A/N: Ahhh, the games are beginning. Oh yes. Oooooh yes.
*******
She kept her eyes glued to the wall across from her as indifference and despondency were the only means she could think of to show defiance at the moment. The blonde woman had entered the cell a few moments earlier, followed by Brin and a few random soldiers. Brin held her in place as one of the soldiers released her from her current restraints only to quickly handcuff her seconds later. By the door stood the blonde woman, overlooking the present proceedings, patient and satisfied. Max felt the distaste and anger rising within herself but did quite the job of concealing it; her chance could be approaching, so for the time being she must keep all emotions and impulses in check.
She was roughly yanked to her feet by her elder sister, then pushed out the door and through the maze of hallways which brought back far too many painful memories. Each of her upper arms were held by soldiers, her wrists were secured not only by the handcuffs but also by Brin's tight, relentless grip, and Ms. Bitch was leading the way, mumbling something about a sparring match. Meanwhile, Max took in and processed her surroundings (some familiar, others not), filing away every random door and vent that was passed. Operating room, medical storage, janitor's closet...all could come in good use. She also brought up an image of the map they'd consulted the night of the attack, and began inwardly devising a route of escape as she and Brin entered a room with an intercom and two-way mirror along the right wall.
*******
"I am NOT in denial," Logan insisted, although he himself was beginning to have trouble believing it. "I just want to make certain."
"We both witnessed her death, Logan," Lydecker said as softly as he could manage. "I know it's hard, and I understand. If you think I'm not grieving, you're wrong, and on top of that, I've got to deal with the fact that you've managed to blow my entire outlook on life. But the thing is, I've accepted it. I'm working toward moving on and that's precisely what you've got to do. Like I said at the scene, you have got to let her go."
Logan sighed and rubbed his eyes...the man had a point. But the feeling persisted, the feeling that it wasn't over, that the tale was really just beginning. God, this was like the incident with Original Cindy all over again. Talk about your rotten déjà vu...
"All right, look," Logan snapped. "We're allies, right? You scratch my back, I scratch yours?"
"Yes..."
"So help me, dammit!" Lydecker was taken slightly aback by the outburst. Sure, Logan was a fairly angry and sarcastic individual, but this was a whole other story. "You don't have to believe she's alive to do that!"
"Fine," he finally agreed. "What is it you want me to do?"
Logan exhaled heavily in relief and turned to his computer. "Help me break into the Manticore mainframe."
Lydecker's face fell into his hands. Logan didn't get it, he just didn't get it. He was smart on the whole and he had his gifts, but presently none of that was coming into play. What he needed was the kind of reality check he'd delivered himself the other day.
"It's not nearly so easy as you like to make it sound," Lydecker began. "You probably think we can just type in my passwords and infiltrate the system without incident, but go a little further with that. Look beyond the surface. Do you honestly expect them not to have changed everything around?"
Replied Logan, "I realize that's a great possibility, that the odds are against us. But it's worth a go, isn't it? If it doesn't work, I've got plenty of informants and fellow hackers who'll be more than willing to help get us in...that obviously, would just take a lot longer and be a great deal more difficult. C'mon, Colonel. What harm could it do?"
*******
Max's handcuffs were discarded, the keys both to them and the door secured in Brin's back pocket...apparently in case the blonde woman was called away. It was instructed that they fight, and at first Max planned on keeping defiant and ignoring all attack, but then she remembered that the more it appeared they were "breaking" her, the more freedom she would attain, so she fought back. She even managed to throw a complimentary fake smile in there, which, strangely enough, quickly became genuine.
In the conference room on the other side of the two-way mirror, Renfro stood slowly chewing the wad of gum she'd recently popped into her mouth as she crossed her arms and tilted her head up arrogantly. She was delighted with X5-452's behavior and progress; the girl was wonderfully cooperative, far more so than the other, and it was naturally easier to deal with one insubordinate rather than two. Things were going better than had initially been planned, she hoped well enough for Wye. He was not at all happy with how Renfro had been handling things, and she knew he wanted her out. He always had, the chauvinist ass. Well, she'd move beyond him yet. She'd beef up the security like he'd requested so often (even she admitted it was needed), restock the DNA lab, reunite all of the remaining X-5s and then maybe, just maybe, if she were bored enough someday, she'd have him terminated. She'd certainly have the means to do it with the combined forces of the X-5s and X-7s.
Her cell began beeping, so she flicked off the intercom and turned her back on the sparring siblings.
"Renfro," she answered.
"Uh, yes. Madame, this is Lars Haskell. I'm a computer technician, you had me fix up the mainframe and configure a false database the other day," came the response.
"Yes, go on."
"Well...someone's entered the system."
*******
She kept her eyes glued to the wall across from her as indifference and despondency were the only means she could think of to show defiance at the moment. The blonde woman had entered the cell a few moments earlier, followed by Brin and a few random soldiers. Brin held her in place as one of the soldiers released her from her current restraints only to quickly handcuff her seconds later. By the door stood the blonde woman, overlooking the present proceedings, patient and satisfied. Max felt the distaste and anger rising within herself but did quite the job of concealing it; her chance could be approaching, so for the time being she must keep all emotions and impulses in check.
She was roughly yanked to her feet by her elder sister, then pushed out the door and through the maze of hallways which brought back far too many painful memories. Each of her upper arms were held by soldiers, her wrists were secured not only by the handcuffs but also by Brin's tight, relentless grip, and Ms. Bitch was leading the way, mumbling something about a sparring match. Meanwhile, Max took in and processed her surroundings (some familiar, others not), filing away every random door and vent that was passed. Operating room, medical storage, janitor's closet...all could come in good use. She also brought up an image of the map they'd consulted the night of the attack, and began inwardly devising a route of escape as she and Brin entered a room with an intercom and two-way mirror along the right wall.
*******
"I am NOT in denial," Logan insisted, although he himself was beginning to have trouble believing it. "I just want to make certain."
"We both witnessed her death, Logan," Lydecker said as softly as he could manage. "I know it's hard, and I understand. If you think I'm not grieving, you're wrong, and on top of that, I've got to deal with the fact that you've managed to blow my entire outlook on life. But the thing is, I've accepted it. I'm working toward moving on and that's precisely what you've got to do. Like I said at the scene, you have got to let her go."
Logan sighed and rubbed his eyes...the man had a point. But the feeling persisted, the feeling that it wasn't over, that the tale was really just beginning. God, this was like the incident with Original Cindy all over again. Talk about your rotten déjà vu...
"All right, look," Logan snapped. "We're allies, right? You scratch my back, I scratch yours?"
"Yes..."
"So help me, dammit!" Lydecker was taken slightly aback by the outburst. Sure, Logan was a fairly angry and sarcastic individual, but this was a whole other story. "You don't have to believe she's alive to do that!"
"Fine," he finally agreed. "What is it you want me to do?"
Logan exhaled heavily in relief and turned to his computer. "Help me break into the Manticore mainframe."
Lydecker's face fell into his hands. Logan didn't get it, he just didn't get it. He was smart on the whole and he had his gifts, but presently none of that was coming into play. What he needed was the kind of reality check he'd delivered himself the other day.
"It's not nearly so easy as you like to make it sound," Lydecker began. "You probably think we can just type in my passwords and infiltrate the system without incident, but go a little further with that. Look beyond the surface. Do you honestly expect them not to have changed everything around?"
Replied Logan, "I realize that's a great possibility, that the odds are against us. But it's worth a go, isn't it? If it doesn't work, I've got plenty of informants and fellow hackers who'll be more than willing to help get us in...that obviously, would just take a lot longer and be a great deal more difficult. C'mon, Colonel. What harm could it do?"
*******
Max's handcuffs were discarded, the keys both to them and the door secured in Brin's back pocket...apparently in case the blonde woman was called away. It was instructed that they fight, and at first Max planned on keeping defiant and ignoring all attack, but then she remembered that the more it appeared they were "breaking" her, the more freedom she would attain, so she fought back. She even managed to throw a complimentary fake smile in there, which, strangely enough, quickly became genuine.
In the conference room on the other side of the two-way mirror, Renfro stood slowly chewing the wad of gum she'd recently popped into her mouth as she crossed her arms and tilted her head up arrogantly. She was delighted with X5-452's behavior and progress; the girl was wonderfully cooperative, far more so than the other, and it was naturally easier to deal with one insubordinate rather than two. Things were going better than had initially been planned, she hoped well enough for Wye. He was not at all happy with how Renfro had been handling things, and she knew he wanted her out. He always had, the chauvinist ass. Well, she'd move beyond him yet. She'd beef up the security like he'd requested so often (even she admitted it was needed), restock the DNA lab, reunite all of the remaining X-5s and then maybe, just maybe, if she were bored enough someday, she'd have him terminated. She'd certainly have the means to do it with the combined forces of the X-5s and X-7s.
Her cell began beeping, so she flicked off the intercom and turned her back on the sparring siblings.
"Renfro," she answered.
"Uh, yes. Madame, this is Lars Haskell. I'm a computer technician, you had me fix up the mainframe and configure a false database the other day," came the response.
"Yes, go on."
"Well...someone's entered the system."