Carina
Part 2
Carina waited in the empty room for Zack to return. He had left to take care of the private investigator and then to get his things. She mentally calculated when he would get to Voggelsang, when he would get to his apartment. He had given her orders to stay put if he didn't come back right away. She began to think of the possibilities of him being captured. The possibilities of him grabbing Max and running to the boarder. As the minutes went by the possibilities, the calculations became so much, and combined with the stress she was facing she could fell her mind wanting to snap. At least if her mind snapped she could feel some sort of release. She tried meditation to control herself from computing what might be going on. She failed and pulled out her mini laptop, maybe checking her messages would keep her mind occupied for a little while. She opened a file from EyesOnly. She had caught Mr. Cale hacking into the Manticore system and formed a little alliance with him. She didn't know why he trusted her but he gave her work to do at night and that at least kept her mind occupied.
"Dear Hacker" She never gave him her real name. "I've caught wind of a private investigator researching Manticore kids. Can you find check to see if Lydecker has information on this. -Eyes Only" Disappointedly she typed a response.
"Dear Eyes Only, I have already done so and I have found that although Lydecker has bugged Voggelsang he has little information. -Hacker." She sent the email then thought for a second. Mr. Cale, she knew, had access to good computer equipment. She contemplated the decision for a moment weighing the risk and thinking if she should wait here for Zack. He had been gone for too long and she decided that he would think it was an acceptable risk. After being alone with her thoughts, she knew she would go mad if she didn't do something soon.
Carina waited until 3am before stepping out onto the street. There would be fewer people to distract her. A half-hour later she reached the large apartment building and scaled up the side to the penthouse. She walked around the ledge till she reached the computer room. She wasn't surprised to find a man sitting infront of the computer. She was startled, however, when a woman walked into the room. She flattened herself the wall and peered back into the room. She was 5'6 with auburn hair, lean build, and moved with a graceful flow. Carina noticed that the female's heat signature increased the closed she got to Mr. Cale. "It must be his girlfriend." She thought to herself. Carina had studied Mr Cale after first joining him. His family had stock in international countries and so when the pulse hit he was well provided for. He had also been married once to a woman named Valerie but they were divorced five years later. There were no pictures of him in any records. She had assumed that he had erased them to keep from being exposed.
The woman handed Mr. Cale a cup of steaming dark liquid and read the screen. Carina's eyes focused in on the couple and although she noticed that they were both soaked, she couldn't make out their faces. She looked to the computer and saw her letter posted there. In the reflection, she saw the woman's face. Her mind integrated the image and compared it with her memory. She was almost knocked off the building with shock. It was Max her sister. Her human instincts took over and she hastily opened the window and jumped through. The couple whipped around, Max was automatically in attack stance. Carina just smiled and crossed the room towards them.
"Max it's me...Carina." Max instantly smiled and met her with a hug. The two girls laughed happily. Logan watched with awe, he was learning to take these little intrusion in stride.
"How did you find me." Max said holding Carina back to get a look at her.
"I didn't. I came to us the computer." She glanced at Cale to see his shock. She quickly scanned his face. She had seen him four months ago at a market. He wasn't in a wheelchair then, she noted to herself. She remembered his face from a new broadcast, he was shot while saving a child. The child's mother was testifying against a businessman.
"Logan?" Max said turning around to face a confused Logan. "Is there something you need to tell me?"
"I wish I knew what that something was myself." He responded. Carina walked up and stuck her hand out for him to shake.
"Hello Mr. Cale. I'm Carina, better known as Hacker." Logan smiled and shook her hand.
"I should have know. Who else could have been so good." He said in awe
"Don't mind him he just likes to think only super humans can beat him at anything." Max said grinning.
"That's not true. Bling beats me at arm wrestling all the time." Carina studied the way they looked at each other. She saw signs of something between them. She recalled Max's protective stance when she had first entered. Her mind began scrutinizing and figuring percentages of what their relationship possibilities might be. She felt her humanity being chased away and the computer returning. Max saw her flinch and she looked at her with concern.
"You okay?"
"Yes just." She flinched again trying to keep control. "Mr. Cale please can you give me something to do." She pleaded
"Yeah sure." Logan said frowning as he wheeled away from his computer and let her pull up a chair. "I was searching through police reports for anything to do with international slave trade. If you want to you can take over for a while." He said gently. Max and Logan watched as Carina was visibly having trouble keeping control of herself. Logan motioned Max out of the room.
"Is she okay?" Logan asked.
"I think so." Max said keeping Carina in sight. "Lydecker did a number on her. We think he put chips in her head." She looked back at Logan. "She's a walking computer with human emotions and whack sense of humor."
"So do you know what's wrong with her now?" Logan asked with his usual intense look.
"She goes a little crazy every once in a while. She analyzes everything and then can't decide on anything. Another of Lydecker's lemons."
"I wouldn't go that far. She's been a source of mine for a long time. She's incredibly good at what she does. And so are you." He added with a smile.
"You should see her fight." Max smiled. "You have to continuously change your techniques and even then she catches on to the pattern that you use to change."
"So she beat you?" Logan grinned. Max glared at him.
"I wouldn't go that far. You ask her something like 'what's the sound of one hand clapping and she freaks." Max looked back at her again concerned. "She's fragile. Needs clear orders and structure." She looked back at Logan. "I didn't think she would make it on the outside." Max watched Carina thoughtfully that turned to Logan. "I think I'll take you up on that crash offer. I don't want to leave her here with you alone."
"Okay." He said trying to hide his pleasure. "I'm going to head off to bed." "Want to join me." He added in his mind.
"Alright. I'll stay up and watch her. Maybe I can get a little info after she's calmed down."
"Good night Max."
"Night." Logan wheeled off towards his room. He though about this whole situation, amazed at how easily he just accepted that a human computer walking through his window. He decided he would think about it tomorrow and concentrated on other matters like what kind of great breakfast could he make for Max in the morning.
Part 2
Carina waited in the empty room for Zack to return. He had left to take care of the private investigator and then to get his things. She mentally calculated when he would get to Voggelsang, when he would get to his apartment. He had given her orders to stay put if he didn't come back right away. She began to think of the possibilities of him being captured. The possibilities of him grabbing Max and running to the boarder. As the minutes went by the possibilities, the calculations became so much, and combined with the stress she was facing she could fell her mind wanting to snap. At least if her mind snapped she could feel some sort of release. She tried meditation to control herself from computing what might be going on. She failed and pulled out her mini laptop, maybe checking her messages would keep her mind occupied for a little while. She opened a file from EyesOnly. She had caught Mr. Cale hacking into the Manticore system and formed a little alliance with him. She didn't know why he trusted her but he gave her work to do at night and that at least kept her mind occupied.
"Dear Hacker" She never gave him her real name. "I've caught wind of a private investigator researching Manticore kids. Can you find check to see if Lydecker has information on this. -Eyes Only" Disappointedly she typed a response.
"Dear Eyes Only, I have already done so and I have found that although Lydecker has bugged Voggelsang he has little information. -Hacker." She sent the email then thought for a second. Mr. Cale, she knew, had access to good computer equipment. She contemplated the decision for a moment weighing the risk and thinking if she should wait here for Zack. He had been gone for too long and she decided that he would think it was an acceptable risk. After being alone with her thoughts, she knew she would go mad if she didn't do something soon.
Carina waited until 3am before stepping out onto the street. There would be fewer people to distract her. A half-hour later she reached the large apartment building and scaled up the side to the penthouse. She walked around the ledge till she reached the computer room. She wasn't surprised to find a man sitting infront of the computer. She was startled, however, when a woman walked into the room. She flattened herself the wall and peered back into the room. She was 5'6 with auburn hair, lean build, and moved with a graceful flow. Carina noticed that the female's heat signature increased the closed she got to Mr. Cale. "It must be his girlfriend." She thought to herself. Carina had studied Mr Cale after first joining him. His family had stock in international countries and so when the pulse hit he was well provided for. He had also been married once to a woman named Valerie but they were divorced five years later. There were no pictures of him in any records. She had assumed that he had erased them to keep from being exposed.
The woman handed Mr. Cale a cup of steaming dark liquid and read the screen. Carina's eyes focused in on the couple and although she noticed that they were both soaked, she couldn't make out their faces. She looked to the computer and saw her letter posted there. In the reflection, she saw the woman's face. Her mind integrated the image and compared it with her memory. She was almost knocked off the building with shock. It was Max her sister. Her human instincts took over and she hastily opened the window and jumped through. The couple whipped around, Max was automatically in attack stance. Carina just smiled and crossed the room towards them.
"Max it's me...Carina." Max instantly smiled and met her with a hug. The two girls laughed happily. Logan watched with awe, he was learning to take these little intrusion in stride.
"How did you find me." Max said holding Carina back to get a look at her.
"I didn't. I came to us the computer." She glanced at Cale to see his shock. She quickly scanned his face. She had seen him four months ago at a market. He wasn't in a wheelchair then, she noted to herself. She remembered his face from a new broadcast, he was shot while saving a child. The child's mother was testifying against a businessman.
"Logan?" Max said turning around to face a confused Logan. "Is there something you need to tell me?"
"I wish I knew what that something was myself." He responded. Carina walked up and stuck her hand out for him to shake.
"Hello Mr. Cale. I'm Carina, better known as Hacker." Logan smiled and shook her hand.
"I should have know. Who else could have been so good." He said in awe
"Don't mind him he just likes to think only super humans can beat him at anything." Max said grinning.
"That's not true. Bling beats me at arm wrestling all the time." Carina studied the way they looked at each other. She saw signs of something between them. She recalled Max's protective stance when she had first entered. Her mind began scrutinizing and figuring percentages of what their relationship possibilities might be. She felt her humanity being chased away and the computer returning. Max saw her flinch and she looked at her with concern.
"You okay?"
"Yes just." She flinched again trying to keep control. "Mr. Cale please can you give me something to do." She pleaded
"Yeah sure." Logan said frowning as he wheeled away from his computer and let her pull up a chair. "I was searching through police reports for anything to do with international slave trade. If you want to you can take over for a while." He said gently. Max and Logan watched as Carina was visibly having trouble keeping control of herself. Logan motioned Max out of the room.
"Is she okay?" Logan asked.
"I think so." Max said keeping Carina in sight. "Lydecker did a number on her. We think he put chips in her head." She looked back at Logan. "She's a walking computer with human emotions and whack sense of humor."
"So do you know what's wrong with her now?" Logan asked with his usual intense look.
"She goes a little crazy every once in a while. She analyzes everything and then can't decide on anything. Another of Lydecker's lemons."
"I wouldn't go that far. She's been a source of mine for a long time. She's incredibly good at what she does. And so are you." He added with a smile.
"You should see her fight." Max smiled. "You have to continuously change your techniques and even then she catches on to the pattern that you use to change."
"So she beat you?" Logan grinned. Max glared at him.
"I wouldn't go that far. You ask her something like 'what's the sound of one hand clapping and she freaks." Max looked back at her again concerned. "She's fragile. Needs clear orders and structure." She looked back at Logan. "I didn't think she would make it on the outside." Max watched Carina thoughtfully that turned to Logan. "I think I'll take you up on that crash offer. I don't want to leave her here with you alone."
"Okay." He said trying to hide his pleasure. "I'm going to head off to bed." "Want to join me." He added in his mind.
"Alright. I'll stay up and watch her. Maybe I can get a little info after she's calmed down."
"Good night Max."
"Night." Logan wheeled off towards his room. He though about this whole situation, amazed at how easily he just accepted that a human computer walking through his window. He decided he would think about it tomorrow and concentrated on other matters like what kind of great breakfast could he make for Max in the morning.