" Hey, Max." " Alec, what the hell are you doing here?" "Stealing a baseball." "How 'bout you?" "Trying to get back the money I lost because of you." "Yeah, me too." "Figured I'd swipe this ball, repay my friend Max..." " Yeah, right." " I'm serious." "You wanna pay me back?" "Get a job." "Find out what it's like to live in the real world." "I'm sorry, is this what you call your real-world job?" "This is an extreme situation, which - in case you didn't hear me two seconds ago - is entirely your fault." " That's why I want to make things right." "I mean, if you hadn't paid that doctor, I'd have been a dead man." " Don't remind me." " I owe you, Max." "Why don't you go on home?" "I'll finish this up." "I'll fence this thing and get you the money tomorrow, huh?" "What do you say?" "A:" "I don't believe you, and B:" "Sammy Sosa's 756th home-run ball is worth way more than what you owe me." "Give it back!" "All right, all right, all right, we'll split it fifty-fifty." " Yeah, right!" "I got here first!" " Okay, okay, sixty-forty." "Sixty-forty, huh?" "Read my lips, pretty boy." "Get a life, get a job, and stop sticking your nose into mine." "Don't make me kick your ass!" "You know, this whole tough-chick act thing is really unbecoming." ""I'm gonna bounce you on your ass." "I'm gonna smack your bitch head."" "It's so unfeminine." " Great." "Look what you did." " God, I hate you!" "Hey, I know this is a bad time, but can I get a ride home?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Stop." "Stop." "What now?" "No sector pass." "Been gettin' past the checkpoints the old-fashioned, sneaky-creep, Manticore way." "Thanks for the ride." " Thanks for blowing my plan to get my money back." "Hey, I was willing to deal." "You should've let go when you had the chance." "I should've let your head explode when I had the chance." "All right, sweetheart, let's see your sector pass." "Come on, come on." "I haven't got all day." " Jam Pony messenger." "Okay." "Hey." "Let's see some I.D." "I'm talking to you." "Hey!" "Come out of there!" "You make me come back there to get you, you're comin' out on a stretcher, you hear me?" "They designed her to be the perfect soldier - a human weapon." "Then she escaped." "In a future not far from now, in a broken world, she is haunted by her past." "She cannot run;" "she must fight to discover her destiny." "Practically had it in my hand." "My fence even had a buyer lined up." "Fifteen grand." " And Alec had to come along and ruin everything." " Couldn't believe it." " It was your heist." "You were there first." " That's what I said!" "And I bet you he was gonna take whatever he got from it and blow it on hookers and beer." " Guy has no decency." " Tell me about it." "And the nerve to rip off what you were rightfully stealing." "Exactly." "It's like he's a child who doesn't know right from wrong." "Are you busting on me?" "Me?" "I only steal from bad people." "And only for a good cause." "Like when you need a part for your motorcycle, or a cocktail dress to wear at a wedding?" "Without my motorcycle, I can't... and the whole dress thing..." "I was gonna return it... and this isn't even about me." "This is about you." "How do you mean?" "I went after that baseball to pay you back the money you lost on that doctor." " Really." " Really." "Huh." "But seeing as how you feel, I guess I'll just forget about it." "Yeah." "I guess so." "I mean, I could use the cash... to keep Eyes Only going." "But..." "I'll figure it out." "I suppose I could find something else to steal." " There are a lot of bad guys out there." " But I wouldn't want to drag you down to my level." "See ya." "Joshua?" "Hey, big fella." "Hey." "It's me, Max." "Max." " Sorry." " Bad dream?" "You didn't come yesterday." "Um..." "I know." "I" " I'm sorry." "I had this thing." "It took a lot longer than I thought." "I was hungry." "Little Debbie." "I bought you a book." "It's about a killer clown that lives under the city  eats small children." " Why?" "I don't know." "Why do clowns do anything?" " Maybe it's angry." "Maybe." "What's wrong?" "You okay?" "Hurt." "Let me see." "What happened?" "Did you go outside?" "Had to." "I" " I was hungry." "Who did this to you?" "Dog bit me." "I was trying to get his food." "Look." "I'm sorry I didn't come by yesterday and get you food, and I'll try to never let it happen again, but you can't go outside." "It's too dangerous, and if people see who you..." " I know." "People are afraid of what they don't understand." "I know." "Never forget it." "Okay." "I gotta go to work." "I'll be back tonight." "Promise." "Okay." "What's up with the checkpoints today?" "Lines are around the block." "I don't know." "I heard some cop got jumped or something." "Huh." "I cannot believe this." " Who's that?" " You don't want to know." "Was "Stay the hell out of my life" not direct enough?" "Max, you told me to find a job." "I figured... what better place than somewhere I already have a friend?" "If by "friend" you mean someone who'd just as soon drop an anvil on you, then welcome." " You don't mean that." " Find me an anvil and watch me go." "Max, that hurts, it really does." "Your words inspired me." "I want to change my ways." "Whatever!" "This'll only take a second." "Hey, Normal!" "Loser looking for a job." "No jobs here." "Got enough of you slugs to keep me in Maalox 'til the cows come home." " Oh, well." " Hey, aren't you that boxer dude?" " You're Monty Cora!" " Monty Cora?" "It's a stage name." "I once saw this beautiful man take down "Mangler" Miller in less than forty-five seconds flat." "Wonderful!" "Bravo!" " Thank you, um, Normal." "Please, call me Reagan." "So you're looking for a job, huh?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I'd love to be a part of Team Jam Pony." "I could use a good, strong rooster in the henhouse." " Normal, you don't want to do this." " Shut up, missy-miss." "You know where I could score a bike around here?" "Here you go." "Here you go, easy-peasey-Japanesey." " Thank you." "Oh, uh, don't I need one of those, uh, sector-pass things?" "Yes." "I'll put in a request; you'll have it by morning." "This one here'll show you the ropes." "Now bip!" "These packages are missing their mommies horribly." " This isn't happening." "Ah, good catch, Maxie." "You're a rock star." "Rock star!" "Shut up." "Monty Cora?" " Yeah, it's a play on "Manticore."" " Yeah, yeah, I got that." "Way to lay low." "Why don't you relax?" "Why don't you wise up?" "You can start by covering that barcode." "Now, remember, be polite." "Need a signature." " What's this?" " Jam Pony, ma'am." "It's a package for you." "I'll go and get my glasses." "You call that polite?" "What are you looking for?" " Nothing." " You're casing the place." " No, I'm not." "Yes, you are." "I knew that's why you took this job - because you wanted the sector pass and you were looking for a place to rob." " Isn't that why you took this job?" " It was, but it's not anymore." "Hey, check it out." "Grandma's got herself a plasma-screen TV." "You are not gonna come back here and steal her TV." " Why not?" " Because it's wrong!" " Oh, as opposed to stealing a baseball?" "That's different." "The guy who owns the gallery happens to be a major crook." "Oh, okay." "So it's okay to steal from him because he's a bad guy." "I'm just trying to get by." " Get by on a salary." " Minimum wage?" " Plus tips." "That's where the whole "polite" part comes in." "Did I get it right?" "Yeah." "Have a nice day." " Oh, just a second." "These are for you." "Ooh, a quarter." " Thanks again." " She might as well kiss that TV goodbye." "He's from Manticore, huh?" "Say what you want - they sure know how to make 'em pretty." "Try spending an afternoon with him." "He'll drive you crazy with his  laughing, and his talking, and his breathing..." " Sugar, you got issues." " Ladies,  let me get the next one." "Skippy here owes me about eighty bucks' worth of beer." " It's all right." "You don't have to." " No, no." "I want to." "I'm telling you, he's no good." "I know." "Free beer." "Just flat-out evil." "So I saw on the sign-up board that you're working Sector Four tomorrow." "Yup." "Do me a favor?" "Drop this off for me at, uh, this address." "Twenty bucks in it for you." "What's inside?" "Don't ask and I'll make it thirty." "That works for me." "You guys hear about the sector cop that got attacked by a mutant last night?" " Here we go again." " Some kind of dog-faced thing." " Dog-faced?" " Yeah." "Big, with lots of shaggy hair." "Really." "Cop caught it looking for food in the trash before he jumped him." "Ate the tongue right out of his mouth." "Apparently he got a piece of it before it ran off, so now you gotta figure it's hurt, and mad, and none of us are safe." "I gotta go." "What's with her?" " Where you going?" " Gotta swing by Joshua's." "Wait, wait, wait, wait." "You think he had something to do with this?" "Of course not." "Joshua would never hurt anybody." "You don't know that." "You don't know what he's capable of." " Yes, I do." " Then why you going over there?" "Because I promised I would." "Joshua?" "Anybody in there?" " Hey." "Been paging you all morning." " Couldn't find a pay phone." "What's up?" "Sector cop was attacked last night." "Makes three in the last week." " Yeah, I heard something about that." " One of them survived." "Claims he was jumped by some kind of half-man, half-animal." "Good news is no one believes him." "Apparently he's known for drinking on the job." "What do they think it was, then?" "Pack of wild dogs, maybe, or some coyotes that wandered into the city." " Makes sense." " Except for the "half-man, half-animal" part." "I don't get it." "I thought you'd be all over this." " I can't chase down every rumor that comes along." "It's not a rumor, Max." "Two cops are dead and the third's in the hospital with his tongue ripped out of his head." "If a transgenic's responsible, you have to do something before anyone else gets hurt." " Give me some solid evidence and I will do something." " I'm working on it." "What is with you, anyway?" "I gotta get to work." "What are you not telling me?" "I" " I went by Joshua's last night and he wasn't there." " But you don't think..." " No." "I'm just... worried about him, that's all." "There's something else, isn't there?" "People are dying." "If a transgenic's involved..." "Yeah, I know." "It's on me, 'cause I let them out in the world." "I was gonna say you better do something before people find out what's going on." "Otherwise, it means exposure for all of you." "I gotta go." "Hey." "In case you can't find a pay phone again." " Can I help you, little man?" " No, I'm just making a delivery." " I think you might be lost, mate." " No, dude, this is the address." "Says so right here." " Yeah, it says so right here." " Well, then, I stand corrected." "What's in it?" "None of your business." "Well, it is our business." "That's the problem." "See, uh, this is our little piece of paradise." "We're what you call, uh, territorial." "So he hits me in the face like three times." "I'm just smiling." "You know, waiting for my opening." "And then wham!" "One punch, right in the jaw." "He goes down." "What about Sam the Superfly?" "How'd you handle that jab combination there?" "Superfly" " Superfly's not as fast as he seems..." "Holy... what happened to you?" "Steelheads beat the snot out of me." "Steelheads?" "Yeah, you know." "They're into implants and biotech stuff." "You oughta know better than to hang out with those lowlifes." "They're amped off their gourds on hormones and who knows what else." "Wait, you weren't on a run, were you?" " Not exactly." "Thank God." "So, uh, what was in that package, anyway?" "Drugs?" "Of course not." "Why don't you tell me, or I'm gonna bust you and Normal will can your ass." "Androstamine." "It's a synthetic hormone." "Bodybuilders use it." "I got my hands on some." "Been doing some nice business with it." "Not anymore." "They told me to tell whoever I was working for to stay off their turf." "Really." "Sorry, man, I didn't know." "I wouldn't have sent you down there if I did." "Well, next time, why don't you just keep me out of it?" "Why don't you, uh  why don't you get a new shirt?" "On me." "Got some dirt on my pants." " Get yourself some new pants." " Thanks." "And, uh, you're buying at Crash tonight, right?" " Yeah, you got it." "Officer Pearson?" "I'm Dr. Livingston." "I need to ask you a few questions." "You claimed you were attacked by some kind of creature?" "Well, if that's the case, then, uh... rabies could be a concern." "Did you get a good look at whatever it was that did this to you?" "You think you could identify it in a picture?" "That's him?" "You're sure?" "I'm sorry." "I don't..." "Barcode." "He had a barcode on his neck." "Okay." "Max, it's me." "I just talked to the cop that survived the attack the other night." "Yeah?" "Bad news." "I showed him that picture of Joshua that turned up in that tabloid a few weeks ago." "He I.D.'d him." " That's impossible." "Max, the guy recognized him." "Well, he's wrong." " Well, he got a look at his barcode." " Barcode?" "Joshua doesn't have a barcode." "I thought you all did." "He's the first one Manticore ever made." "He doesn't have one." "What?" "I couldn't hear you." "Max?" "Max?" "Joshua?" "That's not very nice." "Run, Isaac!" "Run!" "Joshua?" "What are you doing down here?" " We should cap this sack of crap right now." " Yeah." "It'll probably walk on the doggie defense." " It's not a dog, you idiot." "It's a werewolf." " I'm an idiot?" "So where's the full moon?" " Full moon's just a legend." "Read a book sometime." " You're both idiots." "What we have here is one of those, uh, mutants been in the paper the last few weeks." "Sarge says feds are on their way down." "Gonna take him off our hands." " The feds?" " Some agency I never head of." "I don't care who they are." "This thing's been killing cops." "We oughta teach it a lesson." "How do you like that?" "Huh?" "Huh?" "Don't." "Don't like it." "Christ." "Damn thing talks." "Two of them?" "You're sure?" "Don't you see?" "That's how Joshua got hurt - trying to stop Isaac." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Slow down." "Joshua got hurt?" "And who - who's Isaac?" "That's the other one's name." "Okay." "And when I went over to Joshua's house the other day, his side was all bandaged up." "You didn't tell me that." " I didn't know what it meant." "Now I do." " Care to let me in on it?" "Joshua got hurt trying to stop Isaac from killing that cop." "Now that's a bit of a reach, don't you think?" "For all we know, they both attacked him." " Joshua would never hurt anybody." " Fine, then why didn't he tell you what happened?" " I don't know." " Any way you slice it, he's protecting a killer." " Any way you slice it, the cops got the wrong guy." " Guess what?" "It doesn't matter." "They've got a dog-man in custody and they don't care if he's been murdering cops or herding sheep." "They just want to know what the hell he is." "I gotta get him out of there." "Where are they holding him?" "Twelfth precinct." " What about Isaac?" " I'll get to him later." "After he kills somebody else?" "Here's an idea." "Instead of busting my chops because I can't do two things at once, why don't you do something about it?" "Hey, are you gonna help me?" "Or has the one-armed guy gotta load the whole truck by himself?" "I'm just trying to figure out what's in it, that's all." " What do you hear?" " I don't know." "Sloshing." "All right, lads." "Step it up." "Gotta get these lovelies on ice." "Uh, Eddie, we're just wondering - what's in the boxes?" "Livers and kidneys." "You mean  we've been hefting these things around just so you can make some nasty English pie?" "These are human livers and kidneys, mate." "Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa." "I'm not eatin' any pie made out of people, Eddie." "We're gonna sell 'em, you dim." "They're for transplants." "We've got buyers overseas willing to pay top dollar for this lot." "Excuse me, gentlemen." "I'm looking for three butt-ugly Steelheads that beat up a friend of mine this morning." "Well, you found 'em." "What happened to you?" "Did you, uh, accidentally chew your arm off?" "Actually, I'm pre-op." "I'm gettin' a top-of-the-line, Japanese-made cyber-arm put in next week." "Well, whatever moves your furniture." "Here's the thing, fellas." "My friend was carrying a package that didn't belong to him." "It belonged to me." "You guys took it." "I need to get it back." "There seems to be a breakdown in communication, doesn't it?" "Maybe your friend didn't relay our message." "Nobody around here sells andy but us." "Yeah, see, here's the problem." "I had a buyer who was willing to pay me five hundred dollars for that package." "Now he's upset that he didn't get his andy, I'm upset that I didn't get my cash, and you guys are upset because  well, I'm not quite sure why you're upset, but you seem to be." "So what do you say you give me five hundred dollars, and I get out of here before anybody gets more upset than they already are?" "What's a poofter like you need with five hundred bucks, anyway, eh?" "Actually, I need it for a ride on your mum." "It's me." "Excuse me, fellas." "I'm sorry." " Hello?" " You cheeky bastard!" " Alec." "It's Logan." " Oh, hey." " What was that?" " Nothing, nothing." "What's going on?" "You okay?" "No, no, I'm - I'm fine." "So what's up?" " I need your help." " It's just 'cause she's hot, you know." " What is?" "Everything." "Everything she gets away with." "You honestly think we'd be down here in this moldy dump looking for God-knows-what if she were ugly?" "We're down here to give Max a hand." "You're so whipped." "We're doing a public service." "Monsters on the loose, people have the right to know." "All right." "Take as many pictures as you want." "So, uh, this newspaper you work for..." " New World Weekly." "Right." "You need any quotes, you know - something from, uh,  the law enforcement perspective - let me know." "To your left." " Can I get closer?" " Sure thing, baby." "Come as close as you want." "Careful." "It's dangerous." " You're never gonna believe this..." " Try me." " It talks." " Really?" "What'd he say?" " Max." " Hey..." "Hey!" "Open the gates!" "Open the gates!" "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I got a thing with dogs." "Feline DNA." "Come on." "After you." "Whoa!" "What is that smell?" "Are those - tongues?" "Guess we should've called first." "Why didn't you tell me about him the other day?" "Wanted to." " We could've done something to stop him." " Tried to stop him." "I know." "Why's he doing it, Joshua?" "Why's he killing people?" "Angry." "About what?" "Manticore guards." "They hurt him bad." " They hurt us all." "You don't know." "You don't know." "Little brother was gentle." "Father made him that way." "Then Father was gone..." "lost in all the people." "Father!" "Isaac was sad." "Couldn't stop crying." "So the guards..." "they tried to make him stop." "Father..." "Father never came back." "He was gone." "Isaac wouldn't stop." "So they made him stop." " Father!" "Police  Isaac sees Manticore guards." "That's why he hurts them." "Oh, this is great." "Great." "This is just great!" "Maybe you should try this." "Stay here." "Don't open the door;" "don't do anything." "Just stay put." " Where you going?" " To find Isaac." " I'll" " I'll come." " No!" "The cops are looking for you." "You have to stay here." " Don't hurt little brother." " Stay put, you hear me?" " You hear me?" " He's killing people, Joshua!" " I'll stop him." " You tried." "Look what he did to you!" " He didn't mean to!" "They made him like this!" " Doesn't matter!" "He still has to be stopped!" "You let him out!" "You let us all out!" "Now you hurt him?" "I won't unless I have to." "Out of my way, big fella." "I don't think so, little fella." "Joshua!" " Isaac!" " Joshua!" "Hey, open up." "Where's Max?" "Isaac's out there." "Jo - hey, come back here!" "What is it with these guys, huh?" "Yeah." "Joshua?" "Joshua?" "No, Isaac!" "No!" "Max!" "Max!" " Thanks for hanging with me." " No problem." "I shouldn't have let them out, Logan." "I should've known something like this was gonna happen." " You did the right thing." "The only thing." " Tell that to the families of those cops who died." " Manticore made Isaac a killer, not you." " What if there are others like him out there?" "For every one you let out that might be dangerous, you gave a hundred others the chance to have a real life." "Like him." "Thought you were trying to make me feel better." "Almost forgot." "He gave me this." "Said it was to cover the money we lost on that doctor." " Where'd he get it?" " Off some bad guys." "All I needed to hear." " I'm gonna drop by Joshua's." " How's he doing?" "I don't know." "He won't even talk to me..." "except to say "Go away."" "Thanks." "Bye." "So what'd you say your name was again?" " My friends call me Lux." " Lux." " I think you might know some of them." " Oh yeah?" "Those three guys you went all primitive on." "Nice." "Are you vibrating?" "We know what you are." "Go away." "I can't." "Joshua, you saved my life." "I'm sorry about your brother, I really am, but..." "I'm glad to be alive." "I want you to be too." "Brother gone." "Not alive anymore." "I know." "But I'm here." "And I'm not going anywhere." "I'm just not." "You don't have to be alone." "Tell me about him." " Why?" "Isaac gone." "I want to know him the way you did." "Isaac was Father's favorite." "Must've made you jealous, huh?" "At first." "Later, no." "You got over it." "Little brother  smaller, gentle." "Father said:" ""Protect him."" "I tried." "You did." "You were a good brother."