Outside the Mess Hall, Terminal City

Alec,
walking out of the mess hall with Reese, saw Max and Logan affectionately
part and go their separate ways.

�Man,
I gotta get out of here. I�m getting sick watching those two fall all
over each other! I could use some of that myself.�

�X5-494
is not getting his dig around here? What is the world coming
to?� His friend joked. �I thought you were the superstud of Terminal
City. Must be lots of lovely X5 and X6 females here more than willing
to take you on.�

�Yeah,
I suppose so,� Alec agreed. �But right now I�m looking for some nice,
ordinary female.�

�Anyone
in particular?� Reese winked.

�Maybe, maybe not.� Alec shut down the conversation
and stalked toward the barracks.

Max�s Quarters, Terminal City

Max
lay on her cot staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, a sharp knock on her
door brought her quickly to her feet.

She
opened the door to see the dark-skinned transgenic standing in her doorway,
staring at her intently.

�Didn�t
think I�d see you again,� Max frowned. �Why are you here?�

�I
told you I�d pass on any intelligence I run across.� He looked at her
sincerely.

�Fine,
come in.� Max waved him toward a chair and stalked over to him. �So
spill.�

�Zeri and her buddies are serious about going to work for Lydecker. They
were discussing it this morning at breakfast. Zeri�s waiting for him
to phone her with an offer. She�s sure he�ll be in touch.�

�So
Lydecker is trying to recruit people out of Terminal
City.�

�Looks
like it.�

�Okay.
I�ll get someone on it, uh � � Max stopped abruptly.

�Raz.�

�What?�

�My
name�s Raz.� He noticed that Max seemed disturbed. �Sorry about the
other week.� He looked at her apologetically. �I didn�t realize you
had a significant oth ��

�Just
forget it!� Max snapped, then her voice softened. �Thanks for the heads
up on this stuff.� She escorted him to her door. Before she dismissed
him, she stuck her head out and looked around, making sure that no one
was in the hall, and then quickly ushered him out. As soon as he was
gone, she picked up her cell phone and dialed Logan�s number.

�Can
you drop by here for a minute? There�s something I need to discuss with
you and I don�t want to do it over the phone.�

�Sure,�
the voice on the other end said. �I�ll be right there.�

A
few minutes later, Logan knocked on the door. Almost furtively, Max
opened it and let him in, once again checking to see that the hallway
was empty.

�What�s
going on? Why all the secrecy?� Logan asked as he entered her quarters
and seated himself on the box next to her bedroll.

�I�ve
had several reports that some of the X5s and X6s are considering leaving
Terminal City and going to work for Lydecker as mercenaries.� Max paced
back and forth, looking worried.

�Yeah,
so?� Logan didn�t sound concerned.

�Um,
I was wondering if you could do some hacking, maybe into Lydecker�s
files. See if you can find out what he�s up to. I still don�t trust
good ol� Donald.�

�Hey,
good ol� Donald and his merry band saved our asses here a while
back, remember?�

�I
know, but still, he�s always got his own agenda. And not knowing what
that is makes me nervous. Most of our residents still don�t have a clue
about how to function without Manticore. Lydecker�s game could prove
to be dangerous.�

�Well,
I�m already on it. I was about to hack into his files when you called.�
Logan smiled at her.

�Okay.
Well, let me know if you find anything. I want to get this potential
problem cleared up before it gets out of hand.� Max paced away from
Logan.

�Sure,
no problem. I�ll get right on it.� Logan stood up, momentarily wincing.

Logan
walked to the door and placed his hand on the knob. �Catch ya later?�
He smiled at Max.

�Yeah,�
Max smiled back distractedly.

Panic Room, Terminal City

Logan
carefully set up for an Eyes Only broadcast, pixelating the contours
of his face on the computer screen to obscure his identity.

�Do
not attempt to adjust your set. This is a Streaming Freedom video bulletin.
The cable hack will last exactly 60 seconds. It cannot be traced, it
cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city.
Just as the transgenics were erroneously blamed for the Independence
Day epidemic, so rumor of them being the cause of the latest outbreak
of illness has surfaced. In fact, the
illness was caused by tainted food.

�Not
only are the transgenics NOT responsible for either of these outbreaks,
they actually gave their blood to make the vaccine used to treat the
plague. That�s right, they gave their blood to save people. They are
not your enemy. This has been an Eyes Only Streaming Freedom Video Bulletin.
Peace. Out.�

Logan
leaned back in his chair and hit the button that would send the cable
hack over the airwaves.

Jam
Pony

As
usual, messengers milled around while Normal yelled, in a frustrated
attempt at maintaining order among the chaos.

�Bip
bip bip! Lots of orphan packages here! Come on people!� He rolled his
eyes and mumbled to himself. �Why do I even bother? Slackers!�

The
television crackled as the Eyes Only hack interrupted regular broadcasting.
Almost instantly, the messengers went silent and zeroed in on the screen.
Normal leaned out of his cage at the front desk to watch. Original Cindy,
recovered from her bout of food poisoning, quietly shut her locker door
instead of slamming it like she usually did.

��rumor
of them being the cause of the latest outbreak of illness has surfaced��

�Dayum!
Not again!� she muttered. Sketchy frowned at the television.

��they
gave their blood to save people. They are not your enemy��

�That�s
right! You tell �em, boo!� she shouted at the screen. �And we were the
first to get it out to the peeps!�

�Yeah,
you tell �em!� Sketchy reiterated. As the hack ended, he turned to Original
Cindy. �I�m glad Eyes Only�s back. Someone
needs to tell it like it is. I didn�t realize how much I had missed
his hacks.� Original Cindy smiled and high-fived Sketchy and Sky. Even
Normal looked pleased.

Last
Stop Bar, Terminal City

Cain,
Gem, Ginger, Rocky, Mole, and other transgenics were watching the news
when suddenly the picture on the screen dissolved and the familiar red,
white and blue banner appeared. As the Eyes Only hack began, they, too,
listened intently.

��rumor
of them being the cause of the latest outbreak of illness has surfaced��

�Name
something and the ordinaries will say we�re responsible,� Cain said.
�Rain, hail, earthquakes, plagues of locusts, zits � it�s all our fault.�

��they
gave their blood to save people. They are not your enemy��

�Yeah,
and we�ve got a spy right here in Terminal City � and having Max playing
footsie with one of those is detrimental to our mission,� Mole
whispered.

�Logan?
Yeah, he knows exactly what�s going on here, doesn�t he? He helped set
up the communication system. What�s to prevent him from letting the
cops know everything? It would be easy for him,� Rocky agreed.

�Well,
what about the fact that he�s wanted by the sector police himself?�
Ginger asked. �Doesn�t that count for anything?�

�Nah,
that could be a setup by the cops to throw us off,� Rocky replied. �We
don�t know how he really feels about us. He could be using Max to get
information about us and funneling it to the cops.�

�Do
you really believe that?� Disgusted, Gem got up from the table and stalked
off.

Crash � afternoon

Alec
sat at a table, nursing his beer and checking out the scene. Original
Cindy and Sky looked on as Sketchy performed another of his stunts for
an appreciative audience.

�That
fool needin� ta show off his skills again,� Original Cindy said under
her breath.

Alec
looked at her, �It�s not for lack of attention.�

�Ya
think?� Original Cindy said sarcastically, but mellowed her tone, �Good
thing Max gave you time off�with this whole transgenic mess hangin�
around.�

Sky
finished off his glass of beer, �Umm�yeah. That was way too cool a trick
you played with those cell phones.�

Alec
merely nodded. �Yeah. Not much to do there lately.�

Sky
glanced around nervously. �You gotta keep a low profile, though. Crash
is still a public place.�

Original
Cindy looked up at the staircase just in time to see Asha open the door
and walk in. She paused at the top of the stairs and scanned the room
for a moment, her eyes coming to rest on Alec, who was still watching
Sketchy. A smile lit her face for a moment, but was quickly replaced
by a confused frown. She hurried down the staircase and headed for the
bar.

Original
Cindy stood up and grabbed Sky�s wrist. �I�m in the mood to play some
pool.�

�I�m
not. Don�t got the dough to lose.� Sky resisted, oblivious to what was
happening.

Original
Cindy tightened her grip. �I�m gonna give you the game this time, you
fool!� She tugged harder and Sky stood up, nearly knocking his empty
glass off the table.

�Geez!
You don�t give a guy a break, do you?�

�I
don�t give anything to your lowlife male species. Ever.� She glanced
at Alec. �You�ve got company.� She nodded toward the bar, then half-dragged
a reluctant Sky toward the pool table.

Alec
stood up and walked over to Asha. He leaned his back against the bar
and continued to watch Sketchy, who was balanced on a table in the middle
of the room. Then he glanced over at Asha, who was gulping down her
beer.

�Don�t
drown yourself or you might need to be carried outta
here.� He waited for a response, but not getting one, tried a different
approach. �None of your friends with you?�

Asha�s
eyes narrowed. �I�m on a break. Thanks for asking.� She didn�t so much
as glance at Alec.

�I
guess they�re not friends, huh?� He said it as if the fact just occurred
to him.

�Guess
not.�

Alec�s
brows met. �Is there something on my face? I usually have women staring
at me, not ignoring me.�

�I�m
not one of your floozies, Alec,� Asha spat back. �But you know what?
There�s always something wrong with your face�� then she added
so faintly that it nearly escaped Alec, �particularly after the first
date.� He looked curiously at her, and saw the ghost of a smile quickly
cross her face.

Alec
looked steadily at Asha and let the comment go. �Seriously.�

�Gotta
meet someone�� Asha gave Alec a hard look. �Not that it�s any of your
business, but it�s not what you think. It�s a contact.�

�Amazing!
He�s stuck in Terminal City, but he�s still got you running his errands,�
he said jokingly, unable to hide a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Asha stood up and walked over to a table. Alec followed her movements
with his eyes before he sauntered over and sat down opposite her.

�That
was uncalled for. I shouldn�t have said it.�

Asha
glanced at him and said sarcastically, �Trying to get on my good side
for a change?� When Alec didn�t respond, but merely continued to look
at her, she shrugged.

Alec
decided to be conciliatory. �You know, you�ve been a big help to us
these days with all the food, clothing and medical supplies. We wouldn�t
survive without it.�

�We�re
just doing our part. None of you hurt anyone and these corrupt officials
are all getting plenty of free publicity for themselves over you. Plus,
the S1W is pretty big on equal rights � and then there�s Father Destry��

�He�s
proven to be a big help. I just keep hoping that the media will give
us a break.�

�They�ll
come around once they see you don�t mean any harm. We�re looking into
it, though � who�s feeding the media the stories that transgenics are
dangerous. There�s certainly some agenda behind it.� Then she shifted
gears, looking at him. �Why are you out here, anyway? You know it�s
dangerous,� she admonished. �Sometimes you just take stupid, reckless
chances, Alec.�

�Just
clearing my head. Sharing quarters has never been my forte. I prefer
living alone. It beats sharing a shower with a few hundred transgenics,
some of whom don�t know how to clean up after themselves.� Alec frowned
at what he had just said.

�I
didn�t know you were a neat freak.�

�I
have my days.�

Asha�s
curiosity showed. She was about to say something, but stopped herself.
Her eyes flickered for a second before she got up. �Got to run. I still
have an informant to meet.�

�Ah,
yes, the great Eyes Only. What would he say if he knew you�re drinking
on duty?�

Asha�s
face turned into a mask as she tried to control her irritation. �I help
him out. He�s not my keeper. I do what I do and I don�t need anyone�s
permission for it.�

Alec
held up his hand. �Hey, don�t bite my head off. You�re the one working
for him, not me. Though such dedication can only be��

�I�m
going.� Asha turned, and was about to leave when Alec�s hand gripped
her wrist. He tried again.

�I
didn�t mean��

Asha
sighed, �I know. It�s nothing. I really have to go.�

�I
enjoyed today. We should do this again sometime.�

�Whatever.�
Asha shrugged off Alec�s hand and looked curiously at him, �Maybe we
will. But not now.�

Alec
watched her leave, a thoughtful look on his face.

Logan�s Quarters, Terminal City

Max
tiptoed into Logan�s quarters. Logan sat at his desk, engrossed in some
files. She crept in and stood a few feet behind him. Logan could feel
a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, which began to distract
him.

�Max,�
Logan said as he swiveled his chair around. �Glad you could join me.�

�I
guess you missed me.� The corner of Max�s mouth turned up into a sly
smile as she sat on Logan�s desk.

�I
guess I did. Not everyone appreciates me the way you do,� Logan said
with small smile of his own.

Max
looked at him inquiringly. �What�s that mean?� she asked.

�Come
on, Max. I may not have your genetically enhanced hearing, but I do
know there have been more rumblings about you and me among the denizens
here, and I don�t just mean Mole. They don�t like our relationship.
Hell, they don�t like me, an �ordinary�, even being here in Terminal
City.�

�Logan,
that�s not true,� Max protested.

�It
is, Max.�

Max
frowned. �Well, they�re just gonna have to get over it, aren�t they?
I won�t have anyone questioning my authority � or my relationships.�

�I
understand how you feel. I feel the same way, but I don�t want anyone
giving you a hard time either,� Logan agreed.

�It�s
none of their business. After all you�ve done here�for Terminal City�for
them. I can�t let them do this to you. You�re here because I want
you to be here.� Max�s tone was insistent.

�But
we don�t really see much of each other, do we?� Logan looked into her
eyes. �Breakfast today was nice, but we don�t get to do it very often.�

�I
know, and I wish we could be together more too, but I have to balance
my time between being leader of this pack of misfits and being with
you.� Max broke his gaze and looked down. Then she got up and began
to pace in front of his desk. �Maybe you should keep a low profile for
a while.�

�What�s
that mean?� Logan frowned at her as she continued to walk back and forth.

�Maybe
you should stay away from the Command Center for a few days � unless
there�s an emergency. I need time to defuse these anti-ordinary attitudes.�

Logan
let out a deep sigh. �All right. I�ll stay here. I�ve got a lot of research
on Lydecker to do anyway. Still trying to find out what he�s up to.�

Max
stopped pacing, and looked startled. �You will?�

Logan
grinned fleetingly. �Sure. Whatever you want, Max. After all, you�re
the commander.�

�Okay.
Well, let me get back to the Command Center. After all, I�m the
commander.�

Max
kissed Logan briefly on the lips, then left. Logan got up from the desk,
shook his leg and headed to the panic room.

Panic Room, Terminal City

As
he promised Max, Logan searched Lydecker�s early military files, hoping
to find something relevant.

�I
wonder why Lydecker is trying to recruit the transgenics here. That
is, if it�s not just rumor or someone trying to stir up trouble,� Logan
muttered.

He
fast-forwarded through most of the early files and stopped at 1995,
the year Lydecker�s wife was murdered. Logan saw, once again, that the
case was never solved. He leaned forward to gaze at the computer screen.

�Hmm,
records sealed. That�s odd. Maybe there�s something significant in those
files, if I can hack into them.� His fingers flew over the keys as he
tried to break into the files.

Logan�s Computer Room, Penthouse, Fogle Towers � 2019

Logan hacked into Lydecker�s military records, attempting
to locate him, while Max and Zack looked on. He read from the files.
�Here are his DOD records. Donald Michael Lydecker. Born 1968. Enlisted
in the army right out of high school. Married his hometown sweetheart.�

�Oh, touching,� Max said sarcastically.

Logan continued. �Accepted to OCS. Graduated top of
his class. Assigned to Third Ranger Battalion. Saw action in Panama,
Kuwait, Somalia�Made Captain. Assigned to Delta Force. Legion of Merit,
Purple Heart��

�Yeah, yeah, we get the point.� Max�s impatience began
to show.

�Looks like he was on the fast track until �95. Wife
was murdered. Killer was never found,� Logan said.

�Probably did it himself,� Zack added sardonically.

�His behavior became erratic. Half a dozen disciplinary
infractions: insubordination, disorderly conduct�DUI�Bought himself
a dishonorable discharge and last but not least, an ADAP admissions
form from 1996,� Logan concluded.

Max asked, �ADAP?�

Logan explained. �Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program �
rehab for military personnel.�

�Program must�ve turned things around for him if he
was assigned to head up Manticore. He�s probably still working it,�
Max stated.

�As in, �My name is Don. I�m an alcoholic?�� Logan
said.

Lydecker�s Home � Wyoming, 1995

A grief-stricken Donald Lydecker drove back to his
house after his wife�s funeral. His face was streaked with tears. An
open bottle of Scotch sat next to him on the car seat. At regular intervals,
he picked up the bottle and took a swallow.

He pulled into the driveway and got out of the car,
a bit wobbly. With some difficulty, he unlocked the door and went inside.
He turned on the light and staggered to the sofa, where he sat down
clumsily. Fumbling, he picked up the telephone and dialed a number.

�Yeah? You got anything for me?� he barked into the
receiver.

In response to the negative reply from the other end,
his voice rose. �Whatta ya mean, you can�t find any information? What
the hell am I paying you for? Invisible space aliens did not just land,
kill my wife, and disappear! There must be some clues. Somebody must
know something!�

He took another swig from the bottle. �No records?
There have to be records! There was an investigation, for crying out
loud! I don�t care if you were escorted off base by the MPs! Try again.�
Lydecker slammed down the phone. He leaned back against the cushions
of the sofa and drained the bottle.

END
OF ACT I