dialing. After a few rings the other end picked up but there was no voice. Cond was the first to speak, "We have a....... gathering." A few jumbled words came in over the line and Cond replied, "No..... Seattle."
Donald Lydecker slowed down his vehicle as he replied to Cond, "It doesn't matter anymore. It may have in the past but now I have bigger things to cover. I promise you that I won't get in your way but I won't stop twice at putting a bullet in your twisted head." It had been a thin line Lydecker had been walking since Manticore had fallen. Playing every side had it's disadvantages but at this time he was coming out on top on every issue. White, Max, Eyes Only, Cond, Renfro, and even this new evidence failed to trap him in a corner. Now he was able to throw out everything else and focus on the history of Manticore and what Renfro had always withheld from him. He didn't even hang up as he flipped his phone closed and tossed it onto the passenger seat. He picked up the pictures he had taken from the burial site earlier and gave them a glance before the car beneath him shuddered under an impact from behind him.
