Chapter 2 - Stake Out
Logan drove the jeep in silence while Max sat beside him in the front seat. Alec sat in the back seat like the child he was staring out of the window in wonder at all the nice looking houses around him. They were all situated on the hill and a small forest separated the houses from the main road. Logan drove off the main road into the forest and parked the car. He and Max got out of the car and stood staring at the house where they knew Nicky lived and Logan whistled. It was the biggest house on the street and the balcony overlooked the forest. Alec joined them out of the car and followed their gazes.
"Wow he has a nice place," Alec commented absently and Max turned away and glared at him.
"For a sleazy criminal, yeah its nice," Max said testily and Alec shut his mouth hearing the familiar tone of annoyance in her voice. Max turned and stormed off towards the house and Alec moved as if to follow her but didn't when he saw Logan shaking his head. Logan knew that in moods like these Max needed to be by herself to work things through in her head. Max's mood hadn't gotten any better as she trudged through the forest towards Nicky's house. Something about that girl bothered her but she didn't know what it was. There was something strange about what she said. The fact she couldn't figure it out was annoying her a lot.
As she reached underneath the balcony she heard a sliding door open and saw Nicky and the girl he was with wander out onto the balcony. Max used her enhanced vision to see what was going on. The girl was pouring two glasses of wine while Nicky had his arms wrapped around her and was mauling her neck. The girl didn't seem at all perturbed by it even though it repulsed Max. The girl turned around and handed Nicky a drink and they clinked glasses and downed the glistening liquid. Nicky put down his glass then pulled the girl roughly into his arms.
"So baby, how bout a little kiss?" Nicky asked practically drooling and the girl looked shyly up at him.
"Mmm.are you sure you're ready?" she murmured seductively and Max could have sworn she saw a strange pink cloud come out of the girl's mouth and flow into Nicky's.
"Oh yeah, lay one on me baby," Nicky said suddenly very eager to kiss her and the girl obliged him. After a few moments she pushed him away and stood viewing him, hands on her hips. Nicky took a step towards her then his face changed from grinning to one of confusion then pain. His hands reached up to his neck and he looked like he was choking. His eyes widened and he began making strange noises and staggering around. The girl watched him, totally in controlled of herself, and reaching for her, still choking, Nicky sank to the ground and after one spasm fell to the ground not moving. Was he dead? Max wondered and the girl sauntered over to Nicky's body. The girl reached into a black suitcase and produced the disc that Max had been looking for. The girl hid the disc down her cleavage then turned to Nicky's body and glared down at it wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"How do you like that, baby?" the girl asked his dead body giving it a swift kick before turning and jumping off the balcony.
"Hey," Max call out to her and the girl stopped and turned.
When she saw Max her face broke into a huge smile and without a word the girl did a sweep kick and kicked Max's legs out from under her. Max fell flat on her back and the girl cart wheeled over her and pulled Max to her feet. Reacting quickly Max twisted under and grabbed the girls hand holding her while Max performed a series of kicks and all were blocked by the girl except the one that hit her straight in the face and Max let her stagger backwards. Max had the strangest feeling that the girl was playing with her, testing her abilities. The girl touched her own face bemused still smiling before jumping up into the trees standing on a branch and she gestured for Max to follow her. Max did so without hesitation and the two faced off standing on the branch. The girl moved first with a few punches in a style that was totally new to Max and Max only just managed to block them. The power behind the punches was surprisingly strong and Max found herself loosing her balance and she very nearly fell but the girl grabbed her hand saving her from hitting the ground. The girl let Max down gently then jumped down herself and held up her hands indication she no longer wished to fight.
"I give up, you are so my superior," the girl said giggling and Max looked over at the balcony at Nicky's dead body then back at the girl who looked at her innocently.
"What did you do to him?" Max asked and the girl shrugged.
"What you were trying to do, only without much suspicion and very little effort," the girl informed her simple and Max nodded with understanding.
"You're Manticore," Max concluded and the girl posed, hands on her hips and head held proud, still smiling that amused grin which irritated Max because Max felt the girl knew something she didn't and Max hated not knowing everything.
"Of course," she said as though it were common knowledge and Max frowned.
"Why did you want to get rid of him?" Max asked. She knew Nicky was a bad guy but how did this girl know about it? And what did the girl want with that disc?
"Same reason you did, he had information about Manticore that he was going to sell to White and above all this he was a bad, bad man," the girl replied to Max mockingly pouting as she shook her finger at Max before listing all of the things Max knew Nicky was involved in, "drug trafficking, murder, underage call girls, selling stolen items on the black market; he did everything illegal that you could do."
"How did you know all that?" Max asked and the girl shrugged obviously loosing interest n the conversation as they heard voices inside the house.
"I have my ways, hadn't we better get out of here? Franco will suspect foul play, although he won't be able to link it to me, I'm just the stupid blonde call girl from a company that doesn't even exist," the girl said fluttering her eyelashes and Max narrowed her eyes at the girl.
"Fine but you're coming with us," Max said and the girl again fluttered her eyes sarcastically.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she said sweetly and Max turned and began running and she could hear the girl running behind her. In no time they were back at the car and the moment the girl saw Logan and Alec waiting for them she smirked placing her hands on her hips.
"Cute, very cute, you brought back up," the girl mocked Max teasingly and Max just looked at her not knowing what to say.
"You thought I would be too much to handle?" the girl asked and Max didn't bother answering as the girl held a hand to her heart and said, "I'm flattered really."
"Who's this?" Alec asked as the girl came into view but Max gestured for him to shut up as she got into the car not in the mood for Alec and his incessant questioning.
"Let's save the introductions till we are back in Terminal City," Max said stiffly and hearing the annoyed tone in her voice Logan got in the car throwing her a questioning look she chose to ignore.
"You're the boss," the girl said cheerfully getting in the car and Alec followed her raising his eyes to the sky thanking god for this bountiful gift of womanhood he was sitting beside.
Logan drove the jeep in silence while Max sat beside him in the front seat. Alec sat in the back seat like the child he was staring out of the window in wonder at all the nice looking houses around him. They were all situated on the hill and a small forest separated the houses from the main road. Logan drove off the main road into the forest and parked the car. He and Max got out of the car and stood staring at the house where they knew Nicky lived and Logan whistled. It was the biggest house on the street and the balcony overlooked the forest. Alec joined them out of the car and followed their gazes.
"Wow he has a nice place," Alec commented absently and Max turned away and glared at him.
"For a sleazy criminal, yeah its nice," Max said testily and Alec shut his mouth hearing the familiar tone of annoyance in her voice. Max turned and stormed off towards the house and Alec moved as if to follow her but didn't when he saw Logan shaking his head. Logan knew that in moods like these Max needed to be by herself to work things through in her head. Max's mood hadn't gotten any better as she trudged through the forest towards Nicky's house. Something about that girl bothered her but she didn't know what it was. There was something strange about what she said. The fact she couldn't figure it out was annoying her a lot.
As she reached underneath the balcony she heard a sliding door open and saw Nicky and the girl he was with wander out onto the balcony. Max used her enhanced vision to see what was going on. The girl was pouring two glasses of wine while Nicky had his arms wrapped around her and was mauling her neck. The girl didn't seem at all perturbed by it even though it repulsed Max. The girl turned around and handed Nicky a drink and they clinked glasses and downed the glistening liquid. Nicky put down his glass then pulled the girl roughly into his arms.
"So baby, how bout a little kiss?" Nicky asked practically drooling and the girl looked shyly up at him.
"Mmm.are you sure you're ready?" she murmured seductively and Max could have sworn she saw a strange pink cloud come out of the girl's mouth and flow into Nicky's.
"Oh yeah, lay one on me baby," Nicky said suddenly very eager to kiss her and the girl obliged him. After a few moments she pushed him away and stood viewing him, hands on her hips. Nicky took a step towards her then his face changed from grinning to one of confusion then pain. His hands reached up to his neck and he looked like he was choking. His eyes widened and he began making strange noises and staggering around. The girl watched him, totally in controlled of herself, and reaching for her, still choking, Nicky sank to the ground and after one spasm fell to the ground not moving. Was he dead? Max wondered and the girl sauntered over to Nicky's body. The girl reached into a black suitcase and produced the disc that Max had been looking for. The girl hid the disc down her cleavage then turned to Nicky's body and glared down at it wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"How do you like that, baby?" the girl asked his dead body giving it a swift kick before turning and jumping off the balcony.
"Hey," Max call out to her and the girl stopped and turned.
When she saw Max her face broke into a huge smile and without a word the girl did a sweep kick and kicked Max's legs out from under her. Max fell flat on her back and the girl cart wheeled over her and pulled Max to her feet. Reacting quickly Max twisted under and grabbed the girls hand holding her while Max performed a series of kicks and all were blocked by the girl except the one that hit her straight in the face and Max let her stagger backwards. Max had the strangest feeling that the girl was playing with her, testing her abilities. The girl touched her own face bemused still smiling before jumping up into the trees standing on a branch and she gestured for Max to follow her. Max did so without hesitation and the two faced off standing on the branch. The girl moved first with a few punches in a style that was totally new to Max and Max only just managed to block them. The power behind the punches was surprisingly strong and Max found herself loosing her balance and she very nearly fell but the girl grabbed her hand saving her from hitting the ground. The girl let Max down gently then jumped down herself and held up her hands indication she no longer wished to fight.
"I give up, you are so my superior," the girl said giggling and Max looked over at the balcony at Nicky's dead body then back at the girl who looked at her innocently.
"What did you do to him?" Max asked and the girl shrugged.
"What you were trying to do, only without much suspicion and very little effort," the girl informed her simple and Max nodded with understanding.
"You're Manticore," Max concluded and the girl posed, hands on her hips and head held proud, still smiling that amused grin which irritated Max because Max felt the girl knew something she didn't and Max hated not knowing everything.
"Of course," she said as though it were common knowledge and Max frowned.
"Why did you want to get rid of him?" Max asked. She knew Nicky was a bad guy but how did this girl know about it? And what did the girl want with that disc?
"Same reason you did, he had information about Manticore that he was going to sell to White and above all this he was a bad, bad man," the girl replied to Max mockingly pouting as she shook her finger at Max before listing all of the things Max knew Nicky was involved in, "drug trafficking, murder, underage call girls, selling stolen items on the black market; he did everything illegal that you could do."
"How did you know all that?" Max asked and the girl shrugged obviously loosing interest n the conversation as they heard voices inside the house.
"I have my ways, hadn't we better get out of here? Franco will suspect foul play, although he won't be able to link it to me, I'm just the stupid blonde call girl from a company that doesn't even exist," the girl said fluttering her eyelashes and Max narrowed her eyes at the girl.
"Fine but you're coming with us," Max said and the girl again fluttered her eyes sarcastically.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she said sweetly and Max turned and began running and she could hear the girl running behind her. In no time they were back at the car and the moment the girl saw Logan and Alec waiting for them she smirked placing her hands on her hips.
"Cute, very cute, you brought back up," the girl mocked Max teasingly and Max just looked at her not knowing what to say.
"You thought I would be too much to handle?" the girl asked and Max didn't bother answering as the girl held a hand to her heart and said, "I'm flattered really."
"Who's this?" Alec asked as the girl came into view but Max gestured for him to shut up as she got into the car not in the mood for Alec and his incessant questioning.
"Let's save the introductions till we are back in Terminal City," Max said stiffly and hearing the annoyed tone in her voice Logan got in the car throwing her a questioning look she chose to ignore.
"You're the boss," the girl said cheerfully getting in the car and Alec followed her raising his eyes to the sky thanking god for this bountiful gift of womanhood he was sitting beside.