Max is a genetically engineered
human, created by Manticore, a covert government agency. They created her
and several other children to be the ultimate soldier. She has enhanced
vision that lets her see in the dark, and "zoom in" on
things. She is much faster, stronger, and smarter than average.
Max's blood is type O, people with this blood type are called "universal
donors" because they can give blood to anyone, regardless of the recipients
blood type. Unfortunately,
the program messed up and her brain doesn't produce enough seratonin, and she
needs to take triptophan pills so that her brain can function at normal levels,
without the triptophan supplement, she starts getting seizures, and could go
into a comma and die if left untreated. All the kids in Manticore had a
number inserted into there genetic patterns that shows up as a barcode on
the back of the neck. Max's barcode number is 332960073452.Max and twelve other children who were part of a group called "X5" escaped from Manticore in early 2009, and were forced to split up. Max was picked up by a woman named Hanna, who took her to her house, then went to find someplace safe for her. While Hanna was out, Max snuck out to stay on the move to avoid Lydecker, the head of Manticore, who is looking to re-capture or kill all of the escaped children.
For a while after Max escaped, she was staying with a foster family, until she discovered that her foster father drank a lot and became abusive toward her foster sister, Lucy. She has always felt guilty for not doing anything to improve the situation, but as Manticore trained her to only engage the enemy if she knew she could win, so instead she ran away after the pulse hit.
Max is currently living in an abandoned building with a friend named Kendra in Seattle. They have to buy off a cop named Walter to avoid being reported as squatters, but Max makes up for it by spitting in the coffee she gives him when he comes to collect.
Max has a day job with Jam Pony Messengers delivering messages around town, and steals from rich people at night to pay a private detective to track down her Manticore siblings. One night she broke into the house of Logan Cale, who she discovered is the cyber journalist "Eyes Only". Logan discovered who and what she is, and tracked her down to try to help him fight for justice. Max was reluctant at first, but helps him occasionally in exchange for information on the other children created by Manticore.