13. Crazy
Max whipped around the corner. While she resented having to waste a day working, she couldn't very well stage a break-in during the daylight. Approaching Jam Pony, she was nearly knocked out of her socks. Alec had Original Cindy up against the wall and was clearly giving her a hard time. She stood up on her pedals.
"Hey!" she yelled. "Get offa her!"
She skidded to a stop and leapt off her bicycle, letting it crash to the ground. She didn't know what he thought he was doing, and she didn't care. Alec let go of Cindy, who stumbled to the side. Max struck him with a straight punch. Then she spun into a perfect roundhouse kick. She put everything she had into it, catching him squarely in the jaw.
He didn't even try to block her. His eyes rolled up into his head, and for the second time in twenty-four hours, he was down for the count. Cindy was shaking, and Max took her friend into her arms. "What the hell was that about?" she said angrily.
A few furious tears escaped Cindy's thick eyelashes, and she wiped them away.
"He's fixated on you, boo." She sniffed.
They stepped over Alec, and walked along the bike racks. Max looked over her shoulder. She was a little surprised he's gone down so easily.
"Fixated?" said Max, at a loss.
"Kept askin' where you was," Cindy said. "He really scared me." She began to cry in earnest.
"Oh, hey," Max said. "Let's get you home."
"What about him?" said Cindy. "He was acting crazy."
"Crazy," Max repeated, with a sinking heart. "I'm sorry OC. I'm sorry for everything." She sighed, looking back at the other X5. "I don't know what's going on. For now, he can stay right where he is. In the dirt."
On the way home, Max changed her strategy. She couldn't leave OC alone tonight, not with Alec gunning for her. Cindy needed some muscle in front of her. Max couldn't raise Logan, which was probably just as well. She didn't want to put any more of her friends in danger.
She made a beeline for Joshua's. She was sure Joshua could handle anything Alec might care to throw at him. Her priority had to be to make sure Cindy was safe. Then she could burgle Smalton's house with a clear conscience.
She'd figure out Alec's deal as soon as she could, but she was afraid she already knew. He'd been acting off for some time now, complaining of headaches, and not feeling well. Maybe he was coming apart at the seams. There were other X-5s who'd self-destructed. That was what came from mad scientists messing around with living, breathing experiments. Last time, she hadn't been there to stop the tidal wave of destruction.
She was the one who'd taken down Manticore. She'd set Alec loose on the world, and like it or not he was her responsibility. Her head was spinning. Everything always happened at once.