Dragging Alec
into it
Chapter Eight:
“Hey,
“Max…what can I do for
you?” he asked immediately, sensing, perhaps,
that she wouldn’t call unless she had to.
“The cops are tracking
us, Logan. They made at least two of the X-Series today, and we have no
idea how. You think Sung would know or some other informant?”
“Call Alec’s cell, if
I’m not around, tell him whatever you find out.” Max closed her eyes, she
hated throwing Alec into his face, but you never knew what a few seconds would
cost and they needed the information as soon as possible.
“Sounds good, I’ll get
back to you.” He acted like everything was normal.
“Thanks,
“Ok?” Alec asked
as she got off the phone.
Max nodded, “OK, who
has 785?”
Mole handed her a cell
phone, “Is this 785?”
“Is this our fearless
leader?” came a voice from the other end. There
could be no better confirmation of identity.
“We’ve considered your
suggestion…and you’re on.”
“Really…” 785 didn’t
seem impressed. “Your boyfriend make you do it?”
Max’s lips tightened,
“You see the news?” she asked, not waiting for a
reply, “We obey the law because it protects us. If the law refuses to
protect us, it does not apply to us.”
“That was a load of
BS, but it would make a great speech.”
“Are you in?”
“You’re making a
transgenic crime syndicate?”
“Basically, yeah,
we’re protecting our people and we need money to do that.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure, I’m
in.” 785 wasn’t what one would call a bleeding
heart. Max couldn’t think of anything funnier, at that moment, than
introducing him to
“Just get your ass to
“You got it, baby.”
“Never call me
that.” She hung up.
The phone rang before
she got a chance to say anything.
“Alec’s
phone.” She answered, thinking it was probably Logan, but not wanting to
confuse anyone if it wasn’t.
“Hey Max.” It
was Logan, as suspected. “You were right, they
are tracking you with an electronic thermal imaging system.”
“How does that work?”
“Apparently, the
X-Series has a higher core body temperature than the standard 98.6, more like
101.8. So with the right thermal gating, they can scan a crowd and know
who all the transgenics are.”
“Damn…is there
anything we can do about that?”
“So they don’t pick you
out? No, you’d have to lower your entire body temperature, and I don’t
think you’d be able to function as you’re used to, even if you found a way to
do that.”
“Does every cop have
one?” she asked next.
“No, so far there are
only a few out there, which is good for now, but they are expecting a shipment
in…” he looked up the information “…tomorrow, I guess. After that, every
sector cop will have one, particularly at the Sector Checkpoints.”
Max kicked the wall
and Alec mouthed “What?”
“Any
good news?”
“Well…I know the route
the truck is taking…should someone be interested in preventing the delivery.”
Max smiled for the
first time in the conversation. “How much time would that buy us?”
“A couple days, but
then they will probably fly in equipment…they are already trying to fit this
technology to the hoverdrones. At that point…”
his voice trailed off.
“Yeah,” she
whispered. “I see your point.”
At that moment, X6-785
walked in the door, winking at Alec on his way over to Max.
“Logan? I’m
going to hand you off to Dix…if you can give him the specifics on the route, that would be perfect.”
“No problem, Max.”
“Thanks, Logan.”
She gave the phone to Dix and turned to the cocky X6.
“You made it.
Good.”
785 shrugged. “Nothing better to do.”
“OK.” Max raised
her voice and everyone stopped, turning to her. “The X-Series is getting
picked off, as you may have noticed. They pegged Biggs and Cece because our temperature. Our body temperature is
higher than the ordinaries and they are using thermal imaging for detection.
Right now, they have more of these machines on their way, and they would LIKE
to have them at every checkpoint in the city. Right now, is a truck on
the way to deliver these machines. They aren’t
widespread yet, but they will be. Dix is getting the route of the
truck. It comes in tomorrow. Our first order of business is to take
out that truck. It may only buy us days, but we’ll take it.” Max
turned to Alec. “Are you still tight with that arms dealer in Koreatown?”
“Yeah,” he nodded.
“Tell him we’ll buy
him out, money’s no object.”
Mole interrupted, “It
is when you don’t have any.”
Alec was already
dialing. “Then we’ll get some…right?” he
turned to look at 785, who was starting to smile slightly.
“Right.” He answered,
surprising Max.
Alec held up his hand
for silence.
“Hey, Ralph. You
happen to know where I could find an ugly-ass guy in his sixties, pedaling arms
for top dollar?” Alec grinned, “Yeah, its me…doing excellently, as always. Look,
Ralph. I have a buyer for you. Basically anything you have, I’m
thinking. Grenade launchers, AK-67s, anything and
everything. I can hook you up with him, he hooks you up with the
money and you give me…say, 30%, and we have ourselves a nice deal all around.”
Max rolled her eyes at
that and 785 grinned in appreciation.
“How much you think
this will put my guy back? Come on, Ralph. Do you want this deal or
not? He’s shopping around, you have think
competitively, here, or you…or, more importantly, I get nothing.”
Alec did good work, it was both disgusting and impressive at the same
time. Max was a bit more turned on that should would
have ever admitted by the display.
“Now we’re
talking. Thanks, Ralph. I’ll be in touch.” Alec hung up the
phone with satisfaction.
“How
much?” Max asked immediately.
“$200,000.”
“Doable.” Said 785 with a smile.