Chapter 11

Spoilers: Pilot, Cold Comfort

     Max, Kris, and Ritchie were back at Logan's.  They need to track down Michael and fast. 
All of them were surprised that his girlfriend was a Manticore Prototype named Heather. Her
surrogate mother managed to escape before she was born.  Even more surprising, Heather and
Michael had a son together.  Now Lydecker had all three of them.

     Max contacted Zack and he came quickly.

"I still can't believe Michael had a child." said Kris.

"He didn't know what he done." yelled Zack.  "Michael foolishly continued the project."

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"When Manticore had me I overheard them say they couldn't wait until the X-5s have children.  The problem was the X-5s that were there, knew if they had children, the project would continue."

"I know." Ritchie added.  "I hate to see that boy go through what we did. It's much worse now than it was back then.  I should know, I been there longer than you two."

"We know."  replied Max.  "We feel the same way as you do."

     Kris goes over to Logan, who is trying to track down Michael, Heather, and Ethan. 

"My clients need this information a.s.a.p." Logan told the person on the other line.  "Talk to you later."

"Any luck."

     Logan turns around to face the group. "One of contracts that works for the sector police may have a lead.  He just has conform some details and he will get back to me.

     Suddenly a pager goes off.  Zack takes a pager out of his pager and looks at it then he sighs. 

"Logan I need to use your phone."

"Okay."

     Zack picks up the phone and goes into the guest room. Ritchie press the speaker button. They hear the number being dialled.

"Jondy, I told you we are not to contact each other."

"I just informing you that Tinga had a run in with Lydecker's men.  Tinga escaped from him. She is here with me in Vancouver recovering."

     Max remember Zack telling her that all the escaped X-5 agreed to not to contact each other and stay separated so they know little about each other and they will be safe.  'I guess not everyone liked Zack's plan.' she thought.

"We got a problem down here." Zack continued.  "One of us continued the project. Lydecker captured the child."

"Who continued the project?"

"It doesn't matter.  I will take care of everything."

     Max turned off the speaker before Zack returned.  He hanged up the phone.  "I will go find and rescue the child.  I don't want to put you in danger."

     Zack left.  When he was gone, max dials the number for Jondy.

"Hello, Zack."

"It's not Zack.  It's Max."

"Max?"

"We need Tinga's help."

* * * * * * *
     Michael was locked up in a jail cell at Manticore.  Five armed guards were watching him. Soon, Lydecker came in.  Michael ran to the bars in a angry rage.  The guard raise their weapons.

"Let Ethan and Heather go!" Michael yelled at Lydecker.

"Ethan and Heather are staying right where they are." he interrupted.  "Soon the research will begin."

"He is just a child." Michael spat.  "Soon you will torture him and beat him down like you did to myself and the others."

"You're just remembering it through a child's eyes."

"Maybe you let him drown like when you almost did to Shane or Loner." Michael continued. 

"I would never kill any of you."

     Michael slapped his hand against the wall in anger. "You killed one of us because the seizure she had.  And Eva.  She was shot by the gun in your hand."

"It took everything in me to try not to shoot her."

     Michael shorted.  "What a load of bull shit. You never cared for us.  To you, we were just a bunch of lab rats."

"That isn't true."

"To me it is."

* * * * * * * * *

     In the medical wing, Heather is strapped down to a bed recovering from gene correction. Colour had returned to her body and she was recovering nicely.

"We will begin working with her when she is fully recovered." a voice said.

* * * * * * *

     In the lab, Ethan was finished being experimented on. Ethan was the first child of the next generation of X-5s.  He was scared and he wanted his mother.  He was crying because the back of his neck was in pain.

"I want mama." Ethan cried.

"Shut you mouth and quit crying." yelled the TAC leader that was in the room.  "We don't tolerate that behaviour here."

     What he said just made Ethan cry more.  Lydecker comes into the room. He walks up to one of the doctors. "Is Procedure One finished on the boy."

"Yes sir." the doctor answered.  "The test confirmed that he is the son of both X-5s.  He is now prepared for testing."

     Lydecker goes up to the boy.  He looks behind his head and sees the newly gene made tattoo of a barcode.  "Good. Get started."