Episode Three
GOT THE SHAKES

Chapter One 
RUNNING DRY

< TERMINAL CITY >

Max was looking at the computer screen set up at Terminal City, talking to Logan, “…tryptophan’s out these days.  We’re doing our part to hook up some in the black market.  Good thing we don’t all decide when to run low.  This keeps up, though -”

Logan grimaced, “- It’s not gonna happen.  I’ve been trying to look for the cause of the problem. I'll inform you as soon as the informant net comes up with anything. I even got Sebastian working on it.”

Max nodded, “Yeah, well.  He’s the first one to notice.  Since it’s treated as a food supplement, corrupt officials do not pay attention.  Who needs to spend time on those when people are out of cash, that sorta thing.”

Logan looked at Max through the web cam, “We’ll beat this.”  He looked longingly at Max as he reached out to hold the side of his monitor as if that would bring him closer to Max.  Max looked longingly at Logan too.

Alec shouted, “Max!  Gem’s seizing.  I’m out of tryptophan!”  the whole room seemed to be filled with people without tryptophan.

Max turned and then looked back at Logan.  She hurriedly said,  “I gotta go.” She switched off the monitor and camera, reaching into her pocket for her stash of tryptophan.  She ran towards Alec and Gem, who was lying down on an old and beaten up couch having a grand mal seizure.  Max turned the bottle and helped Gem swallow the tryptophan.  She murmured, “It’s gonna be okay.  Just get some rest.”  She continued cradling Gem as Alec, with one last glance, walked to help Mole.

< LATER >

Mole shook his head and looked from Max, Alec, the Cat woman, Luke, Joshua, Arctic Guy, Dix, Dalton and a few other other X-series in the Head Quarters, “There has to be a conspiracy!  Those humans know!  They know we need it - the X-series at least and that’s why they’re keeping it.  Shipping it off to other countries or simply stopping the shipment to Seattle.  They agreed to let us stay here in order to leave us to die!”

Max challenged Mole, “We don’t know that!  They may have left us here to die, but we do not know if they are deliberately trying to keep tryptophan from the US market.  We have some enemies, Luke, but not all of them are our enemies.  We must all remember that Manticore was a covert operation.  Do you honestly think that those sector police out there know we need it?”  Every one around the table suddenly started talking.

Mole slammed his fist on the table and everyone stopped, “Then where the hell is the tryptophan?  It used to be available in the black market at the right price.”  He looked pointedly at Max.  Max knew he was right, tryptophan has been missing and someone’s responsible for it because they know about the seizures.

Mole looked at each and every one of them, “I don’t know about you.  Honestly, this doesn’t affect you directly.  It’s the X-series who needs it.  X-series like you.”  He looked pointedly at Max, “Just because you can cruise around Seattle for the pill doesn’t mean everyone else can.”  He stepped closer to her and said bitingly, “Maybe you should check where your loyalties lie.”  With that he walked and left the group.  The other people started talking and left murmuring about the theory that Mole had proposed.

Max walked towards the place where Joshua had painted the flag and sat down, frustrated at what had just happened.  White had something to do with this, of that she was sure.  But she didn’t know what exactly White was doing.  But she was going to find out.

< UNKNOWN LOCATION >

Otto looked into the monitor. Ames was right.  The surveillance they did on the black market indicated the increased transaction on tryptophan. This started about twelve months back… Twelve months… it has been twelve months since Eyes Only broadcasted about a special project called Manticore… since they had been assigned to clean up Manticore’s mess. 

As Otto looked at the data on his monitor, he could not help but wonder how Ames had been able to get this information.  The files they were able to gather from Manticore were hardly any help.  Most of them were turned to ashes by the time the firemen were able to reach the facility.  The ones that were left only gave the general information on genetic engineering.

Just then, White entered into the office and stood in front of Otto, leaning his right arm against the cubicle seperator.  He looked sideways at Otto and asked, “Are the tryptophan shipments moving as scheduled?”

Otto looked up at his boss and said, “We’ve already shifted the shipment area.  The nearest that the transgenics can get hold of the supplements would be if they drove out all the way to San Francisco.”

White gave another smirk, “ - which if they do, the Sector Police would gun them down and this ceasefire will break.  Good work, Otto.  Are the teams dispatched within the area?”

“I already have three teams manning sector exits.”

“In Terminal City?”

“I don’t think we should worry-”

White turned to face Otto, “You don’t get paid to think!  You get paid to follow orders.  Anything more than that, you’re dead!”

Appalled by White’s reaction, Otto’s eyebrows met in confusion, “But, sir! I thought that the NSA -”

“The NSA had long been trying to cut off our department ever since my testimony!”

“Then why-”

“You are not paid to ask questions, Otto.  You are paid to get me answers!  Now I want those teams around Terminal City and I want them now!”  With that, White took off as abruptly as he had come.

Otto sat on his chair dumbfounded at this revelation from Agent White.  He knew that their department had been on a shaky road ever since Agent White revealed the presence of transgenics in that senate hearing, what he didn’t know was that the NSA was slowly cutting them off.  From the way that they were being run though, it seemed that more money was pouring in for the capture of the transgenics.

< SEATTLE STREETS >

Max drove her Ninja around the city streets glad for the darkness surrounding her as well as the night's wind whipping against her face.  Three days had gone by since the meeting with Mole and the rest of the Terminal City gang.  Three days… those three days when more and more X-series were having seizures and tryptophan was priced much higher as well as very hard to find on the black market.  As much as she had tried to look into White’s movements, Max could not find the connection between White and the scarcity of tryptophan.  To be honest, she did not even know if there was a connection.  But the transgenics were becoming restless… and they needed to see something was being done about it. 

Just then, Max’s phone rang and she picked it up as she was driving, “Yeah?”

“I need you to come over.  I’ve picked up something on tryptophan.”

“On my way.”  Max immediately brought her speeding baby to a screeching halt and turned her bike to go to Logan’s.

***********

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