For those who have asked let me assure that this is not a shipper, there are no pairings of any kind.


Chapter 2

The traffic ahead of her was grid-locked. This was all she needed, she just wanted to get back to Jam Pony, ok so it wasn't her favourite place but it did have its good sides as well as its bad.

For one thing she had friends there, for another it was safe. White and his goons didn't know she was there.

She considered taking one of the alleys and a longer rout back, she felt suddenly exposed out in the open. The urge to find cover was getting stronger.

She looked around but couldn't see anything amiss. She tried to tell herself that it was just seeing White and his goons that made her wig, but she knew it was more than that.

Max moved slowly like she didn't have a care in the world, she weaved her way through the traffic and into one of the alleyways.

She felt a little safer but the urge to go to ground was still strong. She knew she had to get out of plain sight.

She looked round and saw the perfect place just up ahead. She headed for it, she could stay there as long as she needed.

It was an old building, three stories and all of it crumbling. There were warning notices plastered all over it. It was a condemned building, quite literally falling apart.

She rode her bike up to the front and pulled down the board covering the doorway. She dumped her bike behind some junk where it couldn't be easily seen.

Max considered going up to the floors above to try and see who was after her, as if she really had any doubts after the scene she had witnessed earlier. It had to be White's guys, one of them must have spotted her in the crowd.

One look at the state of the ceiling convinced her it wasn't a good idea, most of it was on the floor. The first floor seemed to be in tact, but she would still have to be careful where she stepped.

She moved deeper into the building trying to find some cover, and to put some distance between herself and whoever was after her.

She remembered when White's guys had grabbed her not long after the fire at Manticore. She remembered that smug self-satisfied grin on his face as he questioned her through the mesh of her cage. Max also remembered the way he had looked at her. There weren't many things left in this world that could truly freak Max out, but the way he had looked her up and down like she was a piece of meet was one of them. She had been looked up and down before of course, almost on a daily basis, but this was different. This was like she was nothing.

The building layout seemed to be a series of what had probably been offices. It looked like it had been abandoned for along time, maybe even before the pulse.

She found a good position and hunkered down. She could see anyone coming towards her. Now all she could do was wait. She hated waiting, always had.

Her senses were alert to anything but there was nothing there. It all seemed clear, no-one had followed her into the building.

Her gut told her otherwise. It was sorta like a sixth sense she KNEW there was someone there she just couldn't see or hear them.

She was being hunted and she knew it, she felt like she had a set of cross hairs on her and was just waiting for the bang.

She didn't mind playing cat-and-mouse as long as she wasn't the mouse. Well this mouse had claws, and she knew how to use them.

Suddenly Max knew someone was behind her, she spun round still crouching down.

'Hello 452.' White grinned smugly.

'You know we should really get you one of those collars with the bells on.' She cracked.

White didn't seem affected by her comment, if anything he seemed pleased. He grinned and threw a pair of handcuffs down on the floor in front of her.

'Put them on. Hands behind you.' He instructed.

He was careful. He kept enough distance between them that Max didn't have a chance to grab either him or the gun.

She could try and rush him but she still wasn't sure what he was capable of.

She had little choice but to put the cuffs on.

Even once she was cuffed Ames wasn't taking any chances he kept the gun on her and kept his distance.

'Turn around.' He ordered. He had to be sure that the cuffs were on properly, he didn't want to risk her slipping out of them.

She was still on the ground. She started to rise as she turned.

'Stay down.' He warned her.

'Oh you're not scared of lil' old me now are you?' She quipped. She was trying desperately to think of anything to try to get out of this situation but as long as she was dealing with White there was little hope. His only weakness so far seemed to be his over-confidence in his own abilities. If she was lucky he would ease up once he was sure she was secured.

She turned round and squeezed the cuffs slightly so he could see that they were in fact secure.

'Good. Now stay exactly as you are. If you try to get up or turn around I'll shoot you.'

'Great plan, are we just going to sit here till I die of boredom or old age?'

Ames ignored her, he pressed his ear piece deeper in his ear, there was some static on the line, probably due to all the metal in this old building. 'All units I have the target I'm near the perimeter cordon, I'm bringing her in now stand by, I want a containment vehicle ready when I arrive.' Ames gave his men instructions.

'On your feet 452. Move slowly and only where I tell you.' If she were going to try and make a run for it, it would be now, this would be her only chance, she had to know that. Probably hoped he would slip up. Well she'd be waiting a long time for that to happen.