Part 2

Streets of Seattle, 12:00 AM

"Now what?" Johnny asked. "We're likely to pick up some seriously unpleasant company soon.

Do you know anywhere safe?" Johnny continued to hold the gas pedal to the floor, sending the car

hurtling along at more than seventy miles an hour. If it wasn't for the fact that they were the only car out

on the road at this time of night, Johnny would have caused an accident. Max looked in the rear-view

mirror. Nobody was following them, yet.

"I think I know where we can go that's safe," Max said.

"Where?" Johnny asked anxiously.

"Lydecker will expect us to go to ground, to places where there are either large numbers of

people or very few people. Such places as the areas under the docks, old warehouses, extremely

crowded nightclubs, or squatter communities. They won't expect us to be hiding the in the apartment of

one of Seattle's wealthiest philanthropists, now will they?"

Logan's Penthouse, 12:12 AM

"Hello?" Max said. "Anybody home?" She and Johnny had just walked in, unannounced, as

Max usually did. Logan was probably unaware of Max's old friend, but would be extremely interested

in him once he knew.

"Evening Max," Logan called from his computer room. "What brings you here at this time of

night?" Max had no idea what hours Logan kept, but this seemed kind of late. She hadn't been sent on

any little errands for some time, which were the usual causes of Logan's not sleeping.

"Lydecker problems. I don't think his army of Black Ops people will come looking for us in the

home of one of Seattle's rich and fashionable."

Logan wheeled himself out to meet them. He saw Max, who was expected, and someone else

whom he did not know. The new arrival was slightly taller than Max, was thin and rather muscular, had

short dark hair and silvery eyes. When he saw Johnny, he raised an eyebrow. He wasn't used to

having Max bring half-clothed, scarred young men into his penthouse late at night.

"Logan, this is Johnny. Johnny, this is Logan Cale, a friend of mine."

"Evening," Johnny said nonchalantly. "Nice place."

"I've heard of you and Manticore. Nice to meet you," he said politely. He wanted to get off on

the right foot with this X-5 escapee, unlike the last one. Johnny's eyes locked on Logan and he tensed,

almost as if he was going into attack mode. Max turned toward him.

"Relax," she said reassuringly. "He's a friend."

"Not many people know about Manticore," Johnny said. "Most of those who do are enemies.

How do I know this character is not one of Lydecker's agents or some kind of traitor?"

"If I was one of Lydecker's goons," Logan said. "I would have laid some kind of trap. I would

have also not have interfered with Lydecker's communications network when Lydecker was hunting

Max on Sedro Island some time ago. I don't like that evil bastard any more than you do."

"Can you prove this?" Johnny asked. "Some of us don't trust those who know too much about

the past."

"He jam up some of Lydecker's equipment, throwing off his pursuit of me. He's also helped

Zack and I kidnap Lydecker some time ago."

Johnny's eyes went wide. "You kidnapped him?"

"Got him just as he left an ADAP meeting. The guy's a reformed alcoholic. We interrogated him

rather brutally, trying to get him to tell us where Brin was. It turns out that he had no idea who took her

and that we were abusing someone who, for once, was innocent. As you know, we joined forces to

rescue Brin but Lydecker double-crossed us. I thought at first he wanted to sell us to the Chinese along

with Brin, to secure his retirement, but he just wanted us and the renegades in one place so he could

deal with us all together with his small army of Black Ops types. You already know what happened

with Brin."

"One third of us have been taken," Johnny said sadly. "Where's Zack?"

"I don't know. I think he'll be lingering in the area though. If you want to see him, go look for

him. However, he's said over and over again that staying together is too dangerous so he might not

want to be found."

"Well," Logan said. "I know Max fairly well and I know a little about Zack, but what about you?

What's your history?"

"Why do you want to know?" Johnny asked, voice terse. He was suspicious about the outsider's

interest in him.

"Before I met Max, I had heard about Manticore from my contacts in the military and from

various rumors. The military people reported a massive manhunt going on in the western half of the

USA for twelve 'gifted children' just before the Pulse and of a man named Lydecker who led the

manhunt. During the last days of the post-Pulse anarchy, I heard of children, teenagers whose only

distinguishing characteristics were their dependency on Tryptophan and the barcodes on their necks

and sometimes were soldiers in the militia forces. They had supernatural combat skills and many of

them wanted to know about others of their kind. When Max paid me a visit one night, I knew the

signs."

"When Zack was sixteen, he joined with the Army of the Northwest and fought in their campaign

to destroy some kind of drug smuggling/white slavery network," Max said. "He didn't go into much

detail but he said they made him one of their field commanders because of his great talent. He left them

after the Federals pacified the last of the major bandit forces and he thought they were getting too

close."

"Back to the subject," Logan said. "Johnny, what have you been up to?"

"When we escaped Manticore, we split up. Zack insisted that everyone go to the major cities

and split up, lessening the chances of recapture. I wanted to go through the northern forests, possibly

into Canada where they couldn't do anything to me anymore. I though it would be hard for them to find

one person in those vast woodlands." He shuddered, remembering ancient pain. "I was wrong. It took

them two months, but they tracked me down and took me back. I don't think I even got close to

Canada; probably didn't even leave the state."

"They tortured him," Max said. "Knowing Lydecker, probably in various horrible ways."

Johnny still hadn't stopped shuddering, but he could still speak. "You don't want to knowwhat

that bastard did to me. I can still see it, in my waking nightmares."

"As I said earlier," Max said. "Apparently, when deprived of Tryptophan, he goes into some

kind of hallucinatory psychosis." Johnny's statement took on a questioning tone at that, but he didn't

ask about it. Instead, he described his drug problem.

"I ran out of Trytophan six weeks ago, when I came to Tacoma," Johnny said. "I can't

remember too much since then, other than waking to find myself covered in blood in places I can't

remember going to. All that's interlaced with visionsof the horrible things." Johnny began trembling

again, eyes looking everywhere as though he expected to be attacked by something.

Max put her arm around his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Logan raised an eyebrow, looking

straight at Johnny. "Johnny, the blood you found on yourself came from people you killed. I have

reason to suspect you may be the Night Stalker, Seattle's latest serial killer and media publicity cow."

Johnny's eyes went wide at this.

"I'vekilled people? Innocents?"

"Johnny was always very moral," Max said quickly.

"Sorry," Logan said. "Of course, if you were in some kind of far-out mental state at the time, you

really can't be held legally or morally responsible for that. If you take regular doses of Tryptophan, as

you apparently have, you seem like a model human being." Johnny eyes got wider at that, but he

remained calm.

"Well," he said, forcing himself to smile. "Now what? We've been here conversing for what

seems like at least an hour and I wonder if Lydecker's hunt has died down."

"His hunt is eternal," Max said. "But his immediate search through the city won't end until at least

daybreak. Thankfully, we parked the Hummer down the street from the building so even if Lydecker's

people found it, they won't think to look here."

Logan shrugged. "Perhaps then, you two should stay here for the night. I have a guest room

which you two could use."

"Thanks," Max said. "Well, what should we do? Sit around all night and watch movies and eat

popcorn?"

"Well, I'd like to hear a bit more about Johnny and his life," Logan said. "I find myself craving

knowledge about Manticore."

Johnny smiled a bit. "One of Lydecker's aims is probably to keep knowledge of Manticore from

getting too far. The more who know it, the better."

"Maybe I should run a Streaming Freedom video on Manticore some day. You, Zack, and

Johnny could star in it. It will give Lydecker and his goons quite a fright, possibly rousing enough public

opinion against the whole project to make Lydecker give up. After all, public opinion in 2000 stopped

Vice President Al Gore from litigating his way into the White House."

"Lydecker's not some Washington politico, he's a heartless monster," Johnny said tersely.

"He seems almost like some kind of warped father figure," Max said. "I can't believe I'm

defending him, but he seemed to display genuine dislike of the concept of Brin being sold to the

Chinese and he refers to us as 'his kids', plus he seems to feel some guilt about killing Eva during the

escape. He even invited me to come back to Manticore of my own free will, to 'come home'. To top it

off, he seemed to show genuine concern for Brin's well-being when she came down with the weird

genetic disease. I still think he's a warped little sicko, however."

"Lydecker is Satan, the Antichrist, and Hitler all rolled into one," Johnny said. "I don't care if he

calls me his personal idol and the greatest visionary of the 21st Century, I still hate him."

"There was a movie character George Lucas invented for his Star Wars films during the late 20th

and early 21st centuries whose named meant "Dark Father" in Dutch. Darth Vader, I think he called

him. Lydecker might be a real-life version of this guy, without the breath-mask and the laser sword and

all," Logan cut in, half-smiling. He thought he would bowl them over with his extreme knowledge of old

movies.

Johnny ignored him. "Max, perhaps we should try to kill him."

"When Zack and I kidnapped him, it caused all sorts of trouble and that was at an ADAP

meeting. He's likely to be more careful now; heck he might not even leave his forward base anymore.

An attack on the Federal Building when it's on alert like it is now would be suicidal."

Meeting Room, 12:45 AM

"I'm tired and that means my judgement is going to have lapses," Lydecker said angrily, "but I'm

still right. Alan, how in the hell didn't you beat them? You're bigger and stronger than they are, and all

your potential genetic flaws have been corrected." He faced Alan across the table of the meeting room,

the two locked in a combat debriefing.

"I don't know, sir. However, remind me next time to make sure that Max doesn't kick me in the

balls, sir," Alan said. "That pretty much ended the fight right there, sir."

"Women," Lydecker sighed in a grossly exaggerated fashion. "They so love to do that in fights."

"Sir, permission to join the hunting team requested."

"Not entirely yes or no, Alan. I'll need your knowledge of their character to track them and

predict their movements from here, but I can position you on teams that are likely to catch them when

we start getting close. My conventional troops are never a match for them, even with the advantage of

surprise and greater numbers."

"Perhaps we should use the older Hydra warriors to catch them," Alan said. "They're older than

the Manticore people and are less genetically advanced, but they're more of a match for them than

conventional Special Forces."

Lydecker smiled at his protégé. "That's a good idea, Alan. I'll have to call up General Kelly,

who's in charge of Hydra, and see if I can borrow some of his people."

Logan's Penthouse, 2:56 AM

Logan had finally given in and went to bed. This left Max and Johnny sitting next to each other in

Logan's plush living room, which looked out over the city. Logan had loaned Johnny some of his

clothes, which fit the X-5 escapee surprisingly well. The man was now wearing pair of jeans and an old

T-shirt advertising the Seattle Mariners. Johnny seemed to have gone into a more pensive mood,

staring intently at the mahogany table across from the two of them. Max was concerned with Johnny's

mood changes; they might precede another bout of hallucinatory psychosis.

"There were twelve of us free, you know," Johnny said. "Now there are only eight. A third of us

have been taken by Lydecker, back to Manticore. Makes one conscious of his or her own mortality,

doesn't it? Knowing that at any second the black helicopters or black Humm-Vees of Lydecker's

goon squad could come crashing down on us at any minute."

"Or perhaps one of our 'siblings,' brainwashed into fighting against us," Max said. "You never

know. Perhaps next time Lydecker comes for us, it will be with Rick or Jeri or even Brin as his

muscle."

"Irony bites," Johnny said morosely. He seemed more lost and depressed than usual, even

though that night was the first time Max had seen him in a decade. Max put her arm around his

shoulder, to reassure him a bit. Johnny leaned a bit closer. "Thanks for caring," he said simply. "It helps

brighten the sad parts."

A few seconds passed. "Ah, what the hell," Johnny said, suddenly brightening. "Let's raid the

rich guy's wines and have a little party. I don't think he'll mind, now would he? Besides, all this talk

about Lydecker and our captured 'siblings' and our own mortality royally sucks. Well, what do you

say?"

"I don't think so," Max said. "Logan would appreciate being asked first, but he's asleep now

and he wouldn't appreciate being woken up. You'd like him to show you just as much respect, now

would you?"

"Yep," Johnny said. "Oh well, then what?"

Roof of the Kelly P. Freeman Federal Building, 5:00 AM

The enormous Chinook came in for a landing atop the Kelly P. Freeman Federal Building at

exactly 5:00 AM and Lydecker was there to meet them. As the back doors opened up and seven

figures in black emerged, the Colonel smiled. "Thanks, General," Lydecker said into the cellular phone

he had.

"Any time, Deck," the General said. "These guys will help you quite a bit with tracking down

your two runaways. Send them back once they're finished."

"Yes sir." The first of the Hydra warriors had walked up to him. "Reporting for duty, sir," the

man in black said. He had silvery eyes like Johnny, but the color was not natural. Rather, it was the

result of cybernetic augmentation that gave him increased visual acuity and longer sight range.

"You've arrived on time, soldier," Lydecker said. "Find a place for you and your team. We'll be

ready to go in the morning."

Logan's Residence, 7:15 AM

"Well," Max said. "I've got to go to work this morning." The two had simply been "hanging out"

for the past several hours, with very little to do. She got up from the sofa and set off for the door.

Johnny simply stayed where he was.

"Have fun," he said. As soon as he had left, he began thinking. Before he ran out of Trytophan,

he had to take a pill on average once every few days to prevent his seizures. He had always stopped

the seizures very early on, so he had no clue until a few hours ago that left untreated, his seizures could

progress into insane killing sprees. He'd have to get Tryptophan in order to avoid killing innocents and

he'd have to get money in order to buy Trytophan, but in order to get the money, he'd have to get a

job. Not an easy proposition in a city patrolled by a psychotic military officer who knew every detail of

one's appearance. However, the consequences of another prolonged period without the drug were

worse than risking one's freedom in order to work.

Jam Pony X-Press, 7:30 AM 

"My, Miss Dependable is in right on time," Normal said as Max walked in. "Don't sneak off

again like you did earlier."

"Extenuating circumstances," Max told him. Normal looked nonplussed at Max.

"Read my lips, no new work breaks," he said, wagging his finger in characteristic George

Herbert Walker Bush fashion.

"Will you break that promise as fast as your idol did?" Max asked.

"He was a good President," Normal called. "He managed the Gulf War well! Everyone makes

mistakes at least once!"

"De Most High says to forget whad is behind and focus on what is in de future," Herbal said,

swooping down the stairs in all his sartorial splendor. "And Normal, de Bob Marley Memorial Concert

is in three days. Can I get off work?"

"Can I get off work on June 12th?" Normal asked. "Or will the business disintegrate without my

expert leadership?"

"Brothers and sisters, is it not righteous to let de workers have breaks?" Herbal asked.

"Hours are 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM," Normal said. "And you get a lot of breaks simply due to the

rate of package delivery. So don't whine about how overworked you are. It'd be a lot more strict if

Mr. Sivapapa whatever was in charge."

Sketchy, who had been standing in the corner near the bikes, broke down laughing. "What?"

Normal said, perturbed. "What's so funny about Mr. Sivapapasudaraman?" Sketchy cracked up even

more and Normal scratched his head. "You guys are weird. Now, if we're all here and we're all

bored, let's get started a little early."

Everyone groaned.

Port Districts, 8:00 AM

Johnny walked down the street, eyes alert. Although he needed a job in order to keep himself in

food and Tryptophan, he also needed to avoid Lydecker's soldiers. Therefore, although he kept an

eye out for businesses that operated along the waterfront, he also listened for Humm-Vee or helicopter

engines. He had already fenced Lydecker's Humm-Vee for $6,000 to chauffeur service, which had set

right to work painting fanciful dragons on the sides, but that money wouldn't last. When he had last

purchased Tryptophan, it cost him $100 for fifty pills and that was in Las Vegas, which was close to

some chemical plants. Seattle, which was known for being a trading center and oil refining area, would

only have the needed drug at a much higher price, if at all. That, plus food and lodging, would eat up

money quickly.

"Excuse me," he asked a vendor who seemed to have his hands full serving several customers at

once. "I need a job. Do you have any openings?"

"Not now, too busy!" the man, a short, bony looking character, shouted in a loud Russian

accent. "Find someone else!" The man stopped talking and continued to shove large bratwursts in the

direction of his clients. At least this guy had customers; most of the nearby shops were deserted.

"My, what manners go around these days," Johnny sighed, then continued walking along the port

district. "Jobs are scarcer then hen's teeth around here." He looked towards a series of stalls in a

covered market, but there were very few customers and the vendors looked bored, indicated that

nobody had shown any interest in awhile. He looked around a bit, hoping to see something that might

lead him in his search for employment, but something else caught his eye instead. That something else

was a bit out of place and could signal trouble.

It was a tall man in dark military garb who had strange silvery eyes. He carried a compact Uzi

pistol, which looked to be fully automatic. The man was following him. He looked around a bit more

and saw two more moving downward from a side street. This signaled trouble. He began walking

down the street at a faster clip, hoping to get away from them.

"Colonel Lydecker," one of them said into his radio. "We've found this 'Johnny' but we believe

he's spotted us."

"Corner him somewhere and incapacitate him," Lydecker's voice said from the other end. "Then

radio me with your location. Try to take him in a group; this guy's engineering is a full generation ahead

of yours."

"Yes, sir," the soldier said, agreeing only with the orders and not Lydecker's opinions. The

cybernetic devices that augmented his major muscle groups, acting as extra muscular power and

serving to keep his existing muscles in good condition, never tired and never weakened. The Manticore

troops, who had been designed for speed and stealth more so than raw physical power, would be

hard-pressed to bring down one of the Hydra warriors.

Near the Space Needle, 8:10 AM

"Here's your package and thank you for patronizing Jam Pony X-Press," Max said cheerfully to

the man who leaned against the light pole. "Don't hurt yourself with it now." She knew that the delivery

was a gun of some kind; she could tell by the noises it made inside its box. She didn't like guns; they

brought up too many bad memories.

"Don't worry, young lady," the kindly-looking old man said. "It's only a precaution. With the

crime rate up and the police as unreliable as they are these days, one should be prepared. Besides, I

know how to use these things." He ran his fingers through his thinning white hair and smiled. "Good

luck with your job." He turned and walked away. For a man his age, his movements were surprisingly

smooth.

"Thank you, sir," Max said and pedaled away from him. She had two more packages to deliver

on the early-morning part of her job. As she drove down the road, she didn't notice the two men with

silvery eyes standing by an old sign. One of them talked into a walkie-talkie as he saw her and the two

set off at a fast clip in pursuit.

Port Districts, 8:12 AM

Johnny looked behind him to see the small group of silvery-eyed troops in hot pursuit. He looked

around him to see a possible way to get away from these people without attracting undue attention,

especially from the sector police standing next to the light tank on the corner. He saw an alleyway and

began walking towards it, keeping an eye on the mysterious pursuers. They turned with eerie

synchronization and began following him.

He began walking and they picked up the pace just enough to keep the ratio of movement the

same. Their slightly faster pace was carrying them closer and closer to him. He entered the alleyway

and leaped up onto the wall, then pushed off before he could drop so that he ended up leaping to the

opposite wall, then repeated the process a la Jackie Chan until he was on the roof of one of the

buildings. He then took off running down the long roof.

Two of Johnny's pursuers clambered up the wall behind him and took off in pursuit. One of them

leaped, his legs moving in a curious fashion, and landed in front of him. Johnny had no choice put to

attack. He threw a punch at the warrior, who seized his hand and spun, flipping him. Johnny seized the

man's neck with his legs as he went over and flipped the enemy in turn, sending them both crashing to

the ground. Johnny was up first and brought his foot down onto the back of the other warrior's head,

hopefully knocking him out. The man lay still, but that was the least of his problems. The other one

leaped on top of him, moments later. The new arrival pinned Johnny easily.

"You couldn't run forever, 'Johnny'," the new warrior, a young female with reddish hair, said in a

feminine but harsh voice. "Lydecker's waiting."

"Not a chance in hell, lady," Johnny said, head-butting her in the nose. She gave a small cry and

leaned up, clutching at her face with the free hand. Johnny used his other hand to strike her on the chin,

sending her reeling. He flipped up onto his feet and kicked her full in the face before she could get to

her feet. She collapsed with a moan. Johnny exhaled, tired by a fight for the first time in a long time.

These people weren't as tough as any of the Manticore people he had fought with, but they were by no

means as easy to deal with as Lydecker's Black Ops people. However, his troubles weren't over yet.

"Two down, one to go. However, I'm armed," the last of the new arrivals said as he leaped up

from the alley in what appeared to be a single jump. He was the first one of the Hydra warriors that

Johnny had seen, the one with the Uzi. He opened fire on Johnny, aiming for the legs and stomach for

hits that would incapacitate, but not kill. Apparently these people, who apparently were allied to

Lydecker, wanted him alive.

Johnny leaped to avoid the stream of Uzi rounds and tumbled through the air to meet his

opponent. The man raised his gun, still firing, in order to hit him. As Johnny slammed feet-first into the

man's face, a bullet struck him in the shin and ricocheted away, leaving several shallow cuts and bone

gouges.

"Damn!" Johnny cried out. "That hurts!" He channeled his anger and pain into the blows that he

was sending into the man's face, bruising him and breaking his nose. He moved too fast for the man to

react, even though the enemy was more thickly built than he was and probably was stronger. The man

was apparently stunned, so he was meeting little resistance. Then, he heard something behind him.

"Forgetting something?" another voice said and Johnny turned to see the first of the mysterious

warriors, his face cut by his impact into the roof, standing directly behind him. Before he could blink,

the man was upon him. The Hydra soldier got two nasty blows into Johnny's face, bloodying his nose,

before Johnny could work his foot into the man's stomach. Then, he flipped him off. The man yelled as

he flew through the air. Johnny watched in satisfaction as he tumbled into the alley, but the enemy

seized the edge of the roof and flipped himself back up, assuming a fighting stance.

"Why won't you just stay down?" Johnny said, half-imploringly.

"That's a good question," the female soldier said. Johnny turned to see her standing mere feet

behind him before she kneed him in the crotch. Everything went red for a moment and pain exploded

through his body. By the time his vision cleared, all three of them were standing over him, looking

mighty pleased with themselves.

"That was quick," the third Hydra warrior said, wiping blood from his broken nose. "Lydecker

said to expect a serious fight from him because his engineering is ahead of ours."

"Lydecker was right," Johnny said, sweeping them with his leg. He knocked the soldier with the

broken nose into the female, knocking both of them down. However, the soldier with the cut face

leaped away from the proceedings. Johnny wasn't interested in another sparring match, so he snatched

the Uzi from the soldier before he could recover from his fall, pointed it at the enemy, and squeezed the

trigger. Five rounds slammed into the enemy's stomach and chest, but the man only doubled over.

Some blood trickled from the wounds, but they apparently did little damage.

"Internal mesh armor is good," the man said. "You'd need cop-killer bullets to do much damage

to me."

"Oh fine," Johnny said. He raised the pistol and fired exactly two rounds. Those rounds pierced

his enemy's eyes and exploded out the back of his skull. The man dropped dead and Johnny turned to

see the other two gone. "Where'd they go?" Johnny asked himself. "This is unusual." He was left alone

on the rooftop, scratching his head. The other two hung by their hands from the edge of the roof twenty

feet from Johnny. They'd get the drop on him later, when he came by the other side of the building.

Jam Pony X-Press, 8:30 AM

"Good job with all the packages," Normal said. "I might just make you employee of the month,

despite your little disappearing act last night."

"Thanks," Max said. "I really appreciate that." She didn't particularly care, actually, but she

wanted to be as nice as possible in order to get away from the overbearing pest.

Suddenly, one of the other riders whom Max didn't know careened right by Normal. The irate

supervisor spilled coffee on himself as he leaped back to avoid the man. Normal yelled after him.

"Watch where you're going, bucko! This shirt was expensive even before the Pulse!" He shook his fist

at the departing rider. Max smiled in spite of herself and began backing away, hoping Normal didn't

notice.

"Max, take this package to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport," Normal said, handing her a sizable

box. "Give it to a man named Saunders and make him give you $10 for it first. Make it snappy."

"Sure," Max said, putting her feet back on the pedals. She pedaled away at a faster-than-usual

clip. She pedaled down the street and turned the right corner, heading towards the Airport, which was

on the other side of the city. The silver-eyed soldiers appeared from the crowd on the left corner and

saw her pedaling away. One of them scowled and said some harsh words to the other and they picked

up their pace, pursuing Max through the city.

Old Chinatown, 8:45 AM

Johnny walked down the street with a faster-than-usual gait. The encounter with the silver-eyed

people had shaken him a bit. Up until fifteen minutes ago, he had never had Lydecker's goons come

that close in a public situation. Perhaps it would be a good idea to go to Vancouver, where Lydecker's

web of spies and soldiers wouldn't be so stifling, if it was there at all. Besides, prices of everything in

general were lower in Canada, including Tryptophan. It had already been eight hours, more or less,

since his last dose, and he imagined the first of the seizures would be coming in forty hours. He had to

have another dose by that time or the hallucinatory lunacy would start again and more people would

die. Max might have a few extra pills, but he wouldn't want to impose.

Job, then food, then Tryptophan. Very important.

Meeting Room, 8:45 AM

"Hydra troops report contact with Johnny," one of Lydecker's aides said. This one was a slightly

less nondescript man, who had contacts and an earring, along with long sideburns. "One of them is

dead, shot through the eyes. The other two have injuries of some kind or another, ranging from bruises

to a broken nose. Johnny is nowhere to be found."

"Damn," Lydecker swore. "Have the other troops gotten to Max yet?"

"Two are following now, sir. Max is on a bike and they're on foot, so they have a slight

disadvantage. They can't pursue openly, not in public."

"That's marginally better," Lydecker said. "Still, one bird in hand is better than two in the bush.

Is there anyone fitting Zack's description that the Hydra people have noticed? Or any cars fitting the

description of my SUV? I'm a little ticked about that, mind you. That car, and the gas needed to fuel it,

costs a ton these days, even with my military connections."

"Nobody's seen your car, sir," the aide said. "Zack's gone to ground pretty well. He might not

be in the city anymore. I haven't heard from any of our people in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San

Diego, Portland, Olympia, or Sacramento, so if he's left the city, he hasn't gone anywhere that we

have agents. Smart guy."

"The best of them escaped that night," Lydecker said. "The very best. If it wasn't for the aging

disease, we would never have caught the first three and Max and Zack would have never surrendered

Brin to me. Eight more of them, dispersed through a third of a billion people in less-than-ideal

conditions. A damned shame, in my opinion."

"Yes, sir," the aide said. "Perhaps you should try to gain access to the hover-drones. They might

provide better coverage and enable us to spot Johnny and possibly Zack."

"I don't want to have to contribute any more to the corrupt morass that is this city's government

than I have to," Lydecker growled. "These sleazy politicos nauseate me."

Streets of Seattle, 8:47 AM

Max pedaled down the street, heading for her destination. She was totally oblivious to the two

men with silver eyes who pursued her through the crowds. As she came to one of the checkpoints, she

took out the ID card that the Sector Police always insisted that people carry. The short, red-haired

Sector cop looked over her ID and gave it back, yawning as he did so. "Carry on," he said without

much care. She pedaled around the checkpoint and continued on toward her destination.

Meanwhile, on the same street, Johnny was making his way through the crowds toward the

checkpoint. He saw Max pedaling around the Sector police, but he also saw the two silvery-eyed

characters in pursuit. Max apparently did not notice her unusual pursuers. Johnny, who had experience

with those characters, immediately went into attack mode. He widened his pupils, getting a good idea

of the thickness of the people on the street and how to get to Max the fastest. He had to warn her

about the silver-eyed men and their malign intentions.

As Max came closer, the Hydra soldiers picked up their pace. Apparently they too had managed

to glimpse him and wanted to close in for the kill. All four of them were heading for a colossal collision

in a public street. There were Sector cops nearby, armed with machine guns, so this confrontation

would be pretty interesting, to say the least.

Suddenly, Max turned down a side street and disappeared. One of the Hydra soldiers split off to

pursue her, but the other kept walking towards Johnny. The one heading towards the male X-5

escapee was tall, blond, and armed with an Uzi pistol. Johnny had the Uzi pistol from the battle with

the other silver-eyed soldiers, but he had no idea how much ammunition was in it. He did know,

however, that the Hydra troops were invulnerable to body shots due to some kind of internal armor.

He'd have to shoot through the eyes to kill or through the joints to cripple. However, Johnny had no

intention of involving the Sector cops in the fight. He ducked into a back alley. A moment later, the

Hydra warrior joined him.

"You're mine, Johnny," the man said in a harsh, nasty voice. "You may have killed Bud, but you

will not escape me."

Johnny smiled as he leaped vertically onto the fire escape. "I've lured you into a trap," Johnny

said. "Come on." The Hydra warrior smiled evilly and leaped up as well. However, Johnny reached

out as the man rose to meet him and struck him in the face. The resulting force/motion chaos sent the

enemy toppling into a Dumpster. Johnny leaped down, smashing into the Hydra soldier's chest with his

feet. However, the adversary was far from finished.

He somehow slid out from under Johnny's feet and flipped up to face him. Then, he punched him

in the face, sending the X-5 escapee toppling. As Johnny fell backward out of the Dumpster, the hunter

surged forward to press his advantage. Johnny responded to this by kicking his opponent in the groin

and sending him toppling out of the trash receptacle and into the main alleyway. Johnny dropped down

to finish him off.

However, it wasn't that easy. Someone had seen the battle and alerted the nearby Sector cops.

One of them, armed with an M-16 automatic rifle, strode over to the entrance of the alleyway. As soon

as he saw the combat, he opened fire on the two combatants on full automatic. Johnny saw the man

raise his rifle and had a very good idea.

As he and the Hydra warrior were grappling, Johnny spun him around to face the police officer's

firepower. He heard the meaty thud of bullets smacking into the enemy. Johnny knew the attack would

probably not kill the victim due to his internal body armor, but it would definitely give his enemy some

type of disadvantage. He saw the soldier's eyes go wide as the bullets continued to hammer into him,

but the man had apparently not suffered lethal damage.

"Nice try," the man wheezed. "But it takes at least a grenade to do serious damage to the internal

armor we Hydra warriors have. You won't win this way, punk." The rival super-soldier smiled with

bloody teeth, indicating some damage had been done during the battle.

"Hydra," Johnny whispered. The X-5 group was from a project called Manticore and its

members were the results of combining human DNA with the animal genes necessary for certain

physical traits such as improved vision and reflexes. Apparently another project, this one involving

internal armor and possibly cybernetic strength enhancers, was also named for a mythological monster.

Things were getting pretty strange about now.

The firing had stopped. Apparently the officer had figured out at this point that something was

very odd about the fact that one of the fighters was still holding the other up and the one who was

absorbing all the ammunition had not died. "What's going on here?" he gasped.

"Not much," Johnny said. "Here, catch!" He threw the Hydra soldier into the cop, knocking both

of them down. He then leaped from the ground to the side of the building, pushed himself off onto the

opposite wall, and repeated the process until he was on the roof of one of the buildings. Then, he took

off running, hoping to find Max and warn her of the problem that was facing them.

Meeting Room, 8:49 AM

"Another Hydra warrior reports contact with Johnny," Lydecker's punkish aide said. "However,

he's received the usual fistfight damage, superficial damage from massive bullet barrage, and possible

internal damage from a bullet that has pierced his mesh armor. Should we bring him in?"

"Are his wounds interfering with his combat ability?" Lydecker asked. "If so, he can come back

and rest. We can even Medevac him via chopper if absolutely necessary. However, unless he's dying

or crippled, I want him to continue the hunt along with the others. This guy's got titanium under his skin,

so he can't be hurt too bad. Relay my orders."

"Yes, sir." The aide walked off to deliver the message. Lydecker frowned. The Hydra troops

were designed more for frontal line-breaking attacks while the Manticore soldiers were designed for

commando operations in which survival depended on being quiet and getting in and out of the target

area quickly. The Hydra soldiers could receive more punishment than the Manticore troops and keep

fighting, but in terms of mobility they were at a disadvantage. Their mesh armor made them physically

slower than the X-5 group, although their reflexes were just as good. If Johnny could keep ahead of

the pursuit forces and only engage them on his terms, he stood a good chance of defeating Lydecker's

hunters.

Damn.

Highway Leading into Downtown Seattle, 9:00 AM

Max had completed her delivery and was pedaling back along one of the roads when she

spotted a curious character coming towards her. The person was male, was powerfully-built, and had

dark hair in a crew cut. However, his most distinguishing feature was his silver eyes. He carried a

pistol, but it was pointed downward. As soon as he saw Max, he began moving towards in a more

determined fashion. Max looked around to see nobody else in the immediate area. This was out on one

of the roads leading into Seattle proper, so there weren't too many people that time of day.

The silver-eyed man began running towards her. He wasn't as fast as Max was at top speed, but

he moved far faster than a normal human. He raised his pistol as he ran and once he got within range,

he began shooting. Max leaped off her bike and hurtled forward in the air. The man raised his air, still

shooting, but he was a bit too slow. Max was upon him.

She got hold of the gun and tried to pull it from his hand, but the man's grip was nearly

unbreakable. The tendons in his hand were thicker and there appeared to be extra muscles, which gave

reason for the increased strength. With his free hand, he struck at Max's face and torso. The blows he

inflicted were a lot more damaging than those delivered by ordinary humans, which were pieces of

evidence showing that he was more than human.

Max decided on a change of plans. She kicked the man in the groin as hard as she could and he

groaned horribly, his grip loosening on the gun. Next came a heavy blow to the bridge of the enemy's

nose with the heel of her hand, shattering it. The man groaned again and let go of the gun. Max stepped

back, looking at the gun in a curious manner, then flipped it into some nearby bushes. She then brought

her fists up in a fighting stance.

"You'll pay, bitch," the man groaned in a harsh, ragged tone. "However, Lydecker wants you

alive. I'll just beat you into submission."

"Try that and you'll have some painful and creative things to your body," Max said. "Bring it on."

The man roared in fury and charged. Even though blood was streaming from his nose and he ran

a bit off-kilter due to Max's kick, he still moved extremely quickly and with great strength. If Max was

a normal human being, she'd be dead a hundred times over. However, Max was far from normal and it

showed in the battle that followed.

As the man came closer, Max leaped up and kicked him in the face with her right foot. His

broken nose made a wet sound as her foot struck it and the tip of her foot caught in his eye. As soon

as her foot lost contact with his face, she brought her left foot into play and hooked his other eye. He

roared again and swung blindly at her, but she had already landed behind him. She kicked him swiftly

in the back of the head, sending him toppling over, unconscious.

"You're obsolete," Max said. At this point, she had decided that apparently Lydecker had

loosed one of his other creations on her. She climbed back on her bike and pedaled away, back

towards the city.

Meeting Room, 9:15 AM

"Another one of the Hydra warriors reporting in," Lydecker's aide said. "He found Max on the

city's outskirts and she basically beat the shit out of him. He reports that he has an utterly smashed

nose, a possible concussion, and a whole lot of bruises and miscellaneous fistfight damage."

Lydecker sighed. "Honestly, these people were engineered to provide infantry forces with

soldiers capable of withstanding massive firepower and getting the job done. A contingent of these

people broke through Chinese lines on Quemoy in 2010 simply by walking into them and killing the

entire enemy force in a series of nasty hand-to-hand engagements but yet they can't even beat one

Manticore soldier. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling, you know. The project that I'm in charge of has

produced America's finest augmented soldier yet."

"Sir, what should we do? Many of the Hydra troops are damaged and one is dead."

"Bring them all in. Fat lot of good they've done; let's send them back to General Kelly for

repairs and tell him to debrief them. Now why don't you go find Alan for me? That would be a whole

lot better."

Jam Pony X-Press, 9:20 AM

"Excuse me," Johnny said as he walked in. "Have you seen Max anywhere?" He wasn't really

asking anyone in particular, but an African-American with a Jamaican-style multicolored cap answered

his question.

"Max is out on a run ride now," Herbal said. "Can I help you?"

"I'm a friend of hers. I need to speak with her most urgently." Johnny was becoming agitated,

looking right and left.

Herbal frowned. "Why don't you wade right dere," he said.

"Sure," Johnny said. Herbal disappeared somewhere, leaving Johnny anxiously waiting and

looking around. He had to warn Max about the silver-eyed men and women; they were a deadly threat

to all of them. His hands trembled a bit as he thought about the mysterious attackers. Trembling hands

could be a sign of extreme agitation, but they could be something far worse.

"Uh oh," Johnny said, an undercurrent of fear creeping into his voice. It had been less than 24

hours since he had been brought back to sanity by the Tryptophan, but it looked like the seizures were

beginning again. If not stopped by Tryptophan, they would build and build into episodes of

hallucinatory psychosis in which he would quite possibly kill someone or even many someones.

Perhaps the combat with the Hydra troops had caused some kind of chemical imbalance; even the

battle with the Black Ops people during his capture wasn't that intense of a workout.

"Can I help you?" an annoying nasal voice said and Johnny turned to see Normal approaching.

The blond supervisor, complete with his headset, apparently thought that Johnny was either a lucrative

new customer or a potential employee. Either way, someone he wanted to speak to. Johnny stared

blankly at Normal, eyes wide.

His perception was starting to act funny. Every few seconds, Normal's image was replaced for a

split second by that of Lydecker. Johnny told himself over and over again that this was not Lydecker,

he was simply an annoying guy with a headset. That alone kept him from going over the edge and

attacking the supervisor.

"I'm justwaiting for someone," Johnny said. "Don't mind me."

"I don't tolerate loiterers," Normal said. "Tell me who or I'll call the cops."

"Max," Johnny said. "Happy now?"

"State your business," Normal said. "I don't want one of my valued employees getting distracted

by useless things."

"Um, Normal?" Sketchy broke in. "You see, I've just had another run-in with the Sector cops

and" his voiced trailed off as soon as he spotted Johnny. Even though Johnny had cleaned himself up

a bit and was wearing better clothes, the rather dim-witted messenger recognized him as the deadly

Night Stalker whom he and Max had encountered before.

"The Night Stalker!" Sketchy yelled. "Run!" He bolted and Normal turned away from him to

face Johnny. Johnny, however, got the worst of it. The combination of all those reminders sent him

spiraling back into madness.

"Lydecker!" Johnny screamed and launched himself at Normal. Normal yelled in half-fear

half-surprise and jumped back. All this, plus Sketchy's recognition of Johnny, brought other

messengers from Jam Pony X-Press running. Although none of them liked Normal, none of them

wanted to see their supervisor torn to pieces by a notorious maniac and thus expose them to the risk of

having a new, more imperious supervisor. A lot of them joined in the fray immediately.

He had the dark monster of his nightmares by the throat now, and was pounding his skull

into the concrete floor of the building. Now perhaps closure was coming; the death of Lydecker

was at hand. Lydecker swung a fist and caught Johnny on the chin, but it had little effect. Johnny

was an enraged engine of death at this point and nobody could stop him, nobody could hurt him

at all.

A swinging pipe came from somewhere, but Johnny blocked it with his forearm. The

combination of speed and being blocked caused the pipe to snap in half. He kicked back,

catching in the stomach whoever swung the pipe at his skull.

Still holding the smashed half of the pipe, Original Cindy was sent tumbling backwards into some

crates. Sketchy, who rather stupidly opted for a frontal attack on Johnny, soon joined her. "Why

Cindy," he said a moment after he landed on top of her. "I didn't know you cared." He smiled in a

rather moronic fashion.

"Don't get any ideas, biker boy," Original Cindy said.

Meanwhile, the fight was getting worse. Normal was getting the worst of it from the insane

Johnny, but the domineering supervisor wasn't without help. Herbal, easily one of the toughest of the

assembled messengers, had recently waded into the fray.

He caught Johnny on the chin with a powerful kick and sent him toppling off the boss. "De Most

High has given you into my hand!" he declared. "Now time to be shown the door." Johnny flipped

back up and assumed a combat stance. Several of the other messengers began circling the new arrival,

wary of his demonstrated combat abilities but itching for a fight nonetheless.

Into this lunacy pedaled Max. She had just left one fight and came back to work to find another.

In the center of the maelstrom was Johnny, who looked a little worse for wear but was still capable of

mass destruction, although a beat-up Normal was off to the side and a righteously-mad Herbal was in

attack mode. Sketchy and Original Cindy were laying amidst a bunch of smashed crates, the latter

trying to get out from under the former.

"Johnny!" she shouted at him. Johnny spun away from Herbal to see her.

The shape-changer was back. She was alternating between the young Max, the older Max,

and a female Black Ops soldier who looked like Max. However, the older Max was beginning to

replace the other characters. The changes alternated faster and faster until reality came back to

hit him in the face

"Whoa," Johnny said, looking at all the devastation he had caused. "What happened?"

"That's why I'd like to know," Normal groaned. "I ask him why he's loitering around here, then

he up and screams 'Lydecker!' at me and starts a mini-riot here. Read my lips: This guy's insane. How

is it that you know this guy, anyway? He was waiting for you."

Max thought fast. "He's my brother," she said quickly. "He's a little quirky and sometimes loses

touch with reality."

This was a little much for Johnny. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted.

"Well, why don't you remove this guy from this legitimate place of business then?" Normal said

accusingly. "This guy's dangerous!"

Original Cindy's eyes were wide at this point. "Max, you told me that you didn't have a family.

And why is it that you look so beat up?"

"It's all a long story. Now, does anybody have anything that smells really bad? I think I may

need to revive him and remove him."

Logan's Residence, 10:00 AM

"Hmmm," Logan said as he heard Max and Johnny's story. "Apparently if something reminds

him too much of Manticore, he goes crazy." Max had taken Johnny to Logan's penthouse after the

episode at Jam Pony X-Press.

"This was a small episode," Johnny said. "I didn't need Tryptophan to end it and it wasn't a lack

of Trytophan that started it. When I saw Normal for the first time, he started looking like Lydecker and

I thought that this was my big opportunity to be rid of him forever. Now, I end up trashing Jam Pony

X-Press and jeopardizing Max's job. Life sucks."

"How erudite," Logan said. "Well, I know a way to deal with this problem."

"How?" Max asked. "If he goes off the handle every time something reminds him of Manticore,

then the city of Seattle's got a big problem."

"This hasn't happened before and I've dealt with plenty of blond males in my time. Perhaps

being in the same city as Lydecker is triggering all kinds of psychoses and problems that I don't know

about," Johnny said regretfully. "Perhaps I should leave the city and stop ruining everyone's day."

"Well," Logan said. "There's a mental hospital in Vancouver. The director there owes me a favor

or two. Perhaps I can convince her to take Johnny for some mental trauma therapy. If he can deal

successfully with his waking nightmares and can get some help, the hallucinatory psychosis problem can

be solved. Apparently it's the combination of Manticore memories and lack of Tryptophan that cause

these fits, although the recent events at Jam Pony are an exception. If one factor is dealt with, the

whole problem can go away."

"Seems like a good idea. Besides, if I'm out of the country, then Lydecker's people might not be

able to get to me. Heck, why don't you come along, Max? We can start over in a foreign country

away from Lydecker and his goons."

"American immigration into Canada is closely monitored. Although you can get a medical

exemption from Logan, I'd to go through all sorts of requirements to enter Canada legally. Besides,

I've got too much here to leave behind."

"If it's all agreed, I'll get to it right away," Logan said. "I can have someone take you there by

three this afternoon."

Meeting Room, 11:00 AM

"Colonel, I've found something," one of Lydecker's aides said. This one was a tall man in

nondescript clothing who wore a headset similar to Normal's. "Someone is scheduling for a man to be

taken to a Canadian mental hospital whose special requirements include taking Tryptophan on a

weekly basis. I think that this must be Johnny."

"Good job," Lydecker said. "Find me the departure date and I'll have Alan and some others

waiting for them. Heck, call General Kelly. Have him send a couple of Hydra troops too. I want no

chances taken with this bag."

Dock #45C, Puget Sound, 3:30 PM

The sun had come out, brightening the scene and adding color to the otherwise drab

surroundings. Max, Logan, and Johnny were all standing near a pier support on the Seattle waterfront,

waiting. To their right was the entrance of the Sound and to the left were the big docks where the

cruise and container ships landed. Logan's friend, the hospital director, had sent a boat to pick Johnny

up and take him to Vancouver. There, he'd get the necessary help and hopefully be cured of the

Manticore nightmares that had haunted him for most of his life.

"How long do you think this will take?" Max asked Logan.

"I'm not sure," Logan said. "It depends on how deep-seated the trauma is. It could take less

than a week, or it could take months. Hopefully, it won't take very long."

Johnny was being very quiet throughout the conversation. His gray eyes looked out over Puget

Sound, taking in all the details of the harbor. He held a small duffel in his left hand, which was full of

clothes that Logan had let him borrow. "Nice city," he said. "Too bad I couldn't stay here too long.

Perhaps I'll come back, once I'm done with all the psychiatric stuff."

"Why?" Max asked. "Most Americans would kill to get into Canada as migrant laborers; you

can get in free with minimal effort. Besides, Lydecker's goons probably won't be able to get to you

there."

Johnny shrugged. "Who knows?"

Skies Over Puget Sound, 3:31 PM

Lydecker watched from his helicopter as it flew over Puget Sound. His quarry was there, on one

of the docks. Max was with him and Lydecker smiled in spite of himself. Two birds with one stone,

always a good proposition. The hunters were moving into position from boats in Puget Sound and from

helicopters now, ready to make the bag. If this was successful, he would have recaptured exactly half

of the X-5 group and the tightwads in the Defense Department would give him the money to get Phase

Three up and running. Then, things would start to happen. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a

Japanese cruise ship coming into the Sound.

Lydecker smiled again. Things are going great, he thought, and they're only getting better.

Puget Sound, 3:33 PM

As the speedboat drifted closer, Alan watched from the helm. Now, he thought, was the day of

destiny. Two of the traitors were waiting on the dock, along with a scruffy-looking man in a wheelchair.

Apparently they were waiting for someone else in a boat. Alan grinned evilly. They'd end up meeting

someone in a boat, all right. Someone unexpected. He turned to check on two of the Hydra soldiers in

the boat with him. These were veterans of the morning's hunt for Max and Johnny. They'd had their

battlefield damage fixed and they were well-prepared for battle.

Skies Over Puget Sound, 3:35 PM

A lone Blackhawk helicopter flew through the air towards Dock #45C. This particular aircraft

had two Hydra troops in it. These two hadn't participated in the hunt for Max, but they had been

adequately briefed and their cybernetic capabilities were tinkered with a bit in order to increase their

strength and speed. All of them knew exactly what they were dealing with. As the chopper came closer

and closer to the prey, the men tensed. It was all going to go down soon.

Dock #45C, 3:37 PM

"Max," Johnny said, his pupils wide and eyes focused on a distant speedboat. "We've got

company. Telescope your eyes and get a good look at that guy in the helm of the boat."

Max did as Johnny told her and got quite an eyeful. Alan and two of the silvery-eyed men who

Johnny had told her were augmented soldiers from an older program manned the speedboat in the

Sound. Alan saw the two watching and waved in an almost flippant fashion. He knew they knew he

was there.

"Logan, we've been set up. How trustworthy is that friend of yours, again?" Johnny asked

suspiciously.

"She's very trustworthy. I think that maybe Lydecker's tapping the phone lines or something,

then listening for topics of conversation related to you or Max," Logan said. "Now maybe I'll get to

meet a Manticore soldier loyal to the government."

"I doubt that you'd like the meeting," Johnny said. "You know too much. Now, do you have a

gun on you? I can shoot all of them right now and save us the trouble."

"Logan," Max said concernedly. "You need to get out of the way. I think that Alan and the

Hydra soldiers are one element of an elaborate setup. Johnny, do you see any Humm-Vees or

suspicious aircraft anywhere?"

"I see several helicopters out over Puget Sound," Johnny said rather distantly. "None of them

seem to be coming our way. However, I think I can get a look into the cockpits of the choppers." He

telescoped his eyes and peered into the pilots' areas of the craft. Two helicopters were news crews

and one seemed to be a sightseeing tour. However, when he looked in one, he got the surprise of his

life. The pilot was Lydecker!

"Lydecker's in one of the choppers," Johnny said, alarm evident in his voice. "He's keeping an

eye on the whole thing." He looked into the cockpits of several other helicopters and his jaw dropped.

"One of the other choppers, the one nearest to us, has some Hydra soldiers. I foresee a simultaneous

air and sea attack on this pier with the objective of kidnapping Max and myself and killing Logan. Rich

boy, I'd split if I were you."

"I'm not running," Logan said defiantly. "I won't leave you two to face him alone."

"If you don't run, you swim," Johnny said, iron suddenly appearing in his voice. "That water is a

pain enough to swim in if you're healthy. You, on the other hand, don't have use of your legs."

"Johnny," Max said, stopping him from carrying out his threat. "Neither Lydecker's people in the

air or Alan's boat are doing anything. I suggest that we leave the dock."

Skies Over Puget Sound, 3:38 PM

"Go!" Lydecker roared into his radio. "Hit them before they leave!" Already he knew that Max

and Johnny and their paraplegic companion knew that his team was closing in and he didn't want them

slipping out of his hands just yet. He steered the helicopter towards the docks. If he came in behind

them, he could "herd" them towards the far end of the dock and into the waiting arms of his boat

people.

"Note to self," Lydecker said. "Discipline Alan over the wave, especially if they get away. Such

a breach in mission protocol warrants at least a restriction of privileges." He saw the boat moving in

towards the dock and the helicopter diving towards them.

Dock #45C, 3:38 PM

"The die is cast," Johnny said. "The attack begins."

"You know, Julius Caesar said something like that a long time ago," Max said. "Just before he

overthrew the Roman Republic."

"Yep," Johnny said. "Gotta love those ancient Romans and their coup d'etats. Nothing like a

little crossing of the Rubicon to get the job done. You handle the chopper, I'll get the boat people."

Johnny tensed as the boat approached, then leaped from the end of the dock. The slightly-mad X-5

escapee flew gracefully through the air and crashed into Alan in the boat's driver's seat.

"Hello, hello," Johnny said without pausing, then punched Alan in the face. He then kicked one of

the Hydra troops in the face. One of the silver-eyed men was the guy Johnny held in front of the

machine gun earlier that morning. As his comrade fell backward, he moved forward with murder in his

eyes.

"One of those bullets pierced my internal armor," the soldier said. "That hurt, and you'll pay in

blood for it."

"Not a chance in hell, metal butt," Johnny said, reaching out and throwing the Hydra soldier into

Puget Sound. The man was pulled down by all the metal in his skeleton, but Johnny didn't expect him

to stay down very long. However, the enemy's absence gave him ample opportunity to beat up Alan

and other soldier. Alan and the other soldier also had plans in the fight, all of which involved subduing

Johnny.

Meanwhile, the helicopter carrying the small army of Black Ops and Hydra troops had swooped

down to the dock and Max and Logan found themselves besieged by soldiers, some of whom were

only mostly human. The vanguard of the strike force was all Hydra troops and Max was having a devil

of a time fighting off two of the silver-eyed men at the same time.

Skies Over Puget Sound, 3:40 PM

Lydecker watched with slight consternation as the speedboat veered away from the dock and

sped out to the middle of the Sound. Johnny's rather foolhardy jump into the boat with his enemies had

sent the boat spinning off course. The colonel also saw the Hydra soldier who had been thrown

overboard go swimming after the boat with inhuman persistence. Apparently General Kelly's people

had managed to get something right, for a change.

Max was having a hard time with the Hydra troops. One of them was hanging from the edge of

the dock, but he was rapidly climbing back up. The other Hydra soldier was fighting Max to a standstill

while the man in the wheelchair looked on. Lydecker decided to bring the chopper down to a lower

altitude and "buzz" Max, to try to distract her from the fight and give the other super-soldier the chance

to incapacitate her.

Puget Sound, 3:41 PM

"Time to die, traitor boy!" Alan roared as he smashed Johnny's head into the boat's dashboard

with one hand. The Manticore loyalist was also trying to get the boat back on course with his other

hand, but he was having quite a problem. His struggles with Johnny were making his steering erratic

and taking the two ever-closer to the enormous Japanese cruise liner that was heading glacier-like in

their general direction. A collision with it would end the fight for both parties.

"Not yet, wimp!" Johnny said, kicking Alan in the kneecap and sending the boat on another

erratic course. This course, however, was heading straight for the prow of the cruise liner. Alan howled

in pain and struck Johnny across the face, steering the boat away from the cruise liner and back

towards the docks. They passed by the first Hydra soldier who went overboard, but he couldn't grab

onto the craft before it left him in the wake. The other augmented warrior had gone over the side a few

minutes earlier, leaving only Alan and Johnny to fight.

Shikoku Queen, 3:41 PM

"What the hell is wrong with the boat captain?" Captain Hideo Kawasaki asked his fellow

officers. "The way he's going, he's going to get himself killed!"

"Captain, what should we do?" one of the bridge officers asked. "The way he's driving, he'll end

up in our path whether we change course or not!"

"Radio the harbor authorities," the Japanese captain said. "Tell them about that boat!"

Above Dock #45C, 3:42 PM

Lydecker brought his chopper low over the heads of the combatants, hoping to disorient Max

and make her easier prey for the Hydra soldier. The warrior who had clung tenuously to the dock

minutes ago had dropped into the Sound some moments ago due to the actions of the man in the

wheelchair. The scruffy fellow had run over the man's fingers with his "vehicle" and caused the man to

lose his grip.

The Colonel looked at the man who was aiding Max. "Isn't he the journalist from the conference,

the one who tried to negotiate?" he asked himself. "The one who got thrown off the roof for his pains?"

That man was involved now, and Lydecker made a note to find out how much that character knew

about Manticore by any means necessary.

Puget Sound, 3:42 PM

"You idiot!" Johnny said. "We're going to crash!" He kicked Alan, who had pinned him, in the

face and then kicked the wheel to change the course. The boat, which had previously been speeding

towards the side of the Shikoku Queen, now turned away at a ninety-degree angle. The two Hydra

soldiers were even farther away from the speedboat than they were before, leaving Alan alone to face

Johnny.

"Lydecker wants to see you," Alan said. "Very much so. He wants to pick up where he left off,

you see. The torments he put you through as a child were to deter other escape attempts. However,

now he's more interested in retribution for all the troubles you've caused him."

Johnny's eyes widened and images of his past torment began echoing through his brain. Those

images began to creep into how he perceived reality and Alan's appearance began to change. His hair

turned blond and curly, his eyes and face changed, and he seemed to age more than twenty years. He had become Lydecker!

"Damn you Lydecker!" Johnny roared in a hallucinating frenzy. "I'll send you to Hell!" He

steered the speedboat towards the cruise liner and seized his enemy by the throat. "Time to say hello to

those big propellers!"

 

Part 3

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws