Chapter 1: Intense
Her arms screamed in protest as Max struggled to perform the menial task of putting on her t-shirt. She managed the first arm, but the second brought a hiss to her lips. She winced in pain, the thought of putting on further layers forcing her to sit down for a breather on one of the change room benches. Damn seizures, she thought to herself. I can barely dress myself it's gotten so bad. Last night she stayed at Logan's, while her seizures kept her bed-ridden for the entire night. Even though he fed her Tryptophan at regular intervals, the stuff just didn't seem to work as well as it used to. Just as she stood up to put on her favorite beige jacket, Original Cindy walked into the ladies' change room.
"Hey homegirl, how's it goin'?" OC sat down on one of the benches, pulling a change of clothes out of her bag.
"Hey," Expertly, Max slid her features behind the Manticore mask. Even though Cindy knew her deal, she hated talking about it, and she didn't want to get her involved. She began to go through her bag, making sure she had her pills, and strapped her pager onto her shoulder strap. Just casually walk away, and keep your damn back straight… don't let her see… Slowly, Max slipped on her bag without too much trouble, and walked out of the locker room, "See ya later, OC."
"Catch ya later boo," OC looked up from her bag, and watched Max as she left the change room. Her eyes were dark and sleep deprived, and her hollow cheeks were pale, in stark contrast to her pitch-dark hair. Cindy suppressed the urge to say something; she knew Max didn't like talking about her problems. But this was her boo, there was definitely something bustin' up inside of Max's little head, and Cindy was gonna get to the bottom of it.
"HOT RUN, 6th and Georgia Street!" Normal screeched as he threw a package to one of his riders.
Just as Max got out of the change room, Normal saw her, and like a vulture to a rotting carcass, he came out of the dispatch area, package in hand. Max sighed to herself and avoided eye contact as she continued to walk towards her locker. Just like Normal to turn an already crappy day into a complete suckfest.
"Hot run!" Normal screeched as he moved to block her path. His irritating voice penetrated Max's thoughts. "Hello? Max? This is a delivery service, you know. These packages need to be delivered; they're missing their mommies terribly! Take this to Clempton Drive. Bip bip bip!"
Asshole. "Sure, whatever Normal." Max took the package from Normal and headed back to her locker. Crap, Sector 6 is all the way on the other side of the stupid city. Max shut her eyes in frustration, the seizure she had the night before was giving her a headache. Forcing her head up, Max concentrated on the task at hand. But despite her best efforts, her body shook as the tendrils of pain slowly slid up and down her spine.
Opening her locker, Max searched through her belongings for her sector pass. Grasping the familiar laminated ID, she clipped it onto her shoulder pad. Just as she slammed her locker shut, Original Cindy called to her from the change room. Max shut her eyes and let out a sigh, exhausted. She did not want to have this conversation.
"What's up with you today, boo? Your head up in the clouds thinkin' bout Logan?" Original Cindy grinned, awaiting the answer.
"Nothing's up with me today, and we're not even like that." Max answered, and took a seat on one of the benches, slowly. Even in this state, Max continued to deny the façade of her and Logan being together.
"You sure Max? No offense boo, but you ain't lookin' so hot." Original Cindy took a seat next to her.
"Always nice to hear." Max clipped, but continued. "It's just, today didn't start out so great, and I haven't slept much the last couple days." Rubbing her temples, Max sighed. Maybe a talk with her best friend will make her feel better."I've got a delivery to Sector 6. You have anything headed out there?"
OC sensed that Max needed to get somethin' off of her chest, and she wasn't about to refuse her homegirl. "No problem Suga. Just hold on one sec." Original Cindy eagerly replied, and she walked over to Normal's desk.
"Hey, Normal! I'm headin' out to Sector 6, you got anything for me?" Original Cindy announced, though it sounded more like an order than a question.
The only sign of his acknowledgement of her presence was the package that expertly flew from the back of the dispatch area, into her waiting arms. This was immediately followed by "Robson and Georgia, now beat it." Normal responded in his usual deadpan fashion from inside his office.
"Damnit!" The government worker fumed. Bert had just spilt his scalding coffee all over his lap after trying to avoid a pothole, and failing. His slurred movements and slow reaction time indicated drunkenness. "Why does it always have to be so damn hot…" he muttered to himself. This was turning out to be the worst day ever, and it was only ten o'clock. Already he was out of bed late, and he had a construction job waiting for him on the outskirts of town.
The streets of Seattle were not the usual place for him to be. Normally, he drove around deserted highways, inspecting and repairing dilapidated sector checkpoints. Bert was used to the quiet, secluded roads of the mountains, not the bustling streets of a city. It seemed like every other block had a crosswalk for children, and every one of them just happen to have kids crossing at them. Once he got to the outer city limits, he'd have to make up for lost time.
The pair walked down the street, slowly making their way towards the address of the package's recipient. It was a bad part of town, on the outskirts of the city, where the usual hustle and bustle of the raging city had not yet claimed.
"So what's been knockin' around inside your head boo? Not nobody's around to overhear you talkin'." Original Cindy started, looking to comfort her friend.
Max continued to walk, her gaze turning to the pavement. "Remember back when you got that job selling Insurance, and those red soldiers came and started bustin' up the place lookin' for me?" Max began.
"How could I forget; but you had my back on that, came chargin' in there with that implant in your head." OC remembered.
Uneasily, Max proceeded, "Ever since I've had that implant, my seizures have gotten worse, and it seems like the Tryptophan doesn't even work anymore."
Flashback;
She felt a small prick in her arm as Logan injected the liquid Tryptophan; like a feather brushing upon her skin compared to the agonizing convulsions wracking her body.
Slivers of light crept through the hastily shut curtains, the poor illumination adding to the already dismal atmosphere. Several pills still littered the carpet from when it first began several hours ago. At first she hadn't noticed the warning signs; it had been so long since she last had one; the tiny pinpricks in her arms and knees, the tightness in her neck, until it was too late. By the time she made it to Fogle Towers, the tendrils of pain escalated as they continued to travel up and down her spine, until they finally exploded into her muscles, sending her convulsing to the floor in a boneless heap.
End Flashback;
"It must be that implant bustin' up inside your head, boo. Those storm trooper guys still lookin' for you?" Original Cindy asked as they started to cross the street.
Just as Max was about to reply, a pickup came screeching around a corner and down the street, straight toward her, Original Cindy only slightly ahead of her. Max's feline attributes didn't have time to react as the speeding truck hurtled toward her.
Just as Bert looked up from tuning the radio, he saw a girl on the road, crossing the street. There was no time to swerve away, and all he saw was the look of shock on the girl's face, just before she slid up the hood, and crumpled into the windshield.
The impact drove the oxygen out of Max's lungs as she connected with the front of the truck. The inertia from the truck shoved her up the hood, the force of her body cracking the windshield. Instantly, Max saw stars as the back of her head whipped into the support column on the side of the truck. Original Cindy was only a few feet away, incapable to do anything about the events that were taking place.
"Max!" Came Original Cindy's scream, but barely heard by Max, because she was thrown into the air. Gravity doing its part, Max came down, and her entire body screamed at her as she slammed into the pavement. The deep cut on her head bled profusely, as most head wounds tend to do. Max's was no exception. Within the space of several seconds, a large pool of blood formed around her head. Max's broken body cried out to her as she fluttered in and out of consciousness. The truck screeched to a stop behind Max, giving the already beaten and broken body a final nudge.
What have I done… Bert could not believe what had just happened. Finally, his mind registered and he scrambled out of his pickup, running over to the still girl, lying crumpled on the street.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry…" He rambled to the girl's friend. As he kneeled over, he could faintly hear slow, raspy breathing from the girl. He wanted to help, but he was afraid to touch her for fear of causing further damage. Tiny shards of glass littered her hair, and she had road rash on the left side of her cheek, as well as other various areas on her face. Her eyes fluttered as she struggled to breathe, the simple thought of moving threatening her consciousness. Her bike lay several feet away, the buckled steel of the frame a testament to the force of the crash.
OC screamed at her to stay awake, but her voice seemed distant. Max struggled to breathe; it felt as if bricks were being loaded onto her chest. Original Cindy was getting out her cell, preparing to call an ambulance.
A crowd was quickly gathering; people pushed and shoved to catch a glimpse of the broken girl lying on the pavement. Screams rang out for someone to call an ambulance. Everything was happening so fast. Max's head clouded with pain as she poured over the ramifications of a simple phone call. She knew Lydecker would have someone inside screening the files of incoming patients. By the end of the day she'd be staring up at him from a gurney. Immediately she'd be taken back to Manticore, placed in Psy-Ops and Reindoctrination. She fought to speak, to communicate the crucial information, but her body exploded with pain, sending her blissfully into unconsciousness.
OKAY PPL! Get ready for some more exciting action to come in the new revised chapters. . . don't forget to review to let me know what you guys think about it.