Hello people of earth, this is something that I wanted to work on. It is a story that has Max replace Ziva on the team.

Summary: Trapped within a parallel universe that is much like her own, Max Guevara needs to adapt and overcome one elaborate scheme after another. Is this a plot of Manticore that she can't escape from - Punishment for escaping in the first place? A new reality that is an entrapment within the depths of her own subconsciousness? What about when she encounters a person that looks like Logan?

I hope you like it. :)

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The soft wind blew the dark curls from her olive skin toned face as dark eyes viewed her surroundings from on top of the high building she was on. This place, Washington she found out, was... different.. and truthfully Max didn't know if it was good or bad yet. It was as if the pulse never existed. As if Manticore never existed.. but that was impossible? Woman, men and children were walking around as if everything was alright.. as if the government didn't change her into something to fear. Was this all some sort of a joke?!

She looked up at the dark sky, silently asking why. Why had her mother given her up? What year was it here? Why did Manticore choose her out of all abandoned babies? The last thing she remembered was being knocked out in a room full of experiments. Maybe, where she was, was created by Manticore? She wouldn't exactly be surprised. An alternate plane of some kind maybe? She was taught how to survive the shit they came up with but who knows what they have achieved in her absence? Max ground her teeth together frustrated. So not only was she tired, hungry, and confused - she was also somewhere she had no collection of. She didn't like not knowing so many things at a time.

If she was in fact here, Max pinched herself - yup, she was- she only would assume another was here to keep their eye on her. Highly likely many more then one.

She was haunted by the memories of that place. She hated it more then she could say she hated anything else in her life. Max never believed in running from things but when the time calls for it. When you have no other choice, you have to do what you have to do. She ran with the others because at the tender age that she was when she ran, she wanted something more. Something better. Her life was supposed to be better then taking orders from people that thought they were better.. right? She hoped so at least.

Was she stuck here.. or was it temporary? She didn't know what she was hoping on. Anywhere was better then a life without looking over your shoulder for someone to capture or kill you. All she wanted was a family, her squad of X-5s provided that, as crazy as a the family was. She wondered if they were here, her brother's and sisters,and if they were alright. She wondered if they were safe - maybe even in good homes. She refused to believe after all their dreams of being a family together - that she was the only one.

Gun shots rang in the silence, making Max turn her head at the sound. She heard that sound all her life, and even now after all these years, she hates it. Creeping closer at the sound of small sinister laughter and an old Scottish man pleading, her cinnamon brown eyes widened. There holding a gun, a young man with sandy hair and a tanned skin tone, looked all to familiar.

Before she knew what she was doing Max found herself falling from the high building and landing in a perfect crouch, that made the elder man's eyes widen at the position she was in after falling from the height that should have surely killed her, but she ignored him in favor of looking at the younger man. Happiness and dread filled her, "Ben... drop the gun."

"Nothing makes sense here, Max." He told her, ignoring what she said, "This man works for the government. He swears that he never heard of Manticore - the pulse - Max, it's as if we don't even exist!"

She stepped in front of him, blocking his dangerously glinted dark gaze off of the man, flinging the gun with one hand to lay innocently on the ground. "Have you found our brothers and sisters?" To her dismay, Ben shook his head. "That's okay, we just need to adapt and survive. We will find them, we just have to have patience."

"No." She stared at him in disbelief as he shook his head. Wasn't a normal life after everything that happened in their lives exactly what he wanted? "I won't work the government after everything. Not knowing who will drive a knife through your back when it's turned - not knowing who is from Manticore. No, Max."

She nodded, understanding his point of view even if she wanted to look at the best in people, she didn't want to go through that hell again. "Leave him alone, Ben. We are not longer at Manticore. We are no longer subjected to the things we went through. Ben, this can't be us. This no longer has to be us."

"Sorry, Max. I am not you. Everything in Manticore, even though our unit was pushed around and sheltered.. made sense." He turned away, only to realize that he walked right into her.

"Ben, do you here yourself?" Her eyebrows pulled together in caution and misunderstanding, "Do you really miss it all? .. Then why did you run away with us?" She questioned angrily in the night air, "You were the older popular one, always comforting us with your personality, imagination and fantastic stories whenever we had questions. You helped us deal with the hard life we lived." She stepped closer to him, hands grabbing his face, forcing him to look at her. "Ben, don't be like this."

Her cinnamon eyes grew even more saddened as he smacked her hand away, his eyes growing darker, "We are already are, Max. Sorry to burst your high and mighty bubble but that's what we have been trained to do. The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be."

Her eyes followed him as he brushed harshly past her, wonder what went wrong along the way with him. She was just trying to help him, she didn't force him to run. Max couldn't believe the Ben that she looked up to as a child would walk away just like that.

She turned and saw an slightly elder man with glasses, a light brown hat, an almost suit with a baby blue shirt underneath and a tie. "I am sorry you were dragged into this. Ben wasn't always like that.." She looked longingly in the direction said 'brother' of hers ran off too. "He is different now.. and I am afraid he is right."

"My dear girl," She turned to the Scottish voice of the man next to her, "you saved my life. A person you don't even know. If I may ask, what did that young man mean about not trusting the government?"

She looked at him weary but paused a little more then a moment, "You really don't know... do you?" She sighed and continued on, "I am afraid even if I told you, it wouldn't change a thing.. I have this dreadful feeling that it's only the beginning. I am sorry for interrupting your night."

His cell phone rang and he looked down before looking up again to see the dark haired beauty was gone.

"Duck? .. Ducky!?" He snapped out of his thoughts and the name of the caller with a sense of urgency in his tone, completely unaware of said dark beauty watching his every movement.

"Jethro, we may have a major problem."

Am I not supposed to have a normal life with a white fence, kids, and a husband to kiss me when I come home? Am I not supposed to be happy? I am sorry Ben, for anything and everything that I didn't even know I had done.

I will find you and the others - I promise even if it is with my last breath.

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I hope you liked it, please take just a second to review and let me know what you think? Thank you for reading my story! :)