Project Xx-Max.

The Fake Town.

A voice spoke in her ear, it was Langer.

"Max, be yourself. It would help if you were yourself, relax. Be creative," Encouraged Langer.

"He disappeared probably behind that locked door; I don't have the key," protested Max, getting annoyed.

"Max, relax. Max, remember you are the key. You have a new ability. Start again." Langer was trying to get Max into her zone.

Max didn't know when her natural strength would stop and the nano enhancements would kick in. How do they know? Max wasn't entirely sure how this was supposed to work.

Positions were taken up again a few minutes back. The exercise re-started, and the chase replayed in almost the same way. The suspect clocked her and ran into the service road. Max followed, and the guy was gone.

This time, Max went up to the steel fire door and tried it, confirming it was locked. Max tightened her grip and started to pull the handle. To her surprise, the metal plate started to buckle and tear away from the steel door, the metal stretching and groaning as it surrendered to her strength. Solid welds cracked on the toughened steel safety door as Max continued to rip the handle and the metal plate out of the door. The locking mechanism broke and fell to the floor.  Max looked at the handle and plate, amazed by what she had done and how easy it seemed, before casting it aside.

Max slowly walked through the doorway, checking her surroundings as she entered a dark hallway. From the shadows came a six-foot-four guy screaming and shouting towards her.

"Who the fuck are you? Get out of here! What have you done to the door? Fucking bitch"

"Police, well..." Max wasn't sure how to announce her authority, and after what she did at the door, Max didn't want to hurt anyone.

This character, though, had no respect for authority and grabbed Max and started to push her out of the building. He continued to swear at her, shouting in her face. Usually, Max would have dealt with this situation, but it felt alien in gym clothing & as a rookie C.S.A agent, knowing she could snap him in half!

"Be yourself, Max." Said Langer via her earpiece.

Max tensed her leg and calved muscles, bringing the guy to an abrupt stop. He crashed into Max and then tried to shove her, but he couldn't budge her. He stepped back and then lurched towards Max. She punched him hard in the chest, and he doubled over; then she launched a knee strike to his face, and he fell to the floor out cold.

"Sorry," she whispered as she stepped over him.

Max had nothing to worry about with the Nanos. They didn't need to assist in the situation. She was starting to understand how they worked in tune with her muscles.

Max could see that the suspect had gone upstairs by the lights on the lift. She sprinted at least four steps at a time, bounding effortlessly up the stairs like a gazelle. Max quickly reached the same floor as the suspect, but no sign of him.

"Max, use your smartphone." said the voice in her ear.

The C.S.A. had top technology, and the smartphone could do many things. One of them was an infrared X-ray sensor. She knew the suspect would be hot from running, so he should be easy to spot using this device. Scanning the walls and doors as she walked past, Max reached the second but last room. She spotted him. Max kicked the wooden door off its hinges and burst into the room.  Looking around, there was no sign of him. She checked the rooms, and eventually, in the last room she went into, Max could see the window open. Max climbed through the window and out into the fire escape balcony. She looked down. The suspect was climbing down the fire escape.