A/N: This is the day after Max escaped, and met Mitch. Just thought I'd clarify it a bit.
***
Private Corporation, Part Eleven.
There had to be another way to do this.
Sure, saving himself, and Manticore, and Max was a good thing, but giving up the disk that held his life's work - and more - now that just sucked.
Lydecker frowned as he turned over the little disk. He didn't want the CIA finding it, because it held more than they'd ever find out by themselves. DNA strands, staff, suppliers...
He really didn't want to have to do this.
Max
"Come on," Max said to her bike as she raced through Sector Four. Lydecker would be at the old building in Sector Three that had been designated as the meeting place in five minutes, and he'd said he'd only wait there for another five after that. Past that time, game over.
Max frowned. It wasn't fair, that her friends should be threatened time and time again because of her. Why couldn't she fit in? Why couldn't she be a nice, normal girl with a nice, normal life? Why didn't her wishes come true?
But, she reflected as she waited at the Sector checkpoint, how much faith could she put in Mitch? Sure, he was sane and all, but he could have been lying to help Michaela.
"Let's see your Sector Pass, sweetie." The cop that appeared next to her gave her one of those grins. If she hadn't been thinking so hard, she would have given him what he deserved, but as it was, she just waved her Pass absentmindedly in front of the guy's face.
"Go on through. All right sir, stop..."
Max was totally alone for this part, both Logan and Alec had wanted to come, but she'd pointed out that Lydecker was hardly likely to kill her. If the CIA followed her, it would save her hunting them down to hand over the disk.
She cut the engine to her bike and chained it to the pole she'd stopped next to. Then she carefully skirted the old warehouse, looking carefully for signs of life. She spotted Lydecker easily - he was leaning against the far fence.
"Max."
"Lydecker. Got the disk?" she asked. When he nodded, she held out a hand expectantly.
"No idle talk?" Lydecker asked, but he drew it out of a pocket, wrapped in a brown paper bag. "You could have always given them a fake disk."
"I intend to, once I steal the real one. See, I want them to see that the disk is right, but then when they've seen it, I'll go in and switch them around. Easy."
"You'd just better know what you're up against."
"Oh, a bunch of dangerous psychotic transgenics who would stop at nothing to destroy both me and my friends, then they'd go after you, and anyone else from Manticore. It's all good."
With a grin, she waved to Lydecker and started back the way she'd come. "Wait a minute!" he yelled.
"What?"
"Where will I find you to get the disk back?"
"Um, give me a week, then same place at nine pm."
"Pm?"
"I have to go back to work tomorrow," Max said. "Gotta earn a living."
She was back in line at the checkpoint when her cell phone rang. "Yeah?"
"It's me," Logan said. "You seen Alec?"
"No. Why?"
"He left about five minutes after you, but he hasn't come back yet. Wouldn't say where he was going, either."
Max nearly laughed. "This is Alec," she said reassuringly. "He's probably off meeting some girl, or some crooked guy, something like that."
"Probably. Maybe I'll call him. Later."
"Sure," Max replied, and cut the connection.
Alec
He wanted to help Max. If it kept his ass off the chopping board, he'd gladly do whatever he needed to do.
Sure, he didn't have anything to do, but he might be able to help by poking around in the old place that the CIA had taken Max to last night. He caught sight of the old shed, looking a bit pathetic, and grinned. He noticed perimeter security, both at the edge of the property and around the actual house. Four guys surrounded the house, armed with small handguns and those stunning rods that electrified you. The people on the edge perimeter - and there was at least one woman - had more sophisticated weapons that looked like some kind of rifle or machine gun. They kept in touch with both security and base, he was guessing, by radio.
He'd managed to skirt the outside patrol, and with a bit of a laugh, he avoided the house security just as easily. Finding an open window, he eased himself through it and surveyed the room.
"Why, you're a communications center. They should know better than to wander off and leave you unnattended," Alec admonished the silent room. Oh well. He moved silently to each of the six computers, disabling radio contact, then scanning the few files on each hard drive.
He didn't find much, but what he did, he sent to Logan via the Net. he found a few interesting sites on Original Cindy, himself, Logan, Sketchy, Joshua, and for some strange reason - Normal. Those he deleted.
Then, just to amuse himself, he changed every Log On password and shut the computers down. Feeling confident he'd screwed them pretty badly, he peeked out the door before entering the hall.
"He was just out the front door when a handgun filled his vision. "Hold it right there," a calm voice said. Alec looked up and nearly swore. He was staring straight at a woman - who, he could only guess, was Michaela. Her gaze never wavered; it was as steady as her gun hand.
"Let's have a little chat, shall we?" she asked, gesturing at him to go back inside. Alec did so, hoping they wouldn't need to use the computers for a few hours, at least.
"Are you sure you want to go inside?" Alec asked charmingly. "It's so much nicer out here."
"In," Michaela said, looking quite deranged as she cocked the gun. Alec remembered what Max had said about the CIA transgenics being somewhat less than adequate, psychologically, and gave up. His only hope was that Max or Logan would figure out where he'd gone. He shrugged.
"Lead the way, or would you rather go behind?"
***
A/N: Is it just me or are my chapters getting shorter? We'll have to fix that. Well, that review button is just there...
***
Private Corporation, Part Eleven.
There had to be another way to do this.
Sure, saving himself, and Manticore, and Max was a good thing, but giving up the disk that held his life's work - and more - now that just sucked.
Lydecker frowned as he turned over the little disk. He didn't want the CIA finding it, because it held more than they'd ever find out by themselves. DNA strands, staff, suppliers...
He really didn't want to have to do this.
"Come on," Max said to her bike as she raced through Sector Four. Lydecker would be at the old building in Sector Three that had been designated as the meeting place in five minutes, and he'd said he'd only wait there for another five after that. Past that time, game over.
Max frowned. It wasn't fair, that her friends should be threatened time and time again because of her. Why couldn't she fit in? Why couldn't she be a nice, normal girl with a nice, normal life? Why didn't her wishes come true?
But, she reflected as she waited at the Sector checkpoint, how much faith could she put in Mitch? Sure, he was sane and all, but he could have been lying to help Michaela.
"Let's see your Sector Pass, sweetie." The cop that appeared next to her gave her one of those grins. If she hadn't been thinking so hard, she would have given him what he deserved, but as it was, she just waved her Pass absentmindedly in front of the guy's face.
"Go on through. All right sir, stop..."
Max was totally alone for this part, both Logan and Alec had wanted to come, but she'd pointed out that Lydecker was hardly likely to kill her. If the CIA followed her, it would save her hunting them down to hand over the disk.
She cut the engine to her bike and chained it to the pole she'd stopped next to. Then she carefully skirted the old warehouse, looking carefully for signs of life. She spotted Lydecker easily - he was leaning against the far fence.
"Max."
"Lydecker. Got the disk?" she asked. When he nodded, she held out a hand expectantly.
"No idle talk?" Lydecker asked, but he drew it out of a pocket, wrapped in a brown paper bag. "You could have always given them a fake disk."
"I intend to, once I steal the real one. See, I want them to see that the disk is right, but then when they've seen it, I'll go in and switch them around. Easy."
"You'd just better know what you're up against."
"Oh, a bunch of dangerous psychotic transgenics who would stop at nothing to destroy both me and my friends, then they'd go after you, and anyone else from Manticore. It's all good."
With a grin, she waved to Lydecker and started back the way she'd come. "Wait a minute!" he yelled.
"What?"
"Where will I find you to get the disk back?"
"Um, give me a week, then same place at nine pm."
"Pm?"
"I have to go back to work tomorrow," Max said. "Gotta earn a living."
She was back in line at the checkpoint when her cell phone rang. "Yeah?"
"It's me," Logan said. "You seen Alec?"
"No. Why?"
"He left about five minutes after you, but he hasn't come back yet. Wouldn't say where he was going, either."
Max nearly laughed. "This is Alec," she said reassuringly. "He's probably off meeting some girl, or some crooked guy, something like that."
"Probably. Maybe I'll call him. Later."
"Sure," Max replied, and cut the connection.
He wanted to help Max. If it kept his ass off the chopping board, he'd gladly do whatever he needed to do.
Sure, he didn't have anything to do, but he might be able to help by poking around in the old place that the CIA had taken Max to last night. He caught sight of the old shed, looking a bit pathetic, and grinned. He noticed perimeter security, both at the edge of the property and around the actual house. Four guys surrounded the house, armed with small handguns and those stunning rods that electrified you. The people on the edge perimeter - and there was at least one woman - had more sophisticated weapons that looked like some kind of rifle or machine gun. They kept in touch with both security and base, he was guessing, by radio.
He'd managed to skirt the outside patrol, and with a bit of a laugh, he avoided the house security just as easily. Finding an open window, he eased himself through it and surveyed the room.
"Why, you're a communications center. They should know better than to wander off and leave you unnattended," Alec admonished the silent room. Oh well. He moved silently to each of the six computers, disabling radio contact, then scanning the few files on each hard drive.
He didn't find much, but what he did, he sent to Logan via the Net. he found a few interesting sites on Original Cindy, himself, Logan, Sketchy, Joshua, and for some strange reason - Normal. Those he deleted.
Then, just to amuse himself, he changed every Log On password and shut the computers down. Feeling confident he'd screwed them pretty badly, he peeked out the door before entering the hall.
"He was just out the front door when a handgun filled his vision. "Hold it right there," a calm voice said. Alec looked up and nearly swore. He was staring straight at a woman - who, he could only guess, was Michaela. Her gaze never wavered; it was as steady as her gun hand.
"Let's have a little chat, shall we?" she asked, gesturing at him to go back inside. Alec did so, hoping they wouldn't need to use the computers for a few hours, at least.
"Are you sure you want to go inside?" Alec asked charmingly. "It's so much nicer out here."
"In," Michaela said, looking quite deranged as she cocked the gun. Alec remembered what Max had said about the CIA transgenics being somewhat less than adequate, psychologically, and gave up. His only hope was that Max or Logan would figure out where he'd gone. He shrugged.
"Lead the way, or would you rather go behind?"
***
A/N: Is it just me or are my chapters getting shorter? We'll have to fix that. Well, that review button is just there...