Private Corporation, Part Four.
Max was staring into the barrel of a silenced pistol. Well, hooray for the sounds of silence, she thought furiously. It was different being on this end of a gun, which was one of the reasons why she was so releuctant to use one. She could still remember Eva, lying still on the floor at Lydecker's hands... No, she decided. Being on the wrong end of a gun wasn't a pleasant experience.
"Hang on," Mitch broke in uncomfortably. "There's no need for that. I mean, can't we fixed this?"
Cold sweat broke out on Max's forehead as she struggled to keep her face blank and Devil-may-care-but-I-don't. She could feel a tiny bubble of hope rise up in her. "Yes," she managed slightly. "I mean, let's think about it logically. Who apart from Manticore technicians would steal that disk?" She struggled to keep her face free of guilt. She could think of a whole lot. Lydecker, terrorist groups, freak scientists...
Fortuantely, though, Michaela wasn't that smart. "I can think of one," she said angrily. "Eyes Only. He might have it now."
I wish, was all Max thought. She shrugged her shoulders. "Assuming he doesn't have it, what then? Even if, I reckon we could find it."
"Okay," Michaela said. "You've got a week. If you don't have the disk then, I will shoot you. Understand?" Max nodded, and at last Michaela lowered the gun. The sigh of relief from both Max and Mitch was clearly audible. Michaela suddenly becam brisk and business like. "Right," she said, "we should go back and check in. Tell them we've found you and you've agreed-" Max snorted "-agreed to help us. You have a free hand."
"Ok." She could just get Logan to help her. Excellent.
"Although... maybe it'd be better if someone stayed here to make sure you don't screw up." Michaela thought for a minute, then nodded, congratulating herself. "Yep, that's better. Mitch, you're it."
He nodded, accepting. Max bristled. "Look, if you have a lack of faith in my abilities-"
"It's not your abilities, but your loyalties I'm worried about," Michaela replied in biting tones. "This way, I don't have to worry."
Max had only one thought - or, rather, word rolling around in her head. Shit.
* * *
The phone rang. Original Cindy leapt at it. Cradling it to her ear, she inspected her nail polish for damage. "Hello?"
"It's me."
"Max?!" Stunned, Original Cindy forgot about her nails. She grinned. "It's good to hear from you. Logan said you were... busy. Are you ok?"
"No worse than usual," Max laughed, waving at Mitch, who frowned. "How've you been?"
"Good. Listen, Boo, when you comin' back to work? Damn place sucks without you. Normal's about to fire your ass."
"Oh, no he's not. Remember, if he asks, I have the 'flu. Anyone for that matter."
"What if people try to visit you? I can't exactly bar the door against them. They're your friends." True, Max aknowledged with a grimace. Her friends, and they would want to visit.
"Do whatever you can. If it comes to worst, tell the truth. Nobody will believe you anyway." Max tried hard to keep her voice light, Sketchy's ridicule still ringing in her ears, closely followed by Asha's. Original Cindy laughed.
"I should go," Max said regretfully. "I'll talk to you soon."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Bye, then." Original Cindy was regretful. She hung up the dead reciever and stared broodily out the window. She wished she knew more about what was going on, but Max wouldn't tell her, and Logan had been maddeningly unspecific.
Logan
Logan was going through his files to see if he had anything to help Max. She hadn't said much, but anything on the CIA or Manticore staff had to be useful.
After an hour, he only had sketchy backgrounds on members of both parties. He kept trying, and was rewarded by a report of theft. Documents, taken from the CIA, containing information on - his heart leapt - transgenics. The CIA had been furious about the theft, believed to have been comitted by a group led by Donald Lydecker. It was all making sense now. He kept reading. The CIA had researched all it's files again, so that a handful of perfect transgenics were created in 1998. At least two years before the X5's from Manticore.
Logan leaned back in his chair and searched for the Manticore files. He found the early records, by Lydecker, and later ones by Renfro. He read eagerly through the first parts:
1996 June 12: First transgenics created. Obviously incomplete. Research needed.
December 16: Second group made. Named "X2's." Once again, problems ran into. Almost perfect though.
Logan stopped reading. This was what the CIA wanted. Revenge on the theft. And they were using Max to... to what? That was the only thing he didn't get. She needed staff lists, but that didn't explain anything.
His thoughts were interrupted by Asha storming in. "What a day!" she groaned. "I nearly got caught at the Sector Four gate, and with all these transgenics loose, I'm seeing things everywhere. What's all that about?" She asked, suddenly spotting the MAnticore files on his computer. He closed the screen quickly, but she was already into it.
"You're still checking this out? I thought that place burned down. Remember, we were blamed for it? And Max came back, so I don't see why-"
"Yes, Asha." Logan broke in tiredly. "Should I promise not to help her again? Max asked me to get files for her, I did it. That's all."
"Wish you'd do something for me," Asha muttered, wanderiing off, still mumbling unfairly. Logan sighed and went back to brooding.
Max
Max was riding in the back of Mitch's van, thoroughly disgusted. He wouldn't let her get her bike, and that was her phone call for today. One! She'd never been one of those gossips who talked 24/7, but one phone call a day with a ten mintue limit was a bit stingy.
She sighed. Fate was so cruel sometimes. She could have been on her bike, with Logan helping her, but she was stuck with a stranger in an old van. She wished it were someone else helping her. Logan, Original Cindy, Joshua, Alec even.
Her lip curled slightly as she thought of Alec. How cuold he have been so selfish? She still didn't believe how close they'd come to destroying the damn Virus, only to be knocked back by Alec and his problem. Serves him right, she thought angrily.
She'd always thought herself emotionally strong, but she needed Logan. Not just his help, but everything else he leant her. They were a good match. And nothing - Virus or otherwise - would stop them.
Unless it was Asha. She was getting so annoying, attached to Logan like she was drowning. And that "furry little friends" bit. Max was still resisting an urge to knock her down!
"We're here," Mitch said from the front. It was a dilapitated old motel. "We can stay here tonight, and get a good start in the morning.
Max graced this by flinging herself out of the van and slamming the door. She walked furiously up the path, wishing that there was another transgenic out there that could have taken this job.
Author's Note: Reviews welcome! How am I doing?
Max was staring into the barrel of a silenced pistol. Well, hooray for the sounds of silence, she thought furiously. It was different being on this end of a gun, which was one of the reasons why she was so releuctant to use one. She could still remember Eva, lying still on the floor at Lydecker's hands... No, she decided. Being on the wrong end of a gun wasn't a pleasant experience.
"Hang on," Mitch broke in uncomfortably. "There's no need for that. I mean, can't we fixed this?"
Cold sweat broke out on Max's forehead as she struggled to keep her face blank and Devil-may-care-but-I-don't. She could feel a tiny bubble of hope rise up in her. "Yes," she managed slightly. "I mean, let's think about it logically. Who apart from Manticore technicians would steal that disk?" She struggled to keep her face free of guilt. She could think of a whole lot. Lydecker, terrorist groups, freak scientists...
Fortuantely, though, Michaela wasn't that smart. "I can think of one," she said angrily. "Eyes Only. He might have it now."
I wish, was all Max thought. She shrugged her shoulders. "Assuming he doesn't have it, what then? Even if, I reckon we could find it."
"Okay," Michaela said. "You've got a week. If you don't have the disk then, I will shoot you. Understand?" Max nodded, and at last Michaela lowered the gun. The sigh of relief from both Max and Mitch was clearly audible. Michaela suddenly becam brisk and business like. "Right," she said, "we should go back and check in. Tell them we've found you and you've agreed-" Max snorted "-agreed to help us. You have a free hand."
"Ok." She could just get Logan to help her. Excellent.
"Although... maybe it'd be better if someone stayed here to make sure you don't screw up." Michaela thought for a minute, then nodded, congratulating herself. "Yep, that's better. Mitch, you're it."
He nodded, accepting. Max bristled. "Look, if you have a lack of faith in my abilities-"
"It's not your abilities, but your loyalties I'm worried about," Michaela replied in biting tones. "This way, I don't have to worry."
Max had only one thought - or, rather, word rolling around in her head. Shit.
The phone rang. Original Cindy leapt at it. Cradling it to her ear, she inspected her nail polish for damage. "Hello?"
"It's me."
"Max?!" Stunned, Original Cindy forgot about her nails. She grinned. "It's good to hear from you. Logan said you were... busy. Are you ok?"
"No worse than usual," Max laughed, waving at Mitch, who frowned. "How've you been?"
"Good. Listen, Boo, when you comin' back to work? Damn place sucks without you. Normal's about to fire your ass."
"Oh, no he's not. Remember, if he asks, I have the 'flu. Anyone for that matter."
"What if people try to visit you? I can't exactly bar the door against them. They're your friends." True, Max aknowledged with a grimace. Her friends, and they would want to visit.
"Do whatever you can. If it comes to worst, tell the truth. Nobody will believe you anyway." Max tried hard to keep her voice light, Sketchy's ridicule still ringing in her ears, closely followed by Asha's. Original Cindy laughed.
"I should go," Max said regretfully. "I'll talk to you soon."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Bye, then." Original Cindy was regretful. She hung up the dead reciever and stared broodily out the window. She wished she knew more about what was going on, but Max wouldn't tell her, and Logan had been maddeningly unspecific.
Logan was going through his files to see if he had anything to help Max. She hadn't said much, but anything on the CIA or Manticore staff had to be useful.
After an hour, he only had sketchy backgrounds on members of both parties. He kept trying, and was rewarded by a report of theft. Documents, taken from the CIA, containing information on - his heart leapt - transgenics. The CIA had been furious about the theft, believed to have been comitted by a group led by Donald Lydecker. It was all making sense now. He kept reading. The CIA had researched all it's files again, so that a handful of perfect transgenics were created in 1998. At least two years before the X5's from Manticore.
Logan leaned back in his chair and searched for the Manticore files. He found the early records, by Lydecker, and later ones by Renfro. He read eagerly through the first parts:
December 16: Second group made. Named "X2's." Once again, problems ran into. Almost perfect though.
His thoughts were interrupted by Asha storming in. "What a day!" she groaned. "I nearly got caught at the Sector Four gate, and with all these transgenics loose, I'm seeing things everywhere. What's all that about?" She asked, suddenly spotting the MAnticore files on his computer. He closed the screen quickly, but she was already into it.
"You're still checking this out? I thought that place burned down. Remember, we were blamed for it? And Max came back, so I don't see why-"
"Yes, Asha." Logan broke in tiredly. "Should I promise not to help her again? Max asked me to get files for her, I did it. That's all."
"Wish you'd do something for me," Asha muttered, wanderiing off, still mumbling unfairly. Logan sighed and went back to brooding.
Max was riding in the back of Mitch's van, thoroughly disgusted. He wouldn't let her get her bike, and that was her phone call for today. One! She'd never been one of those gossips who talked 24/7, but one phone call a day with a ten mintue limit was a bit stingy.
She sighed. Fate was so cruel sometimes. She could have been on her bike, with Logan helping her, but she was stuck with a stranger in an old van. She wished it were someone else helping her. Logan, Original Cindy, Joshua, Alec even.
Her lip curled slightly as she thought of Alec. How cuold he have been so selfish? She still didn't believe how close they'd come to destroying the damn Virus, only to be knocked back by Alec and his problem. Serves him right, she thought angrily.
She'd always thought herself emotionally strong, but she needed Logan. Not just his help, but everything else he leant her. They were a good match. And nothing - Virus or otherwise - would stop them.
Unless it was Asha. She was getting so annoying, attached to Logan like she was drowning. And that "furry little friends" bit. Max was still resisting an urge to knock her down!
"We're here," Mitch said from the front. It was a dilapitated old motel. "We can stay here tonight, and get a good start in the morning.
Max graced this by flinging herself out of the van and slamming the door. She walked furiously up the path, wishing that there was another transgenic out there that could have taken this job.
Author's Note: Reviews welcome! How am I doing?