PART FOUR : " Vicissitude "
Max pulled into the Sci-Tech Labs parking lot and found into a space near the building. She'd long since jerry-rigged the Ninja to start through a hidden switch known only to herself, Logan and Alec. Having scoped the layout of the building and surrounding area in advance, she had a pretty good idea of vantage points and had worked up a few escape routes. As she swung off the bike, her cell phone beeped. The caller ID read "Elias Olson", Logan's codename for Eyes Only. That meant the call was scrambled and virtually untraceable. Well, as untraceable as one can get; it had only been a year or so ago that his untraceable network was breached by White and his goons.
"What's up?" she asked.
"They don't have any records of anyone living in Maltby that works there, but get this; there's an employee named Rebecca Lydecker who lives in Woodinville, which is just a couple miles from Maltby."
Rage bubbled at the name, but Max forced herself to remember that if Lydecker were alive, chances are he'd be on their side now. "What do you make of it?" she prompted.
"I know you don't want to hear it," he commented, "But if it's not a coincidence, then I suppose it's possible your mother could be related to Lydecker. It might explain why he was so obsessed with finding you."
She shuddered involuntarily. "I hope not. I'd resequence my own DNA rather than have that relation" Logan's chuckle filtered through the phone.
"Why didn't your previous searches on Lydecker turn up this gal at Sci-Tech?" The chuckle died as Logan decided how to answer the question.
"I wondered about that as well; she could have recently moved to the area. That's a question you would have to ask her. Incidentally, I got word from the medics, Hannah didn't just die of the beating she took," he told her "She was dying of cancer."
Before she could say anything, he continued; "A man-made cancer. Looks like Manticore did a number on her too, somehow. Or maybe White's boys; you said that when White held you captive that he was babbling about the Conclave taking over and a terrible fate for mankind. This could be a clue as to what they have planned, and the medics are still looking into it. All the more reason to play this one safe, Max. This may have turned into more than just a search for your mother. Regardless of how important that is to both of us. Be careful."
Max forced herself not to feel furious at Manticore for now, there'd be time for that later. She knew she'd have to take this one step at a time, and getting herself pissed off could be dangerous. "I'll try. Love ya." As close as their relationship had gotten in the last several months, she still couldn't help feeling a twinge of panic in opening herself up like that.
Looking the building up and down, she decided to ignore his sound advice, as usual. "Screw it, life's a risk." she said aloud to no one in particular as she walked through the front doors. She looked around and found a main desk not too far from the entrance. Sauntering up, she smiled at the woman behind the counter. "Where can I find your Employee Resources department?"
The woman looked her over, much the same as she would some exotic species of bug. "They're not hiring." Max leaned over, still smiling. "Unless you're in charge of hiring, why don't you let them decide that. Now, Employee Resources?" The woman glared at Max. "Find it yourself."
Max shrugged and started walking down the hall. "Hey!" the woman called. Max turned and looked at her. The woman pointed down an adjoining hallway. "Try that way..." she said sarcastically, the mumbled under her breath "...bitch."
"Thanks," Max said over her shoulder, "but that's Miss Bitch to you."
Turning a corner, she found a large open room with a counter labeled SCI-TECH SECURITY. One of two security guards looked over at Max appreciatively as the other watched a monitor. Max decided that the receptionist was going to become pate after all. She conjured her 'redhead with blonde roots' voice and cooed at the guard, "I was wondering if you're hiring for Security. I always thought the idea of a uniform was pretty sexy."
The other guard looked over at Max, and the first officer grinned. "I think we have an application around here somewhere, if not" Before he could finish, Max jumped up and slid across the counter into him, knocking him off his stool and over the desk behind him. She landed on her feet and turned to the second guard, who only had time to begin to turn his head to follow her blinding-fast movement as he became the receiving end of a left-hand roundhouse kick.
"That's gotta hurt," she said to the unconscious form. Moving both of the guards into a closet, she took their access cards and snapped off the door handle. Bringing up the overlay of the building on the security console, she noted that the cubicles were listed with the names of the occupants. All too easy. she thought as she found Lydecker's name.
She memorized the internal layout on the screen and headed back down the hall. Careful to avoid the receptionist, she used the access card to gain entrance to the elevator. Noticing another card panel, she began to feel exasperated and a little on edge as she ran the card through it and pressed the appropriate floor button. The elevator stopped on a floor before reaching her destination and a snappy but casually dressed man walked in and slid his card through the access slot. He glanced at Max approvingly but curiously. "I don't think we've met you in Sales?"
She gave him her most dazzling smile. "I'm new."
He nodded; "There seems to be a lot of that going on lately. Maybe we'll cross paths." He smiled and when the elevator door opened he departed. When the door closed she let out a relieved breath. She hadn't realized just how nervous she was, hadn't let herself be distracted by the thought that she was a step closer now to finding her mother. Because of Hannah again she snapped that thought shut. She would mourn later.
Reaching her floor, she stepped out and perused the area. She could feel the tension in her neck, and took a couple of deep breaths. "This isn't my mother.", she mumbled to herself.
After taking a couple of steps forward, she stopped, suddenly aware that something was wrong. Back at Jam Pony, when she delivered anything to an office facility, she could always hear the background noises, people talking on phones, keyboards tapping, a dozen other sounds. Here, the only person she could see wasn't even in any of the hundreds of cubicles, but at a coffee station. The woman, who appeared to be in her 40's with thick, shoulder-length blonde hair, glanced over at her and nodded cordially. "Want some?" she offered, pointing at the coffee pot.
It smelled wonderful and although Max knew she should refuse, she accepted the styrofoam cup. This was starting to feel surreal. "Let me guess, you're Rebecca Lydecker."
The woman smiled and picked up a Danish. "Yes, I am. Come and sit down, we have a few things to talk about."
She walked over to a window and sat in a plush chair. Max walked behind a chair opposite Rebecca and leaned against its back. Rebecca took another sip from her cup and put it down, then clasped her hands on her lap and looked at Max. "The last thing I want to do right now is startle or frighten you into leaving right now .But there are certain truths that need to be said."
Max was starting to feel as if all this was a dream. She hadn't touched her coffee, but now she took a sip to clear her head.
Max didn't take her eyes off this woman. "How about starting with your name. Do you know a Donald Lydecker?"
Rebecca nodded. "He's my brother. And before you ask, yes I know who you are. I know about Manticore and what's happened to you since you destroyed the training facility. In fact, there's quite a bit I know, but you'll need time to assimilate what you need to hear"
Max interrupted her. "Not to put too fine a point on this but I'm not here to talk about Manticore other than to locate my mother, who used to be a genetic host back around 2000. Do you know where she is?"
Rebecca looked at her appraisingly, and nodded again. "Yes, but you're going to have to be patient about that. She's in danger, mostly because of her having hosted you. As I said, there's a lot going on that you don't know."
Max looked straight at her. "I've been told I don't have a lot of patience sometimes. I don't want to be rude, but either you can help me or I'm outta here."
"I will help you, Max. But you need to listen first."
Max hadn't introduced herself. Yet, the woman did say she knew her. Max decided to listen to what the woman had to say.
Rebecca continued. "If you can listen with a clear head and open mind and not walk out when you hear what I have to say at first, then when I'm finished I'll tell you where you can find your mother. But you need to hear me out first. Deal?"
Max looked at her, unconvinced. "If you know so much, tell me something only Lydecker and myself would know."
Rebecca paused and looked thoughtful. "Deck asked a favor of Doctor Sandeman when he was beginning your embryonic stages. He asked if Sandeman would induce a duplication of certain physical attributes of Donald's wife in your gene development. Sandeman refused at first, not because of concepts of impurity but because of personal feelings; in the end Sandeman couldn't help but comply. You see, Deck's murdered wife was Sandeman's only daughter."
Max's face betrayed her surprise. Just one more link in the chain... "I guess the more Sandeman thought about it, the more he changed his mind. I suppose he felt it wouldn't be disrespecting the dead as much as having a part of a lost one living on."
Max came around the chair and sat down. "All right, you've got my attention. But if I start getting bored, the deal's off."
Rebecca nodded and leaned back in the chair. "First, regardless of what I tell you, there will be no attempt to hold you here. I just want to assure you of that." Max sat up, becoming aware that her nerves were practically jumping on their own. "Second, the reason I hope to convince you of that, is that I don't want you to make a rash decision or action when I tell you know that this establishment is the Intelligence and Tactical Applications Center for Project Manticore."