After the short meeting in Slyder's garage, Inez stood outside with Max before they decided to go to Icesotope Mt.
"Do you really want to go there after Hacker followed your trail?" Max asked.
"Yes." Inez insisted. "This is why you're with me. You can hold them off for a short while, and I'll be sure to get what else I can find."
Max offered his palm as Inez followed with making contact with the android. She partially thought she was going insane, but his hand was no longer ice-cold. But she had to disregard that. He didn't have to ask where he needed to go; as he scanned the human girl to get the exact location where she wanted to be in Icesotope Mt.
Along with that, he surprisingly picked up a background on her. He teleported the both of them in the sewage area, where Inez and Matt last stood. Inez flinched.
"This is it!" Inez felt the wall. It was slimy like she remembered. "This is where I saw Hacker. We were hiding in here."
"You got lucky." Max grimaced. Inez ignored his remark as she crawled through the narrow passage and Max following behind.
Inez remembered where exactly she and Matt went and greet Santa's little helpers. She hoped Kraken was still there. Inez lead Max the way to the room, observing the map on her SWAK watch. She saw the same little blue dots moving about on the scaled map. Max glanced at it briefly.
"There." Inez pointed ahead where there was the two tunnels like before. The left, however, that lead to the room was blocked off. Inez went forward touching the wall. Harden cement.
She grimaced, stepping back."Hacker probably sealed this. I hope he doesn't know the other civilians that are here."
"I wonder why." Max said.
"Can't you do something?" Inez asked.
"Like?" Max raised a brow.
"Blow it up. That's the only way we're getting in." Inez stated. Max shook his head.
"Then I guess we're stuck here." Max sighed.
Inez glared at the lounging android leaning on the way.
"Blow it up, Max." Inez ordered. Max flinched as his glare fixated on Inez. Was she ordering him? Him? Why should he oblige? He doesn't own her or have any right to say that in the predicament she's in.
"Say please." Max folded his arms. "Like a good little lady."
Inez glared as he rolled his eyes and went forward to ready his fire. He locked at the dead center of the entrance and began charging his cannon. Steadying his arm, it started charging: 0%, 10%, 30%...
Max's arm unfolded, revealing the charging solar beam that lit the entire pathway and created a humming that was so great it could surpass a turned-up bass. This made Inez question his level of strength and actually considered of trying not teeing off the android anymore.
100%, target locked. As Max released his fully charged hyper-cannon that blasted a hole through the tunnel and further. He probably did more than enough damage through the other side. Inez stepped forward as small debris crumbled and hit the ground. Max's arm retracted back to normal.
"C'mon." Inez said as she walked towards the recently blown-up tunnel. Max did not respond as he followed behind the mortal girl.
Shortly enough, Inez stood in front of the same metal door as she looked back at Max. She knew how cautious and defensive he was; so it would be wise to warn him before he decided to hail fire.
"No shooting; they're friendly." Inez told the android. He raised a brow as he watched as the mortal girl grip the handle of the door and slowly turn it. He squinted at the door and decided to scan it. Quickly, before he even got to finish scanning the room he yanked the mortal girl back as her grip on the handle was broken. She glared at the android as she shoved him.
"What are you doing?!" Inez demanded. Max glared at her.
"Saving your life, mortal! Those aren't friendly. I picked up five drones on my radar. And Hacker is standing in the corner of that room, waiting for us to walk into his trap." Max kept his angry voice low. "Now, it would be a great time to just leave unnoticed."
Inez felt pale, all the innocent workers...they got captured too. I hope Kraken is okay. They slowly turned around and walked away from the door, when a loud piece of metal fell from the ceiling and made a loud clatter. Max's systems went alert.
"GET DOWN!" Max spun around and quickly charged his hypercannon. He estimated the seconds before that door swung open and hell broke loose. He waited until the last second before a swarm of seven-foot drones and a silk cape woven in the crowd filed out. His eyes fixated on Hacker, who stood almost the same height as his drones glaring daggers at him. He scowled as he felt a terrible itch to unleash havoc.
"Get him!" Hacker ordered as his eyes did not leave Max's. Clearly, Max was aware Hacker didn't know it wasn't Matt. But that would've been more to deal with if Hacker got his hands on either one of them.
Max unleashed his cannon as an explosion erupted between the pile of brick and grounds, half the swarm of droids exploded in a chain reaction as Hacker shielded himself with the cape as well blinded by the dust cloud. Max lifted Inez from her knees and dragged him along.
"There's nothing for us here." Was Max's few words to Inez as they teleported to a safe haven.
/
Inez collapsed on the roof of the clock-tower as Max paced the ground. He stared at the clock, his mind swarmed with frustration and anticipation as time was falling short. Inez slowly got to her feet as she leaned against the rising tower.
"That was a bad idea." Max told Inez in a I-told-you-so-voice. "Very bad. Hacker had a trap ready as soon as we walked in."
Inez sighed, gripping her head, "You're right. That was stupid."
"We're not doing anything like that again. That was too risky." Max drew his arm back, drawing a line. "You need to figure out an alternative plan and fast. Because you're just playing bait with a very angry shark and a herd of piranhas."
Inez shrunk to the ground, her head nestled in her knees, "It's not that easy anymore..."
Max stopped pacing and stared at the crouching girl. What was she doing now?
"What?" Max asked.
Inez slightly lifted her head, her eyes foggy and puffy, "I said, it's not that easy anymore. Everything's different. We're all grown, Cyberspace is like something we never dealt with, and something is tearing us apart. We don't have the same fighting spirit or the enthusiasm to face Hacker. We're cowards." she paused. "Where are the civilians...? We haven't seen anyone except those little helpers and...that was my last bit of hope we could've save someone."
Max growled. Is she seriously moping over this?
"Are you going to give up like that? Are you saying you aren't motivated to save our worlds?" Max said in an incredulous growl.
Inez shrugged.
Max stood over the pathetic mortal and yanked her up by the collar, tightly. They stood nose-to-nose; his intense blue glare boring into her deep brown eyes, puffy around.
"You listen, and you listen well you half-baked, mortal. You may be making pathetic choices now, but it doesn't mean you can get away with getting to do what the hell you want." Max gritted. "Doctor Marbles had to choose you all for some fucking reason. Matt may be downright selfish at times, but he has more courage than any other mortal. Jackie has the optimism that is brighter than all of you, despite her dramatic attitude. Slyder has the perseverance to overcome obstacles, despite his ignorance."
Max paused. He felt a queasy feeling settle in the pits of his torso-area. Something that hesitated him to form the words about Inez. He was warned by Dr. Alvin about this disease taking over him. It was not the first time he felt like this...
"And you Inez." He finally spoke. "Have the intelligence and ambition to formulate plans to get out of predicaments...despite you becoming easily broken down. All these things about you mortals is what makes all of this special. That's why I haven't been able to stop Hacker by myself." Max admitted.
His grip loosens as Inez stood on her feet staring at him, "You tried to defeat Hacker?"
Max gripped his fists, pacing again, "I failed...because I didn't have something that you guys had. It will never make sense to me no matter how hard I try."
There was a long silence before Inez stared hard at the back of Max.
"Feelings." Max said as he stared at the countdown in the sky.