Well, I'm back. I've been invalid for the last five days or so and haven't been able to login to the site to upload this or the next chapter. I'm sorry you all had to wait, but it gave me time to write an entirely new story for the series to be posted at a later time.
Here in chapter five we find Max and Jondy just settling into a vacation of sorts at an exclusive resort in Phoenix when things begin to lose control. In the meantime, back in Seattle things are heating up as Lydecker, Logan, Alec and Biggs plan to dismantle the regrouping Manticore Loyalists gathering in sector 6.
I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I understand that I haven't been around for the last few days but I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in the number of reviews I received. I've mentioned repeatedly that I'm a junky for reviews so let's get to it people. I don't expect that I'm changing lives here but it would be nice to know that you guys like the stories.
As always, read, review and Enjoy!
Dwindling Hope
Max and Jondy rode along Indian School heading east. They weren't looking for anything in particular and they had plenty of time to check Jondy's old haunts. Max remembered a conversation a long time ago about a resort called The Phoenician. Pulling over near a sector checkpoint, she made a quick check of the maps and called Logan.
"Hey. It's me." She said.
"Hey Max." Logan asked. "Where are you?"
"We just got to Phoenix." Max said. She wasn't sure if she should tell him about Dexter or not. "I was wondering if you knew anything about it."
"Like what?" Logan asked. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."
"I was wondering about places to stay and what might be affordable." Max said. "We've only been here for an hour but we thought maybe we could crash somewhere for the night."
"You can afford anything with those cards I gave you. Courtesy of the project of course." Max could hear Logan punching some keys on the keyboard. "Let me check and see if anything is still listing around there."
"Well, I was thinking about this resort I heard about once. It was called The Phoenician, I think." Max said.
"I know it well. My parents used to swear by that place. It's a resort for those who still have money. I'll take care of it. Where are you now?"
"You'll take care of what?" Max asked.
"Reservations. Where are you?" Logan asked.
"Logan…" Max started to protest.
"My girl wants a vacation she's going to get one. I'll arrange everything before you get there." Logan said. "It's on Camelback Road Just east of 30th Street."
"Logan, I don't think…"
"I do. Now go and have some fun for a few days."
"A few days?" Max asked urgently. Jondy caught the tone in her voice. "What do you mean a few days? We were going to leave and be back the day after tomorrow." She said.
"I know but I've run into a few unexpected situations." Logan said. "I came across some information that leads me to believe there might be more to this gang war than a simple dispute over turf. Alec and Biggs did some recon and found a group called the S1W running guns in sector 6." He said.
"I've heard of them." Max said. "They're some kind of terrorist outfit working the angles down in Frisco." Jondy became very interested in the conversation at the mention of Frisco.
"Not exactly." Logan said.
"What do you mean?" Max demanded. She was sure she already knew the answer.
"I know their leader. Her name's Asha." Logan admitted. "They've done some work for Eyes Only on occasion although they never really realized it. I always had someone contact them covertly."
"How do you know the leader?" Max asked.
"The family." Logan said. "Her parents were close friends of my Mom. She went to college with both of them. I found out a few years back that Asha was running with the group during some eco-terrorism fiasco that almost got the group killed. I pulled some strings and Eyes Only backed them up with a story that got them off the hook."
"I see." Max said. "Should I be worried?"
"Max. It's never been like that with us." Logan said.
"I was talking about Eyes Only and the gunrunning." Max said. She would never admit to Logan that she was relieved he said what he did as quickly as he did. She was sure he picked up on it from the tone of her voice though.
"Yeah. Well things are going to be pretty busy around here. The Colonel is coming over to help us plan for some contingencies just in case…"
"Lydecker? Logan, you know as well as I do you can't really trust him." Max couldn't hide the worry in her voice.
"I know, but I still have that last treatment to go through with and he's been bugging me with messages on the net almost daily since he started them to begin with. I don't trust him but he's helped us…" He said but Max interrupted.
"Logan. Just be careful. He's only got one agenda."
"I know Max." He said as a knock thumped at his front door. Max could hear Alec hollering in the background. "Look. I've got to go and deal with this. Call me tonight after you've settled in. I promise I'll tell you more then."
"Okay. You'll make those reservations?" Max asked.
"Did that while we were talking. You're booked for three days in cabana 12 under the name Linda Eastman. You're now my wife." Logan said. "I've placed the deposit but they'll need payment when you arrive. Have fun and if you want to stay longer, I'll understand."
"We'll be back soon. Not a fan of rain but it's really hot here. I don't think I like the desert." She snickered. "I prefer the warmth of your arms and the penthouse."
"Well, now. When this is all over and we actually get to the cabin, I'll keep my arms wrapped around you as long as you like." Logan said.
"Oh man." Alec grumbled in the background. "He's got the look, man. Check him out. He's going to tell her to be careful."
"Be careful, Max." Logan said.
"Tell Alec… oh never mind. Just don't do anything stupid, Logan."
"Gotta go." Logan said. "Bye."
Max closed her phone and looked at Jondy.
"Trouble with Lydecker?" She asked.
"Not yet, but you can bet there will be." Max said. "Logan booked us a cabana at The Phoenician for the next three days."
"Are you serious?" Jondy asked. "That's some place. Banquet halls and some restaurants and pools and a huge hotel. There used to be shops in there but they were small boutique shops. It's a great place. What are we waiting for?"
"What about you're old haunts?"
"If we've got three days then why not wait until tomorrow. We can get some rest and take in a sauna or a massage and then head out tomorrow. I'll show you around the city and we'll check out the old lockers and see if my key still works."
"Yeah? K. That sounds like a plan." Max admitted. "I don't know about the massage but I could do for a spell in a sauna. By the way… what's a sauna?" She asked. "Is that like a steam room?"
"Kind of." Jondy said. "Though I've never been in one myself. I just know they have them there."
They pulled in line at the sector checkpoint and waited their turn. The passes would work for most main sectors unless it locked down for some reason. They were through the checkpoint in a matter of minutes and on their way to the resort.
Twenty minutes later, the clerk was handing a receipt to Max for her signature. She signed it and took the keys he handed her.
"Thank you Mrs. Eastman… Would you like you're things brought to the room?"
"That won't be necessary. We just have the two bags. Umh, do you have a sauna or a steam room?" Jondy asked.
"We sure do Ma'am." He pointed along the hall leading toward the pool opposite the main entrance. "There is a gym, sauna and steam rooms near the end of the hall toward the main pool. We also have secondary facilities clearly marked at the north and south entrances."
"Thank you." Max said. The girls headed back out to their bikes and rode around to the south side of the grounds. Ten minutes later they were standing in the doorway to their private patio and smiling. There was a tray of fresh fruit on the dining table and the patio had a large hammock strung up between two palm trees overlooking a large, crystal clear swimming pool.
"Wow." Jondy muttered. "That's a real pineapple." She said. "I've never had one of those."
"Neither have I." Max answered. "I don't know what to do first. There's all this stuff around." Someone knocked on the door as she finished her sentence. The girls looked at each other, slightly worried. The incident outside of the city limits had them slightly on edge.
Max checked the peephole and noticed a uniformed cabana boy of about sixteen. She opened the door and his eyes widened. "Wow. Beautiful." He muttered. Then he stared, only not at her eyes.
"Thanks. Can I help you?"
"I'd love to." The boy said obviously hearing something Max hadn't said. He face grew red. He glanced up quickly before immediately looking down again. "I'm sorry. I… It's, I mean…"
"It's okay. What do you want?" Max asked as Jondy stepped up.
"Wow. There're two of you…" He muttered. He had lost all capacity for higher thought staring at the two perfect females in front of him.
"Why are you here?" Max demanded.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I brought the bottle of champagne as requested by your husband."
"My husband?" Max asked. "He's in Seattle." She said. She liked playing the game but it was now getting weird.
"He ordered it when he made your reservation. I would also like to inform you of the party in Esoteria. It starts tonight at eight and runs until three a.m." He said.
"What's an Esoteria?" Jondy asked.
"It's the nightclub here at the resort open seven days a week." The boy said. "There is a party for guests every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. If you go through the lobby and past The Grill Room, our main restaurant, then you will find Esoteria." The boy just stood there waiting. He was smiling.
Max stared back at him until Jondy stepped forward and handed him a bill. The boy smiled then turned to leave.
"You have to pay them to leave?" Max asked. Jondy laughed.
"It's like a restaurant. It's just a tip, a nice thing to do. They rely on tips." Jondy explained.
"I'll tip when he actually looks at my face and not my boobs." Max said. She walked over to the tray of fruit in the center of the cabana and picked at some food. "You want to go to that club tonight?" She asked.
"He said Friday and Saturday. Why don't we go unwind tomorrow night?" Jondy asked. "I'd rather hunt out this steam room and see what it's like." She smiled. "We've got three days. Besides…" She would have continued but a crash and some shouting kicked up outside the cabana. Max and Jondy rushed to the window and looked out.
A young woman, tall and strong with smooth, brown tones to her skin was running across the commons. She was clutching a baby to her chest in a harness as she ran faster than seemed possible through the crowd of now panicked people.
"Oh my God!" Max said.
Camelback Mountain
North face summit…
Ames White spit on the ground as he stomped on a small gecko, squishing it under his feet. He smiled. He preferred snakes. The rest of the hump would be easier to climb now that he was past the steep rock face where the path seemed to go up at an almost impossible angle. It had grown dark during his climb though and that would definitely complicate things.
He looked around. It wasn't a very interesting view. Not much to see but dirty sectors and crowds of people milling around. There weren't many cars on the few roads that could still hold them. Most people couldn't afford gas.
He headed closer to the pinnacle of the middle hump scanning the ground for signs of something other than tourists. There were a few spots where people had gathered, small groups of refugees or kids partying late in a high place. He didn't see what he was looking for though. He didn't see 359 but there were still plenty of places to look.
His phone rang. "What?" He demanded.
"Fe'nos tol." The man said. "This is Dexter. We've got a problem."
"What kind of a problem?" White asked.
"The transgenic you're looking for… she's not alone. Two more entered city limits today. Both female." Dexter explained.
"What? Where?"
"They entered the city near Glendale although I doubt they stayed there long."
"Find them." White said. "I want them found and identified. If they found out about my operation somehow…"
"Sir?" Dexter waited for orders.
"If they're here to rescue 359 or try and warn her somehow… I want them identified and found. Call your people and meet me at HQ in Lesser Scottsdale." White said. "I'll be there in the morning. I'm calling in Phalanx on this so they might be there before I'm finished here. Have the tech team on standby when I arrive. I might be bringing in the target with me."
"You mean 359, sir?" Dexter asked.
"No." White said. 359 was not the target he was interested in. He slapped his phone shut and walked further along the slight incline toward the summit. He could see the hippie freaks dancing around the bonfire up there. He smiled. They had no idea what was coming. No one did. The transgenics were the only ones that could stop it and it was his job to see they didn't.
A sound caught his ear. It was the sound of falling rocks. He listened and when he heard it again he moved over toward the edge and peered into the darkness. There, a hundred feet down in the slight glow of light near a home was 359. She had been close after all. He reached for his weapon but thought better of it as he scouted the easiest way down so he could follow her.
The only way to follow her was the jagged rock cliff she had used.
"3-5-9!" He shouted. She didn't look up but he knew she could hear him. Checking the distance he noticed an easier path carved out of the rock face on the south side leading to the few sparse houses still there on the mountainside.
359 would have had to pass him to get to it. She had been smart by heading out along the wall and going toward it at a lower point. It led straight to the resort below. He cursed her number before turning and jogging toward the steep path on his way to catch her.
White knew his odds weren't good. He knew the abilities of transgenics were beyond human norms but she was carrying a baby and if motherly instinct had any grounds then he knew she would not risk the child. She would hit the path running and take it at speeds he couldn't contend with so he had to get as close as possible to her. He could only see one way to do that.
He ran the path to a hairpin turn around a large rock thrusting up out of the mountainside. He judged the distance and leapt across the jagged rocks landing squarely thirty feet below dropping into a crouch and rolling up to stand on the edge of a sheer wall of about eighty feet.
359 was below him. She was just getting to that part of the path where he was looking. He calculated the odds of landing on top of her and retrieving the child but thought against it. "3-5-9!" He shouted again. She still ignored him, running along the path now with her baby clutched to her chest. He turned followed its winding pattern to the narrow, straight decline she was now on. He knew she would be into the resort's northern cabana area before he could pass her current point and make his next jump to close the distance even further.
He picked up a rock as he resumed his chase. It was a long shot but it might work.
As he approached the straight decline, he noticed she was indeed just reaching the outskirts of the resort grounds. He risked stopping, pulling back his arm. It was a long-shot but he had to try. He reached back and let the fist sized rock fly. "3-5-9!" He shouted again. She stopped this time and turned. He smiled. The rock was on target.
When she reached up and plucked the rock out of the air with ease, he roared loud and angry. She smiled and he knew she was laughing at him. He jumped down to the lowest path fifty feet below him dropping and rolling taking the shock of the fall hard on his arm and shoulder. As he stood, he noticed she was not there anymore. Lifting his arm, he felt a loose bone, jarred by the fall. It was broken. Cursing, he turned and ran along the path and into resort grounds.
The place was crawling with scantily clad women and barely dressed men laughing, joking and pretending that things weren't the way they were on the outside. White moved through them trying to locate the girl or security. He spotted security first. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled his forged FBI papers and badge and called for the young kid with the worried look.
"You." White shouted.
"What?" The kid asked.
"Get on the horn and lock down the grounds." He said. "I'm searching for a fugitive that just ran through here and I'd like to capture her before she escapes."
"You mean that girl that just tore through here with the baby?" The kid asked. "She's heading for the south cabanas."
"Then let's get you're people down there and seal her in." White said. He pushed the kid in front of him and followed after.
The young security guard was calling in all of his people and they had most of the area covered. He led White over to the security chief who was already standing there.
"You in charge here?" White asked.
"I'm in charge." The security chief replied. "Who you chasing and why did you bring this here?"
"I didn't bring her here. She fled here." White said. "My team is on the way. We just need to secure the female and her child and my people will take her into custody." White said. He knew perfectly well that these rent-a-cops couldn't hold a transgenic but that wasn't what he was worried about. His plan was simple. Security moves in and when she fights her way out, he takes the shot and collects the target for The Conclave. It was simple. He just hoped it would work that way.
"We have her, Sir." A voice said over the chief's squawk box.
"Good." The chief responded. He turned to White. "She's not dangerous is she?"
"She's very dangerous." White said. "Have your men surround her but don't get too close to her. She trained."
"What'd she do?"
"That's classified." White said. "I just need to bring her in."
"It's got something to do with the baby, doesn't it?" The chief asked. He didn't get an answer.
"Sir. She's entered cabana 12." The man said. "A woman poked her head out and called her in. They seem to have known each other." One of the guards announced.
"They have accomplices?" The chief asked.
"This is news to me." White said. "What kind of people do you let in this place?" He demanded. He was trying to set blame on the resort. "Find out who's in cabana 12."
"Get me the roster." The chief shouted. Two minutes later as security moved into position surrounding the cabana, a young cabana boy ran up with a list in his hands.
"Sir. There're two women in cabana twelve. A redhead and a brunette. I saw both of them not ten minutes ago. Delivered a bottle of champagne the husband had ordered when he made the reservation."
"Husband? They're married?" White asked. He remembered 453, of the cloning project in Frisco. She had been planning on marrying the man she was with there. "What's the name?"
"Eastman." The chief said. "I remember them. Two women. I was in the lobby when they came in. Beautiful girls. Hard to believe they are criminals."
"They're all criminals…" White muttered.
"I know you're in there. We have the place surrounded. Come out and there will be no trouble. If you do not, we will be forced to come in after you." White shouted. He wasn't worried about sending the security guards in. He didn't care about the loss of life. He cared about exposing the transgenics and getting the baby back to The Conclave.
The time to expose the transgenics was coming. It just hadn't arrived yet. It would soon though and The Conclave would be prepared for it.
"This doesn't have to be this way." The chief shouted.
White smiled. The guards were playing right along with him. He would have this matter wrapped up nicely in no time. He pulled his cell and dialed a number. A voice answered. It was female and strong.
"Yes."
"This is Agent White." He said. "I need the team at the south cabanas of The Phoenician. Cabana 12. I have the suspect under guard and the cabana surrounded."
"We're on the way." The woman said. "ETA is ten minutes."
"You have five." White said.
Fogle Towers penthouse
Living room…
"I don't know." Biggs said. "We couldn't get any details without risking a trip inside. Better to bring back what we know without taking unnecessary risk."
"If there are X-5 and 6 in there as well as some of my old teams then going in would be ludicrous. It would ultimately be easier to hack into their security and watch them."
"Would they have video surveillance set up in a forward base like this?" Logan asked.
"Indoors in an urban environment, it's standard procedure. It allows for minimal back up security and leaves more troops available to move on any contingency plan more quickly." Deck explained. "We check in over there and watch him. An hour is all it would take. I could easily figure out what kind of patterns Cowers is running his people on and where he plans to take this little attack of his." Lydecker said.
"The Colonel is right, Logan." Biggs added. "If Cowardly really is just after you for taking down Manticore then we already have half the intel…"
"How do you figure?" Logan asked.
"The Captain isn't exactly the best strategist and he knows next to nothing about common urban tactics. My guess is he's letting his officers, the X-5 and 6 run the show for him while he does what he does best." Alec added returning from the kitchen with two sandwiches. He handed one to Biggs.
"Which is?" Logan demanded.
"Pushing papers…" Deck finished. "No one steered a desk like the good Captain."
"So this guy is that kind of officer." Logan smiled. His wheels were turning.
"He was a plant from the committee to make sure the training stayed on course. He's a political officer. He was recalled after leaving his post at The Pentagon several years back. When hands changed early on and some of the original scientists in the program started to disappear, he got lost in the shuffle. I kept him around because he was easily controlled and the kids scared him." Deck explained. "The kids started to call him Captain Cowardly after they sensed his fear."
"He is very easily intimidated." Alec said.
"Maybe we should bring him in." Logan suggested.
"You mean take him to a safe house and shake him down? I like it." Alec said. Biggs nodded.
"That could work if you could draw him out." Deck said. "The problem is drawing him out. He may not be an expert in the field but he knows procedure. You can bet your computers he's embedded."
Logan turned his swivel chair and tapped the keys for a few minutes. Several windows popped open and closed. He made a few adjustments in one window in particular. He turned back to the other three.
"All set on this end. Now we just have to figure out when to invite him to the safe house and have a nice chat with Eyes Only."
"You're not serious." Deck said.
"You came, didn't you?" Logan asked.
"That was different." Deck said.
"Was it?" Logan asked. "You were tracking a fugitive that crossed my path." Logan said. He didn't want to raise any hard memories for Alec so he tried to keep it low key. "You came and talked to me. You searched the whole room. There was nothing you could do."
"I could have taken everything you had in that room back and traced all of it." Deck said.
"And I would have tracked you to your base of operation here in Seattle. You wouldn't risk it. I'm counting on the same thing from The Captain." Logan explained. "I imagine he will bring guards, assuming he's not capable of taking care of himself as well as you. Besides, you had men waiting outside. I figure this is where Alec and Biggs come in. They take in a team and secure his guards and he and I have a personal chat about the inherent danger in seeking to harm Eyes Only." Logan couldn't help smiling.
Lydecker smiled as well. "Devious. I like it." Deck stood up and clapped his hands. "It's a plan people. Let's make it work."
"I'll call Suede and let him know were going to need him after all." Biggs said.
"A question, Logan." Alec said. "How do you propose we tell him Eyes Only wants to set up a meeting."
"That's the easiest part." Logan said. "I've got this friend…" He called Sebastian.
Ten minutes later Logan turned from his rig. He wore another smile on his face and handed Captain Cowers cell phone number to Lydecker. "I'll call him when everything is set and ready to go. I'll set the time and the meeting place and the teams can be ready. Colonel. This is where you come in. You say you have a plan to get Brin. This may be your chance."
"You want to take Brin, now?" Deck asked. He contemplated it for a minute before nodding. "It might be our best chance actually. She has knowledge and surely won't be happy about Cowardly taking a meeting with Eyes Only. She'll want to come along with her own people."
"So we have to find out who's with her." Alec said.
"Give me one hour." Biggs paused. "I worked with Brin during her re-education at Manticore. I retrained her. She'll trust me and I can plant a seed about White while I'm there. It might be easier for all involved to learn that Eyes Only isn't the bad guy here."
"How will you explain that you're not joining the team?" Alec asked.
"I'll tell her I have a job that pays me well. If we set this up for the afternoon tomorrow then I figure there are two possibilities. The first being that Brin follows me to see where I work and ignores Cowardly or she ignores me so I can link with Suede and deal with her people on Cowardly." Biggs explained.
"Sound reasoning." Deck said. "We need to isolate Cowardly as quickly as possible. Alec, I need you to scout the area and designate possible locations for a secondary guard. Find out where they might be locating a watcher or two. Biggs, no matter what happens I want you to hook up with Suede and his team to make sure he's ready to go. Brin will bring a skeleton guard but they'll be good and most likely, they'll be X-series."
"Do we really know what her motivations are?" Logan asked. "I mean we came here expecting to find a turf war with the possibility of a food riot and instead we find remnants of Manticore trying to expose Eyes Only. You say this Captain Cowers is a joke of a field officer but he managed to put together some squads and bring Brin and her platoon in on this."
"I'm worried about that as well." Deck said. "Which is why we need to isolate her immediately. We need to know if she's backing Cowers or if she has an ulterior motive. I would assume that Cowers people are just following orders for lack of any legitimate commander since he's from the committee. She could be moving in to take over for all we know and already have Cowers out of the way."
"Whatever you decide, I'm out of here." Biggs said. "I'll call when I find out what's going on over there."
"Good." Deck said. "Now about Cowers, son. What exactly do you plan to tell him?"
"I'm going to call him up and invite him to meet with Eyes Only." Logan said. "Nice and simple."
"They have a tracking team, Logan. If you talk longer than a minute they'll be on you immediately."
"I can redirect. I'll hack a satellite and bounce the signal. A continuous refresh should offer enough resistance to their triangulation attempt which should give us at least ten minutes for our conversation. You're teams can secure Brin and her guards and Deck can bring in Cowers."
"Bring him in where?" Deck asked.
"Another safe house." Logan said. "I have more than one, but you already know that."
"Yes. So what do we do with him after we've got him?" Alec asked.
"Stop the food riot and the turf wars for one and find out why he's after Eyes Only. If it's just a vendetta then we can remove him and Deck can take the loyalists to his camp up north. Any of the others who want real lives can stick around here. Biggs' underground over at the Oak St. safe house can help them get a handle on their situation and rotate them into the world."
"What makes you so sure they'll want to work with me?"
"I'm not Colonel, but they are soldiers and they are working in that capacity right now. Some might like that life and want to choose it. Others might be following orders because they don't know they have a choice." Logan reasoned. "As for Brin. We won't know her motivations until we talk to her."
"I would assume she's been monitoring the normal channels and heard the chatter. Logan's right really," Alec agreed. "She might just be looking for somewhere to park her platoon and heard Cowers was gathering troops."
"She was one helluva a soldier." Deck said. "I would imagine she's turned into a decent commander." He stood up. Logan and Alec knew he was about to start spouting orders. "I'll use the RCF location here in this sector as my base." He turned to Alec. "It's on you and Biggs to get her to that location." He looked at Logan. "I'll need everything you have on White and this cult that's trying to take over. Something I can use to convince her there are more important things in the world than Cowers plan to take out Eyes Only."
"How is that going to help?" Logan asked.
"It will show her there is more to the fall of Manticore than just you and Max. She'll listen to me once we have her in control. I started her reprogramming when she first came back to the base. She'll trust me, eventually."
"You hope." Alec said.
"Bring her alone." Deck said. "I'll contact you when my own team gets into the sector and secures RCF. Alec can drop off that info packet when you've created it and Logan, it has to be convincing." He walked out of the office and headed for the front door. "We do this on my time frame." He shouted over his shoulder.
"Why am I not surprised?" Alec asked. Rolling his eyes, Logan nodded and turned to his computers to start on Decks folder. "What do you intend to do about this Asha chick?"
"I've got a plan for her." Logan said. "We'll cut off the S1W at the source. They have a Safe House here in Seattle. A couple of transgenics should scatter them for a few days and scare the hell out of her. Here's what I want you to do…"