"What is it?" Kat asked as Cole fidgeted on her back. He had been still and silent strapped to her all morning. So much so that she would have forgotten that he was even there had it not been for his warmth on her back. Their search for Lydecker or any of his men had lasted all morning with no results but at least this gave her time to relax.
The night before hadn't gone as smoothly as she would have liked. Her confrontation with Max didn't go at all as planned at all. In fact she was hoping she wouldn't have to confront her at all. Max was for all intents and purposes her big sister. Both Max and Jondy would always be looking out for her during the mock operations. If it wasn't for them Kat might have been weeded out as a weaker product and shot so that research could have been done on her corpse. She owed her life to Max and it truly hurt her to have to turn Max's life upside down like that. But how could Max have been so naïve? If she hadn't figured it out in all this time, she didn't deserve his affection. 'Stop it,' Kat chided herself, jealousy rising in her throat. After so long she couldn't deny it to herself any longer. These feelings she had for Zack were too overwhelming now and she felt empty inside having taken their son with her and leaving him behind. But she couldn't turn back, could she?
Cole fidgeted once more on her back. "What's wrong?" she asked with a soothing voice as she loosened the makeshift sling she had made to hold him. Allowed more movement Cole jumped down and tugged at her jacket.
"Zack, Mass..." Cole's mouth struggled with the words.
"We had to leave them Cole. We'll come back soon," she hoped that she was not lying.
But Cole shook his head in frustration, pulling at her jacket again. It was as though his mind was trying to convey an idea beyond his vocabulary. "Hear dem," he said with a serious face that reminded her of Zack. He pulled her pocket toward his ear and listened intently. Cole looked up to his mother, this time with concern on his face. Only then did Kat remember she had forgotten to give back the little earpiece she was assigned when they were searching for Cole.
Reaching into her pocket she produced the small bean shaped device and placed by her ear. She placed it in her ear and listened to the conversation. Max was conveying timeframes and Zack seemed to be ignoring her instructions to back down. Something was very wrong here and she couldn't just listen as she lost the two people who meant so much to her. In their life as Manticore children they both saved her so many times, she couldn't just listen as they rushed into what sounded like a very dangerous mission. She would find Lydecker later, now she had to get back to Logan, maybe he would know what was going on.
"Come on, Cole, we need to make a quick stop."
Just as she turned to head back to Logan's penthouse a haunting voice streamed through the earpiece, "I'm disappointed in you Zack, you hesitated."
"No..." she gasped quietly to herself. Kat understood that she had no choice but to return to Manticore, but if Max and Zack were captured... Focusing her mind on that last thought she sprinted as fast as her Manticore born legs allowed. Cole had no troubles keeping pace.
*****
"Oh god," Max gasped as Zack's muffled cries of pain resonated in her ear. " Zack! Respond! Respond!" Max ran into the back door of the pizza parlor, all the chefs and dishwasher stopping to stare at the crazy screaming lady. She gave them no notice and sprinted for the stairwell. There was not enough time so she jumped up two stories at a time, all the while screaming Zack's name. Finally she got to the door of the room and found Zack's motionless body sprawled across the floor. Lydecker calmly stood over him, with two children, no older then 13 years old, at his side.
"Hello, Max," Lydecker greeted her as she came to a halt in the doorway. "I don't believe you've met the newest Manticore generation. Now will you come quietly or shall I have them demonstrate how they are the fastest and strongest yet?" At the cue the children stepped forward in unison. Unlike the earlier Manticore prototypes, these two, a girl and a boy, looked the epitome of the kids next door. They did not bear the haircuts of a soldier nor the military issued paraphernalia. Only the emotionally barren faces gave any clue to the lethal power they possessed. The pre-teen boy looked like he should have been either at basketball practice or raising hell. He seemed tall for his age and his blonde hair was a mess of spikes, much like Logan's. He had a caucasian complexion and eyes so dark brown that they could have probably passed for black.
However it was the girl who caught Max's attention. Her black wavy hair was smartly tied into a ponytail, and her skin was only slightly lighter than Max's own. But her pale grey-blue eyes were her distinguishing feature. Something about those eyes…
They all turned their attentions to the floor when Zack let out a low groan as he regained consciousness. Gripping his head, he slowly lifted himself to a kneeling position. Both the children stepped forward eagerly as if to engage Zack again. But Lydecker had full control of the children's actions, "Stand down." One simple command and they stepped back, looking as though they had never moved in the first place. Now Zack was standing, albeit on shaky legs and with determined steps he edged his way back toward Max, never turning his back to Lydecker. He was gathering his strength and if Max could just delay for a little while longer they had a chance. It was extremely slim, but it was a chance nonetheless.
"You have your special children, Lydecker. Why won't you just leave us alone?" She stepped in front of the weakened Zack.
"Why would I abandon my first success?"
"We are flawed, Lydecker, you said it yourself. Why not just concentrate on them?"
"Your flaws can be corrected, your personalities erased. Now it would be in your best interest to come along without a fight."
"We won't just go back there. We will not go quietly." Zack's strong voice sounded in response. Max listened in, hearing that his heartbeat was steady. He was healing surprisingly fast, even considering their genetic makeup. But he still needed time, she need to make Lydecker talk a little more.
"That is what you really want isn't, Lydecker? Just to compare us to your new prototypes, your new children." She prayed that she had played her cards right and that Lydecker wouldn't take her up on her challenge, outright.
Another disturbing smile crept across Lydecker's normally sour façade. "I have considered. But this is..." he paused to find the word, "…ironic."
"What are you talking about?" Max didn't really want to know what caused this man to grin but she needed to give Zack more time.
"Max, Zack, you are the top of the X-5. The others were skilled but you both excelled in all things..."
"I don't think you know what ironic means..." was what Max said aloud but inside she was praying for Zack to regain his strength.
"It is ironic that you refer to these two as my children." He continued and placed fatherly hands on the shoulders of the boy and the girl. "To create the X-6 prototypes we used the X-5 genetic pool as a base, combining the best genetic attributes of the top X-5's…"
'It can't be...' Max's mind seemed to freeze at the implication.
"... namely you two."
*****
It took her no longer than two minutes to get to the apartment. She hadn't strayed too far in the first place and her dizzying speed got her there in record time. Only the slightest quickening of her breath and glow of her cheeks hinted at her exertion. She had pulled out the earpiece on the way since Lydecker's voice sent her into flashbacks of her weeks at Manticore. Shivers would rack her body and she almost couldn't run.
Bling let her in and after a quick greeting led her to Logan who sat in front of his computer. "G'Morning Kat," Logan welcomed, unaware of anything that happened the night before. His lack of knowledge was welcome as he acted the same towards her. Infact he seemed to be in an even happier mood. She only allowed herself a few seconds to absorb his calmness before she let out with the bad news.
"There is something wrong. We need to locate Max and Zack."
The smile dropped from his face. "She left a note saying she was off doing something..."
"They were hunting down Lydecker, didn't she tell you?"
"No, I was asleep when she left..."
"We need to find them, now." Her plea came out as a demand and Logan didn't hesitate.
"If I can just triangulate the sources of the frequency..."
"18.92" Kat offered the frequency without being asked.
He typed a quick command into the computer and the screen came alive with aerial maps of the city. Some were brought up then dismissed, until one caught the programs attention.
"Bling, get the elevator."
Focusing and refocusing, the program finally closed in on one building and an address was displayed as its caption. Grabbing for a gun in his drawer he motioned for Kat to make her way to the elevator where Bling was waiting. His life was just beginning to feel normal, his soul complete, he wasn't about to lose that now.
The night before hadn't gone as smoothly as she would have liked. Her confrontation with Max didn't go at all as planned at all. In fact she was hoping she wouldn't have to confront her at all. Max was for all intents and purposes her big sister. Both Max and Jondy would always be looking out for her during the mock operations. If it wasn't for them Kat might have been weeded out as a weaker product and shot so that research could have been done on her corpse. She owed her life to Max and it truly hurt her to have to turn Max's life upside down like that. But how could Max have been so naïve? If she hadn't figured it out in all this time, she didn't deserve his affection. 'Stop it,' Kat chided herself, jealousy rising in her throat. After so long she couldn't deny it to herself any longer. These feelings she had for Zack were too overwhelming now and she felt empty inside having taken their son with her and leaving him behind. But she couldn't turn back, could she?
Cole fidgeted once more on her back. "What's wrong?" she asked with a soothing voice as she loosened the makeshift sling she had made to hold him. Allowed more movement Cole jumped down and tugged at her jacket.
"Zack, Mass..." Cole's mouth struggled with the words.
"We had to leave them Cole. We'll come back soon," she hoped that she was not lying.
But Cole shook his head in frustration, pulling at her jacket again. It was as though his mind was trying to convey an idea beyond his vocabulary. "Hear dem," he said with a serious face that reminded her of Zack. He pulled her pocket toward his ear and listened intently. Cole looked up to his mother, this time with concern on his face. Only then did Kat remember she had forgotten to give back the little earpiece she was assigned when they were searching for Cole.
Reaching into her pocket she produced the small bean shaped device and placed by her ear. She placed it in her ear and listened to the conversation. Max was conveying timeframes and Zack seemed to be ignoring her instructions to back down. Something was very wrong here and she couldn't just listen as she lost the two people who meant so much to her. In their life as Manticore children they both saved her so many times, she couldn't just listen as they rushed into what sounded like a very dangerous mission. She would find Lydecker later, now she had to get back to Logan, maybe he would know what was going on.
"Come on, Cole, we need to make a quick stop."
Just as she turned to head back to Logan's penthouse a haunting voice streamed through the earpiece, "I'm disappointed in you Zack, you hesitated."
"No..." she gasped quietly to herself. Kat understood that she had no choice but to return to Manticore, but if Max and Zack were captured... Focusing her mind on that last thought she sprinted as fast as her Manticore born legs allowed. Cole had no troubles keeping pace.
*****
"Oh god," Max gasped as Zack's muffled cries of pain resonated in her ear. " Zack! Respond! Respond!" Max ran into the back door of the pizza parlor, all the chefs and dishwasher stopping to stare at the crazy screaming lady. She gave them no notice and sprinted for the stairwell. There was not enough time so she jumped up two stories at a time, all the while screaming Zack's name. Finally she got to the door of the room and found Zack's motionless body sprawled across the floor. Lydecker calmly stood over him, with two children, no older then 13 years old, at his side.
"Hello, Max," Lydecker greeted her as she came to a halt in the doorway. "I don't believe you've met the newest Manticore generation. Now will you come quietly or shall I have them demonstrate how they are the fastest and strongest yet?" At the cue the children stepped forward in unison. Unlike the earlier Manticore prototypes, these two, a girl and a boy, looked the epitome of the kids next door. They did not bear the haircuts of a soldier nor the military issued paraphernalia. Only the emotionally barren faces gave any clue to the lethal power they possessed. The pre-teen boy looked like he should have been either at basketball practice or raising hell. He seemed tall for his age and his blonde hair was a mess of spikes, much like Logan's. He had a caucasian complexion and eyes so dark brown that they could have probably passed for black.
However it was the girl who caught Max's attention. Her black wavy hair was smartly tied into a ponytail, and her skin was only slightly lighter than Max's own. But her pale grey-blue eyes were her distinguishing feature. Something about those eyes…
They all turned their attentions to the floor when Zack let out a low groan as he regained consciousness. Gripping his head, he slowly lifted himself to a kneeling position. Both the children stepped forward eagerly as if to engage Zack again. But Lydecker had full control of the children's actions, "Stand down." One simple command and they stepped back, looking as though they had never moved in the first place. Now Zack was standing, albeit on shaky legs and with determined steps he edged his way back toward Max, never turning his back to Lydecker. He was gathering his strength and if Max could just delay for a little while longer they had a chance. It was extremely slim, but it was a chance nonetheless.
"You have your special children, Lydecker. Why won't you just leave us alone?" She stepped in front of the weakened Zack.
"Why would I abandon my first success?"
"We are flawed, Lydecker, you said it yourself. Why not just concentrate on them?"
"Your flaws can be corrected, your personalities erased. Now it would be in your best interest to come along without a fight."
"We won't just go back there. We will not go quietly." Zack's strong voice sounded in response. Max listened in, hearing that his heartbeat was steady. He was healing surprisingly fast, even considering their genetic makeup. But he still needed time, she need to make Lydecker talk a little more.
"That is what you really want isn't, Lydecker? Just to compare us to your new prototypes, your new children." She prayed that she had played her cards right and that Lydecker wouldn't take her up on her challenge, outright.
Another disturbing smile crept across Lydecker's normally sour façade. "I have considered. But this is..." he paused to find the word, "…ironic."
"What are you talking about?" Max didn't really want to know what caused this man to grin but she needed to give Zack more time.
"Max, Zack, you are the top of the X-5. The others were skilled but you both excelled in all things..."
"I don't think you know what ironic means..." was what Max said aloud but inside she was praying for Zack to regain his strength.
"It is ironic that you refer to these two as my children." He continued and placed fatherly hands on the shoulders of the boy and the girl. "To create the X-6 prototypes we used the X-5 genetic pool as a base, combining the best genetic attributes of the top X-5's…"
'It can't be...' Max's mind seemed to freeze at the implication.
"... namely you two."
*****
It took her no longer than two minutes to get to the apartment. She hadn't strayed too far in the first place and her dizzying speed got her there in record time. Only the slightest quickening of her breath and glow of her cheeks hinted at her exertion. She had pulled out the earpiece on the way since Lydecker's voice sent her into flashbacks of her weeks at Manticore. Shivers would rack her body and she almost couldn't run.
Bling let her in and after a quick greeting led her to Logan who sat in front of his computer. "G'Morning Kat," Logan welcomed, unaware of anything that happened the night before. His lack of knowledge was welcome as he acted the same towards her. Infact he seemed to be in an even happier mood. She only allowed herself a few seconds to absorb his calmness before she let out with the bad news.
"There is something wrong. We need to locate Max and Zack."
The smile dropped from his face. "She left a note saying she was off doing something..."
"They were hunting down Lydecker, didn't she tell you?"
"No, I was asleep when she left..."
"We need to find them, now." Her plea came out as a demand and Logan didn't hesitate.
"If I can just triangulate the sources of the frequency..."
"18.92" Kat offered the frequency without being asked.
He typed a quick command into the computer and the screen came alive with aerial maps of the city. Some were brought up then dismissed, until one caught the programs attention.
"Bling, get the elevator."
Focusing and refocusing, the program finally closed in on one building and an address was displayed as its caption. Grabbing for a gun in his drawer he motioned for Kat to make her way to the elevator where Bling was waiting. His life was just beginning to feel normal, his soul complete, he wasn't about to lose that now.