Kat sat in the back seat of Logan's car, rubbing her hands together. It was a nervous habit she developed at Manticore, which she could very well have been eliminated for, had it not been for Max. Cole sat beside her examining the vehicle. He had never ridden one before and seemed confused as to how he was sitting still and the world outside this metal box was moving around him.
Bling was confidently blazing down the cluttered streets. In the passenger seat Logan was typing commands into his laptop, which he had connected to his cell phone. He was currently hacking into the hover drone automatic command center.
"Come on, come on..." he muttered to himself as he waited for his last hack to break through.
80%...90%...95%...100%
Immediately he began typing furiously. New windows popped up on the screen including a map of Seattle. Logan examined the screen with experienced eyes, typing in another quick command which caused the map to zoom into the sector Max and Zack were located. On the map now, little red dots were lazily drifting about. Another quick command and Logan commandeered one of the hover drones. A red dot made a b-line to the building they were headed to.
A few more buttons pressed and another window popped up, showing the hover drone's video feed. Again Logan muttered to himself, "Where are you Max?"
He maneuvered the hover drone to pause outside each window, taking only a few seconds to examine the contents of the room before moving on to the next, until finally the subject was in sight. The back of a man's head, Lydecker he could only assume, half obstructed his view. But it was her. Zack, with a cut above his eye and a split lip, stood behind. The only people he couldn't identify were the two teenagers, their backs to the camera.
"Oh god no." Kat's voice startled him. She had been watching quietly over his shoulder the whole time. "Those are two of the X-6. I recognize them." She may have been cured of her seizures but even so a shiver ran up her spine. "You two can't go in there. You will be killed. Scratch the plan I have to go alone."
Both Bling and Logan looked like they were about to object but she cut them off, "Keep Cole in the car. Promise me you'll take care of him."
Bling was the first to find his voice, "We will."
"Bling how long?" Logan's voice had a serious tone.
Bling replied just as seriously, "Around this corner."
*****
Max did not have to feign shock at Lydecker's words. An eerie silence filled the room. This was no normal reunion. Max looked again at the girl. Her pale, ice blue eyes, whose piercing gaze belonged to Zack, contained behind them Max's fire. This was her daughter, whom she did not save from Lydecker.
"Why not just create new ones Lydecker if we were so flawed?" She looked now to the boy, whose looks virtually mimicked Zack's, except for the tall, slender but ripped volleyball player physique he got from Max no doubt. This was beginning to feel creepy.
"We tried, but the pulse... So much data lost, what a shame. I'm growing tired of this," he pulled out a two way radio, "Alpha Leader, what is your position?"
"Flying over Sector M-40." A voice promptly replied.
"Make your way to my coordinates..."
Max would have listened into the rest of the conversation but some static came to life in her ear. "Max, if you can hear me nod your head." It was Logan. 'No, he couldn't come here...' but she nodded her head. It was then that she saw the little hover drone outside the window "You have to delay we are coming and Kat is with us. Stay away from the window." Max risked a quick look back at Zack but he was focusing on Lydecker suggesting he did not hear. Something must have happened to his earpiece when he took that beating.
It was Kat now, "ETA two minutes."
The girl's eyes narrowed at Max, turning her head to face Max straight on. She must have heard the bug. Without a word, or sound of footfall, she took a few quick steps toward Max. Max did not flinch, she knew the girl was only going to pull the earpiece out, but Zack saw the movement as a threat and reacted with a soldier's response. He pulled out a gun and aimed it between the girls eyes. It would have been lethal had Zack gotten the shot off. Unfortunately Lydecker was true to his word about the speed and strength of the X-6, as the boy, from a stand still, sprinted over and kicked the gun out of Zack's hand sending it flying across the room. Even with Zack's speed, he couldn't squeeze the trigger and that was not a good sign.
There was no choice now, and with that act of aggression Zack had sealed their fate. They had to fight. The two X-6's moved with blurring speed. Was that what they looked like to normal humans? A fist or foot would suddenly appear before her leaving Max with barely any time to react, barely enough time to block or move and only then, if it was an instantaneous reaction.
The sounds of the battle drew Logan's attention, "Max? Max are you alright..." She couldn't pay attention to him let alone answer. All her efforts now went to defending herself, waiting for any opening for an attack. This girl was too well trained, defending herself even as she attacked. Finally there was an opening and Max threw her first punch. It was as though Max had told the girl she was going to punch, as the X-6 grabbed and redirected her wrist, pulling Max into her waiting knee then pushing her back again. Strange as it may seem it was obvious that the girl did not want to hurt Max. Their objective was probably to bring them back to Manticore undamaged.
Max grabbed at and held onto one of the girl's feet as it was aimed to strike her head. The X-6 was not phased as she jumped to kick Max with her other foot. Max grabbed that as well, thinking she had the advantage. However in one smooth movement the girl landed in a handstand position, jerking her legs down and away, effectively flinging Max across the room like an old rag doll.
"Max...going..." the earpiece was damaged as she landed and Logan's voice was cut off. Liquid trickled into her mouth as the jarring impact with the wall drew blood. She looked up expecting another attack, but instead found the girl calmly standing there, not even a strand of her black hair had escaped from her elastic. Her grey-blue gaze pinning Max to the floor.
*****
Cole watched as his mother exited the vehicle. He could sense it in the air, like a dog smelling an earthquake... something was very, very wrong. And as the door to the pizza parlor closed behind her, he began to get anxious.
"Here," Logan said to Bling as he finished fastening the silencer onto his pistol. "Shoot at the window. That should shake them up a little bit."
"Let's hope." Bling took the gun and aimed it at the window where the little hover drone was peering through. He was about ready to pull the trigger when the back window of the car shattered. Both men were taken by surprise. Who would be shooting at them? No one knew they were there. But looking into the back seat revealed the truth: Cole was gone, running in after his mother.
*****
Zack actually looked to be holding his own with the boy. But that was probably just because Zack, of all the X-5's, could take the most abuse without faltering. Punches were thrown and blocked, attacks were met with counterattacks. It would have been like watching a beautifully choreographed dance had it not been for the threat of death.
Max's opponent jerked her head up to face Lydecker, still standing at the window. Then without warning she leapt to Lydecker and pulled him down, only milliseconds before the window behind him shattered. Max took the opportunity to get back to her feet, and out of the corner of her eye she could see another form enter the apartment. It was a relief that could not be enjoyed as both the girl and boy, turned their attentions to the intruder. Zack was sent flying across the room as the boy finished with him and approached the intruder with a quick roundhouse kick. The rest of the battle was a blur and despite the uneven numbers the X-6's always had the upper hand. It seemed they were holding back before as now their dizzyingly fast attacks were coordinated with no words or even hand signals to communicate. Neither Max, Zack nor Kat wanted to admit it, but they were going to lose this battle.
No more than a minute into the fight and the X-5's were suffering greatly. Lydecker stood, well away from the window now, watching his new children with awe. Just then something else burst into the room. The boy, who held Kat up on a wall, turned his attentions to the new intruder. She took advantage of the distraction and kicked him in the gut. "Cole!" she screamed, "No! Get out of here." Seconds later the boy recovered, throwing her to the ground. He signaled something to his fellow X-6 that Max did not recognize and the girl approached Cole with both curiosity and caution.
Cole paid Kat no attention. His mother and his new friends were in trouble and he had to help. Even Lydecker was amazed at the child's stealth and speed as it rivaled the new generation. Cole leapt at the girl, kicking her square across the face so quickly there was no time to react. The boy leapt forward to help his sibling but Zack got in the way, trying to help his son.
Weakened, Zack gave a valiant effort, actually landing a few hits, before he was again thrown to the ground and out of the way and the X6 boy once again advanced on Cole. He was only able to block a few attacks before finally being overwhelmed. Cole handled both of them with ease, but they were learning his moves and he would not last much longer...
Across the room when Kat fell to the ground she hit something besides the floor. A gun lay beneath her. She looked up to see her son fighting for all he was worth, Zack and Max laying in much the same position as she, wanting to help, but held in place, shocked at Cole's fighting prowess. He moved about as no human nor genetically enhanced human could.
Even Lydecker stood still, staring at the display before him. She couldn't shoot at the X6 because that meant she risked hitting Cole. But if she shot Lydecker maybe, just maybe, it would distract the X6. This could be her only chance and, as a trained soldier and a mother, Kat did not hesitate. Two shots rung in the air and Lydecker was down.
*****
Logan sat there, obsessively staring at his mac screen, chin resting on his fists. He and Bling sat silently, knowing there was nothing they could do. Knowing full well the possibility that this time they should be worrying. The thunder of gunfire shot through the air and their eyes automatically turned up to the source of the sound.
*****
The shots silenced everyone including the X-6's who looked at Lydecker's crumpled body in disbelief. Their leader has fallen. The seemingly immortal man who taught them and tested them to their limits, now lay motionless on the ground. The girl was the first to gather herself and she looked at Kat with fire in her eyes.
Still on the ground, Kat now pointed the gun straight between those authoritative grey-blue eyes.
"Kat! Wait!" Max's voice was like a flare that cut through the fog of rage that filled Kat's mind. But it could not calm her fury. This was the girl who would always take that last punch when the beatings were through. This was the girl who strapped her down and pried her eyes open with that metal contraption so that she would not miss the onslaught of horrifying footage. Kat could never forget her eyes, nor her jet black hair. Even with a gun aimed at her head, the girl did not flinch for she had remembered Kat as well. This X-6 taunted her with those icy eyes, daring, just daring her to let loose a bullet.
Kat's finger squeezed the trigger, but she immediately released as she saw Max lunge to block her sights. But it was too late. The deadly projectile was fired on target but missed its mark, lodging itself in Max's shoulder instead.
Bling was confidently blazing down the cluttered streets. In the passenger seat Logan was typing commands into his laptop, which he had connected to his cell phone. He was currently hacking into the hover drone automatic command center.
"Come on, come on..." he muttered to himself as he waited for his last hack to break through.
80%...90%...95%...100%
Immediately he began typing furiously. New windows popped up on the screen including a map of Seattle. Logan examined the screen with experienced eyes, typing in another quick command which caused the map to zoom into the sector Max and Zack were located. On the map now, little red dots were lazily drifting about. Another quick command and Logan commandeered one of the hover drones. A red dot made a b-line to the building they were headed to.
A few more buttons pressed and another window popped up, showing the hover drone's video feed. Again Logan muttered to himself, "Where are you Max?"
He maneuvered the hover drone to pause outside each window, taking only a few seconds to examine the contents of the room before moving on to the next, until finally the subject was in sight. The back of a man's head, Lydecker he could only assume, half obstructed his view. But it was her. Zack, with a cut above his eye and a split lip, stood behind. The only people he couldn't identify were the two teenagers, their backs to the camera.
"Oh god no." Kat's voice startled him. She had been watching quietly over his shoulder the whole time. "Those are two of the X-6. I recognize them." She may have been cured of her seizures but even so a shiver ran up her spine. "You two can't go in there. You will be killed. Scratch the plan I have to go alone."
Both Bling and Logan looked like they were about to object but she cut them off, "Keep Cole in the car. Promise me you'll take care of him."
Bling was the first to find his voice, "We will."
"Bling how long?" Logan's voice had a serious tone.
Bling replied just as seriously, "Around this corner."
*****
Max did not have to feign shock at Lydecker's words. An eerie silence filled the room. This was no normal reunion. Max looked again at the girl. Her pale, ice blue eyes, whose piercing gaze belonged to Zack, contained behind them Max's fire. This was her daughter, whom she did not save from Lydecker.
"Why not just create new ones Lydecker if we were so flawed?" She looked now to the boy, whose looks virtually mimicked Zack's, except for the tall, slender but ripped volleyball player physique he got from Max no doubt. This was beginning to feel creepy.
"We tried, but the pulse... So much data lost, what a shame. I'm growing tired of this," he pulled out a two way radio, "Alpha Leader, what is your position?"
"Flying over Sector M-40." A voice promptly replied.
"Make your way to my coordinates..."
Max would have listened into the rest of the conversation but some static came to life in her ear. "Max, if you can hear me nod your head." It was Logan. 'No, he couldn't come here...' but she nodded her head. It was then that she saw the little hover drone outside the window "You have to delay we are coming and Kat is with us. Stay away from the window." Max risked a quick look back at Zack but he was focusing on Lydecker suggesting he did not hear. Something must have happened to his earpiece when he took that beating.
It was Kat now, "ETA two minutes."
The girl's eyes narrowed at Max, turning her head to face Max straight on. She must have heard the bug. Without a word, or sound of footfall, she took a few quick steps toward Max. Max did not flinch, she knew the girl was only going to pull the earpiece out, but Zack saw the movement as a threat and reacted with a soldier's response. He pulled out a gun and aimed it between the girls eyes. It would have been lethal had Zack gotten the shot off. Unfortunately Lydecker was true to his word about the speed and strength of the X-6, as the boy, from a stand still, sprinted over and kicked the gun out of Zack's hand sending it flying across the room. Even with Zack's speed, he couldn't squeeze the trigger and that was not a good sign.
There was no choice now, and with that act of aggression Zack had sealed their fate. They had to fight. The two X-6's moved with blurring speed. Was that what they looked like to normal humans? A fist or foot would suddenly appear before her leaving Max with barely any time to react, barely enough time to block or move and only then, if it was an instantaneous reaction.
The sounds of the battle drew Logan's attention, "Max? Max are you alright..." She couldn't pay attention to him let alone answer. All her efforts now went to defending herself, waiting for any opening for an attack. This girl was too well trained, defending herself even as she attacked. Finally there was an opening and Max threw her first punch. It was as though Max had told the girl she was going to punch, as the X-6 grabbed and redirected her wrist, pulling Max into her waiting knee then pushing her back again. Strange as it may seem it was obvious that the girl did not want to hurt Max. Their objective was probably to bring them back to Manticore undamaged.
Max grabbed at and held onto one of the girl's feet as it was aimed to strike her head. The X-6 was not phased as she jumped to kick Max with her other foot. Max grabbed that as well, thinking she had the advantage. However in one smooth movement the girl landed in a handstand position, jerking her legs down and away, effectively flinging Max across the room like an old rag doll.
"Max...going..." the earpiece was damaged as she landed and Logan's voice was cut off. Liquid trickled into her mouth as the jarring impact with the wall drew blood. She looked up expecting another attack, but instead found the girl calmly standing there, not even a strand of her black hair had escaped from her elastic. Her grey-blue gaze pinning Max to the floor.
*****
Cole watched as his mother exited the vehicle. He could sense it in the air, like a dog smelling an earthquake... something was very, very wrong. And as the door to the pizza parlor closed behind her, he began to get anxious.
"Here," Logan said to Bling as he finished fastening the silencer onto his pistol. "Shoot at the window. That should shake them up a little bit."
"Let's hope." Bling took the gun and aimed it at the window where the little hover drone was peering through. He was about ready to pull the trigger when the back window of the car shattered. Both men were taken by surprise. Who would be shooting at them? No one knew they were there. But looking into the back seat revealed the truth: Cole was gone, running in after his mother.
*****
Zack actually looked to be holding his own with the boy. But that was probably just because Zack, of all the X-5's, could take the most abuse without faltering. Punches were thrown and blocked, attacks were met with counterattacks. It would have been like watching a beautifully choreographed dance had it not been for the threat of death.
Max's opponent jerked her head up to face Lydecker, still standing at the window. Then without warning she leapt to Lydecker and pulled him down, only milliseconds before the window behind him shattered. Max took the opportunity to get back to her feet, and out of the corner of her eye she could see another form enter the apartment. It was a relief that could not be enjoyed as both the girl and boy, turned their attentions to the intruder. Zack was sent flying across the room as the boy finished with him and approached the intruder with a quick roundhouse kick. The rest of the battle was a blur and despite the uneven numbers the X-6's always had the upper hand. It seemed they were holding back before as now their dizzyingly fast attacks were coordinated with no words or even hand signals to communicate. Neither Max, Zack nor Kat wanted to admit it, but they were going to lose this battle.
No more than a minute into the fight and the X-5's were suffering greatly. Lydecker stood, well away from the window now, watching his new children with awe. Just then something else burst into the room. The boy, who held Kat up on a wall, turned his attentions to the new intruder. She took advantage of the distraction and kicked him in the gut. "Cole!" she screamed, "No! Get out of here." Seconds later the boy recovered, throwing her to the ground. He signaled something to his fellow X-6 that Max did not recognize and the girl approached Cole with both curiosity and caution.
Cole paid Kat no attention. His mother and his new friends were in trouble and he had to help. Even Lydecker was amazed at the child's stealth and speed as it rivaled the new generation. Cole leapt at the girl, kicking her square across the face so quickly there was no time to react. The boy leapt forward to help his sibling but Zack got in the way, trying to help his son.
Weakened, Zack gave a valiant effort, actually landing a few hits, before he was again thrown to the ground and out of the way and the X6 boy once again advanced on Cole. He was only able to block a few attacks before finally being overwhelmed. Cole handled both of them with ease, but they were learning his moves and he would not last much longer...
Across the room when Kat fell to the ground she hit something besides the floor. A gun lay beneath her. She looked up to see her son fighting for all he was worth, Zack and Max laying in much the same position as she, wanting to help, but held in place, shocked at Cole's fighting prowess. He moved about as no human nor genetically enhanced human could.
Even Lydecker stood still, staring at the display before him. She couldn't shoot at the X6 because that meant she risked hitting Cole. But if she shot Lydecker maybe, just maybe, it would distract the X6. This could be her only chance and, as a trained soldier and a mother, Kat did not hesitate. Two shots rung in the air and Lydecker was down.
*****
Logan sat there, obsessively staring at his mac screen, chin resting on his fists. He and Bling sat silently, knowing there was nothing they could do. Knowing full well the possibility that this time they should be worrying. The thunder of gunfire shot through the air and their eyes automatically turned up to the source of the sound.
*****
The shots silenced everyone including the X-6's who looked at Lydecker's crumpled body in disbelief. Their leader has fallen. The seemingly immortal man who taught them and tested them to their limits, now lay motionless on the ground. The girl was the first to gather herself and she looked at Kat with fire in her eyes.
Still on the ground, Kat now pointed the gun straight between those authoritative grey-blue eyes.
"Kat! Wait!" Max's voice was like a flare that cut through the fog of rage that filled Kat's mind. But it could not calm her fury. This was the girl who would always take that last punch when the beatings were through. This was the girl who strapped her down and pried her eyes open with that metal contraption so that she would not miss the onslaught of horrifying footage. Kat could never forget her eyes, nor her jet black hair. Even with a gun aimed at her head, the girl did not flinch for she had remembered Kat as well. This X-6 taunted her with those icy eyes, daring, just daring her to let loose a bullet.
Kat's finger squeezed the trigger, but she immediately released as she saw Max lunge to block her sights. But it was too late. The deadly projectile was fired on target but missed its mark, lodging itself in Max's shoulder instead.