Season 1, Episode 4 - 411 On The DL

While out riding her motorcycle one night, Max is pulled over by corrupt police officers who confiscate her bike on the bogus pretext of a broken taillight. When Max tries to get her Ninja out of impound, the cops demand three thousand dollars for it -- well more than she can afford. Original Cindy suggests that she look in the newspaper for a new bike, but when Max looks in the classifieds, she is surprised to find her barcode number listed there alongside a time and place. Apparently, someone wants a secret meeting with Max.

Logan cautions Max: the meeting could be a trap. Lydecker knows Max's barcode; he could be trying to draw her out. Max sees the logic of Logan's argument, but counters with an equally plausible alternative. Zack also knows her barcode number -- what if it's him?

Max arrives at the location, but finds neither Lydecker nor Zack. It's Vogelsang. He has information on the twelve Manticore escapees, but he wants fifteen thousand dollars for it. He doesn't care how she gets the money, but he wants it ASAP. Vogelsang is offering a one-time-only opportunity; with or without the cash, he's getting out of Seattle and as far away as possible from Lydecker.

Meanwhile, at Jam Pony, Normal fires Herbal Thought for smoking pot in the bathroom. The gang protests, but Herbal remains cool. As far as he's concerned, it's all part of the Most High's plan. Normal wastes no time in hiring a replacement for Herbal, a young go-getter by the name of Sam, who is instantly shunned by the rest of the Jam Pony community.

In a desperate attempt to get Vogelsang's money, Max visits Logan and finds him with his ex-wife, Valerie. Valerie is back in town to make amends with Logan, part of a twelve-step program she's been working as part of her alcoholic recovery. Max has to cover her jealousy when she sees the rapport between the two. Logan refuses to give Max the money she needs, thinking she's being played by Vogelsang and insisting that she's heading down a dangerous path.

Running out of time, Max comes up with a solution that will not only net her the cash she needs, it will also get her back her motorcycle. She breaks into the police impound yard, cracks the safe, steals a large sum of money and recovers her bike. She's ready to meet with Vogelsang. Unbeknownst to Max and Vogelsang, however, Lydecker has learned of their impending meeting. The bug he planted on Vogelsang a few weeks ago has finally paid off. When Max and Vogelsgang meet, he'll be there.

In the meantime, Jam Pony has become a madhouse. In protest of Herbal's termination, the messengers have staged a work slow-down. The only one who's trying to do his best is Sam, who's still getting the cold shoulder from the Jam Pony gang. Normal sends him out on a run with Max, and Sam tries to befriend Max over a cup of coffee. But Max is elusive. She's waiting for Vogelsang to ring the payphone and tell her where to meet; she doesn't listen to a word Sam says and bolts out of the coffee shop as soon as she receives word from Vogelsang.

With some time to kill, Max kicks back with her friends at The Wall. The comical sight of Sketchy's uneven tan sparks something in Max's mind -- Logan's ex, Valerie, had a tan line where a wedding band would normally be. Suspicious, Max follows Valerie and finds that she is indeed married to a young stud named Mitch.

Max then rides to meet Vogelsang, only to find a crime scene at Vogelsang's rooming house. Someone put a bullet through Vogelsang's head. The presence of Lydecker's men gives Max a good idea who pulled the trigger.

Back at Logan's, Max explains about Vogelsang and the information he took to his grave. Logan points her in the right direction -- a tattoo parlor in Chinatown. As she's walking out, Max stops. She has some bad news for Logan. It's about Valerie...

Max pieces together a set of clues and hurries to a boarding house where she thinks another barcode kid is lodging. She finds Zack, a.k.a. Sam. It seems that big brother had been keeping his eye on Max and took the Jam Pony job to have a closer look at her life. Max and Zack flee as Lydecker's men bear down on the boarding house. Afterwards, they have a moment to catch up.

As it turns out, Zack is not the loving brother Max expected. He's still in full Manticore mode. Ever the soldier, it was Zack that killed Vogelsang to keep the information about the twelve a secret... a secret he refuses to tell even Max. "The less we know about each other, the better," he says. As her commanding officer, Zack orders Max to leave Seattle; her position has been compromised. Max refuses -- she's not a soldier, and he's not her C.O. Disappointed, Zack leaves... he can't be responsible for her if she won't follow the rules.

Meanwhile, Logan gives Valerie an envelope full of money. That's what she came for, isn't it? Valerie feigns ignorance, but Logan says he understands; it's a tough world out there since The Pulse. Valerie takes the money and leaves Logan's life for good.

After a small gathering to celebrate Herbal's re-hiring at Jam Pony, Max stops by Logan's and they share their recent disappointments. Valerie and Zack both turned out to be different than they hoped. Max and Logan are left feeling very much alone... but at least they have each other.

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