A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update, I went away for a few days. Anyways, please review everyone because I would love to hear your feedback.

Finally their stay in the pit was done. The guard had decided not to keep Max for another day because he was sick and tired of hearing her and Mina giggling. Even though she was pale, dirty, and close to passing out because of hunger, Max still had a good feeling inside of her, because even though she felt like her situation at Manticore was hopeless, at the same time she felt that it would be okay. She had a friend now, someone who had her back. She had someone to help her push on, to not give up. And even though she couldn't understand how she could feel hopeless but that everything would sort itself out at the same time, she didn't question it. She had a friend now, a rock. During the past few days, Max's and Mina's friendship grew and there were no accusations or doubts between them. Neither of them had the feeling that the other would tell Manticore what they spoke about; their ordeal in the pit got rid of any insecurity. Max knew that it was a little weird for her to connect with another transgenic so quickly, but somehow she knew that she could trust her.

Their 3 days in the pit together passed quickly due to their talking and plotting. They couldn't stop laughing; they were conspirators now. They came up with many ideas on how to make a certain person's life miserable, if you could call living in Manticore a life at all. They planned and thought of ways to follow through with their little pranks. They treated it as an exercise; the objective at hand was to drive a certain soldier insane and they needed to come up with the most efficient way to complete the objective. Needless to say, the soldier who was now the center of their attention was in very big trouble.

Max smiled to herself as she and Mina climbed out of the pit and headed quickly to the mess hall for some much needed food. A pair of hazel eyes made their way into her mind and she smirked.

Let the games begin.

494 leaned against a tree in the woods of Manticore, resting up before he had to go to classes, brown eyes in a Hispanic face imprinted in his mind. Throughout the past few days he couldn't get her face out of his mind and it was distracting him. X5-494 did not evade his problems; he solved them. So here he was in the open air, trying to sort things out and understand why the rogue soldier wouldn't leave his mind.

So much for sorting things out, he thought. I'm no more understanding of this than I was when I first got here.

He san down to the round and rubbed at his eyes. It disturbed him that he wasn't in control. He liked to be able to control his thoughts and feelings, and to not let them get out of hand. However, judging by his progress, or lack thereof, it was like trying to control a wild, raging lion. He just couldn't.

He thought back to another face, one that he was supposed to have forgotten but didn't. Pain filled his body and he banished the face from his mind. He had made the mistake of falling in love with her, and look at what happened. She was dead.

494 blinked at his thoughts. Love? What the hell does the fact that I loved Rachel have to do with 452? I'm losing it.

He shook his head to clear those thoughts but it seemed like his brain had something else in store for him. He thought back to how 452 had looked in the pit, pale, tired and hungry. He remembered how he had wanted to pull her out of there, to take care of her and make her feel better. He remembered the look of hurt in her eyes when he had said that degrading comment and lastly, he remembered the anger at himself for making her feel that way, anger also for even caring about a traitor, an '09er.

But somehow that felt wrong to call her a traitor. He understood why they left, but he and so many others had to endure so much pain because of them. He had wanted to harden his heart against her, but that hurt look in her eyes stopped him. He didn't know why he had the urge, the need, to aggravate her, to anger her. He just found it amusing when he teased her, and even when he knew that he shouldn't, he couldn't help it.

He clenched his fists. Why the hell am I letting some stupid rogue '09er get the better of me? Why am I even wasting my time thinking about some girl who happens to have a fiery temper and big eyes. I'm not going to let a woman take control of me.

His eyes clouded over and a mask fell into place. He was 494, one of the top soldiers. He wasn't going to let anyone confuse his thoughts or make him feel things he didn't understand. He was 494 and nothing, nothing, was going to put him off balance.

He started towards the building.

Max shoveled the food into her mouth, not taking a breath so that she wouldn't choke. Mina was doing the same although not so vigorously. Soon the plate in front of Max was completely empty, but her stomach still growled with hunger. Mina looked up from her food.

"You want the rest of mine?" she asked.

Max shook her head. "No, you should eat your own food. You must be starving too."

"I wasn't in there as long as you," she pointed out but Max still refused.

"I'll be fine," she said. She lowered her voice. "I might sneak back later and get some extra food. Wanna come?"

Mina nodded and shoved her now empty plate aside beside Max's. "First, I want to have a shower. Then, I want to get back at our little buddy for putting me in the pit in the first place."

Max grinned. "Ooh, definitely. What's his next class?"

Mina thought. "Well, he's in the same unit as me. Unfortunately, he's my C.O. and we have escape and evade next."

"You get the cloth and stick and I'll set up the traps," Max said.

Mina nodded and they both set off to take a shower and put their plan in motion.

Max relished the hot water pouring over her body because she knew it would turn cold soon. She put her hands out in front of her and leaned against the wall under the shower spray.

"Blessed hot water," she mumbled.

As she leaned against the wall, the thoughts in her head started to swirl around as she thought about what happened ever since she came back to Manticore.

Got captured, died, Zack committed suicide, I came back to life, got shunned by the others, went to Psy Ops and through reindocrination, met the biggest pain in the ass of my life, met the only friend I have so far and now I have to play the good little soldier to escape. Not exactly the nicest life so far.

Escape. The one thing that kept her going in this hellhole. Well, that and now Mina. She thought about all the people she had had in her previous life before she got captured. Now they seemed so far away. All the people she had cared about so much, the people who had had her back all the time, were too far away to comfort her now. The only way she could still feel connected to them was when she thought about them, brought their faces into her mind and fought to not let them fade. Original Cindy, Sketchy, Herbal, Kendra, Druid, hell, even Normal and… Logan.

God, I haven't thought about Logan for such a long time. I've just had so much to think about, I haven't had the chance to think about him, or anyone else for that matter.

Or is it because you've been thinking more about someone else? A treacherous little voice in her mind whispered.

She shook her head and the water came flying off her curls. She felt the water turn cold and stepped out, wrapping a towel around. She felt weak; she was still so hungry. One small plate of food couldn't replace a week's worth of hunger.

After Mina and I set everything, we'll get some more food, she thought. But for now, we need to get back at our favourite X5.

She grinned as she put on her clothes. There was about ten minutes before classes were supposed to start up again. Plenty of time to set up their stuff and still make it to class. Since Max wasn't in a unit yet, her schedule was different from Mina's, so she had a little more time than Mina did.

She snuck out into the hallway and crept forward, her back against the wall. She peeked her head around the corner and darted around, slipping into the weapons room. She looked around and quickly got the things she needed, and then quietly slipped out again. Silent as a mouse, she ran stealthily through the hallways and into the woods, setting everything up. She saw Mina come toward her and together their hands worked craftily, both of them grinning along the way. Once they were done, they gave each other a little nod and headed off to their next classes.

494 stood to attention in front of Trainer Green; his eyes seemingly focused but the thoughts inside his head the complete opposite. He couldn't seem to center his thoughts on any one thing; there was too much stuff to process. But he knew that everything seemed to revolve around a certain person. Something which confused him to no ends.

494's mind cleared for the moment as Trainer Green's voice snapped him to reality.

"You will be divided into two teams," he said. "Each team will be given a flag to hide, and each team will try to obtain the other team's flag and return to base without being caught. Each member of each team will be given a paint ball gun, and if you are hit by a paint ball, you must lie down as if you are dead and you are out of the exercise. The objective is to retrieve the opposing team's flag. Now for the teams…"

He walked in front of them to the middle of their line and inspected the blank faces.

"369, 222, 104, 048, 494, 528, 329, 753, 215 and 323," he barked. "You will be Team A with 494 as the mission leader. 274, 420, 839, 025, 663, 163, 925, 426, 273 and 729, you will be Team B with 839 as your mission leader. Gather round to retrieve your weapons."

494 had a pleased look on his face when he heard his team. They were all soldiers he worked well with and he felt sure they would win.

Thank God 839 isn't on my team, he thought. I don't think she got over her trip to the pit.

494 snuck a look at her to see how she was faring and was slightly disturbed at the grin on her face. 839 wasn't known for being cheery and after 3 days in the pit, she should be far from it. The fact that she was grinning like a kid on Christmas unnerved him.

A kid on Christmas, he thought. What does 839 want?

Realization came to him. Crap, I better look out. 839's got something up her sleeve. What the hell did 452 do to her?

Funny how he had immediately jumped to the conclusion that 452 had done something to her, but he didn't realize this. He took what he needed and disappeared into the forest with the rest of his team, Mina watching their direction carefully before slipping into the forest with her team as well.

Mina squatted down around a tree with her team as 420 hid the flag in the highest points of the tree. They were all already muddy, their boots caked with mud. Mina had chosen to hide their flag in a tree in the middle of a bog because she knew that 494 didn't really like to get down and dirty. Besides, the muddy atmosphere would slow the other team down and would provide them with the cover they needed since their army shirts and pants blended in perfectly with the green and brown in the bog.

She motioned for her team to listen attentively as 420 dropped down beside her. He nodded his head to indicate that the flag was properly hidden.

She communicated with the others with quick gestures of her hands.

494 is good at holding his breath under the tank so I'm thinking that he hid the flag somewhere around water. There's a river about 7 clicks from here. 420, 025 and 729, you 3 do some recon. Find out where 494 has guards protecting the flag. 426, 163, 925, 274 and 273, I want you guys to spread out around here and keep yourselves well hidden. Use the foliage to your advantage. 273 and 274, I want you two to be the main guards of the flag. 663 and I will be going with the recon team and then they will go off and make an owl's hoot. That is a false signal when you hear it the first time. We'll pretend we have the flag and I'm counting on the fact that 494 will believe that the owl's hoot is false. When we do get the flag, you will hear a second owl's hoot. I think 494 will just think that it's still a fake signal, when really it means we have the flag. So, when you hear the second owl's hoot, know that it's true. The team that will be staying here, be on alert and scout the surroundings for any of 494's team. As a back-up plan, if 663 or I get caught, you will hear a crow's call. The recon team will then proceed to get the flag. Oh, and if you see anything out of the ordinary, objects I mean, pay no attention to them. Does everyone understand?

Everyone made an ok signal but still looked at her strangely at the last bit, but they stood up and went into position. Mina nodded her head to herself. It seemed like a good plan. She just hoped they would listen to her and not approach any objects. It wouldn't be good if they got caught in the traps she and Max had set. She had put 273 and 274 in charge of guarding the flag because since they were twins, they worked well together. They had some sort of way to understand the other without putting their thoughts into words or motions and that was something very good to have on a team. She motioned to 663 to come join her and together they went forward with the recon team. She had chosen 663 to go in for the kill with her because she worked the best with her. The short, red-haired, punky transgenic was very good at stealth which would come in handy.

They crept forward and the exercise, which really seemed like a game of survival, began.

Max held a gun in her hand, the weight of it feeling a thousand times heavier than it actually was. The feeling of holding a gun repulsed her, but she always knew that one day she would have to use one again. She knew that one day a gun would make the difference of whether she would live or die, so she took a deep breath and tried to push the knot in her stomach aside. She felt the whole class watching her intently, expecting her to screw up she was sure.

Trainer Somers sighed and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Would you please raise your gun, 452, and empty your clip," he said. "We'd like to be done before next year."

Max's hands shook as she lifted the gun, and she took focus, her eyes zeroing in on the center of the dummy's forehead, right between its eyes. She pushed away all her insecurities and her eyes glazed over. She was 452.

She took aim and let her finger caress the trigger. She felt all the other soldiers hold their breath. She pulled the trigger repeatedly and a number of shots rang out through the air. She pulled back with a strangely triumphant look. There was silence all around and she looked at the dummy, inspecting her work. There was one clean bullet hole right in between its eyes, so clean that no one would ever know that there had been multiple shots.

"I'm impressed 452," Trainer Somers said, breaking the silence. "I didn't expect you to do this well."

Max looked down at the gun in her hand and she felt that she had broken through a barrier. She didn't feel as though she could use a gun anytime, but she had used one and she could work her way up, get used to the feeling. She had known she would do well; when she was younger she was always a great shot, often better than Zack and Syl who were always the best.

"Thank you sir," she said, and then she walked to where the others were standing in line, waiting for their turn. As soon as she neared them they all stepped back, as if she had some contagious disease. This saddened her slightly, but her eyes just burned with more determination to beat this bitch, to survive Manticore. She stood in the back, observing the others as they took their turns, and lightened up at the time she thought 494 was having.

"Fuck, 839 sure has it in for me," 494 muttered as he picked himself off the ground. He had heard a small rustling and when he went to investigate it he tripped over a string and fell face first into a pile of mud. He glimpsed some golden hair disappearing through the brush just as he began to pick himself up and knew immediately that it was the angry 839. He was about to ask himself why she didn't just put him out of the exercise, and then realized that there must be more traps out there that she wanted him to step into. He wondered how she could set all this up by herself.

I wonder how chummy 839 and 452 got in the pit, he thought, carefully scouting his surroundings. He stopped when he realized what he had done.

Damn, 452 again. What is it with her? It's driving me nuts!

He made sure to inspect the ground that he walked on for any booby traps. So far he had fallen into mud, had had a bucket of water poured onto his head then a bunch of grass following it to stick in his hair, had found ants in his water bottle and had no idea what to expect next.

He halted in his tracks when he heard the hoot of an owl. He knew how 839 would think and ignored it. He knew she was trying to trick him and motioned to his team who was hiding around the river the ignore it. He figured that water would be the best place to hide the flag because it was hard to travel through it. He also knew that 839 had a little bit more feline DNA than others so she absolutely hated water. He grinned. At least one way to get her back for all her tricks.

He whirled around when he heard a rustling sound and found himself face to face with the devil herself.

"839," he said. "You've caused me quite a lot of trouble."

She grinned at his appearance. His hair and clothes were completely filthy but he still managed to have a little cocky smirk on his face.

"Just thought I'd return the favour," she said. She watched with a smile as he whipped out his paint ball gun and squeezed the trigger. He frowned as a piece of cloth with the word "bang" on it popped out and looked at her with a disbelieving look.

"Could you be any more juvenile?" he asked.

"Well, you could probably beat me in that category," she said as a glob of paint hit him in the chest. He sighed and lay down on the ground.

He watched as she disappeared into the forest.

"What goes around comes around," he muttered.

Mina's team won that day.

A/N: I hope you liked that. For all of you who wanted MA action, I'm so sorry. It's coming up in the next chapter, I promise. I already have it all typed up so if you review, I'll post it. (Looks around innocently pretending it's not a bribe. LOL) Please give me your feedback, I'd deeply appreciate that.

Thanks ever so much to –

mel11 – Thanks!

elle6778 – Thanks! Yup, Mina sure is a kick-ass chick alright. Hmm, reminds me of a certain X5 we all know. LOL

shygirl1 – Thanks!

Cora – Thanks! I'm glad you like Mina.

Athena80 – Thanks! Mina and Max will be great friends, that's for sure and they'll be there for each other. That's a good thing since they've both been through a lot. About what happened to Mina, you'll see later on. She has a darker past than Max knows. I think I'm gonna put Max in Alec's unit because it will present some interesting circumstances. And yes, Joshua and Biggs will both be brought in. That's all I'm gonna say for now, don't want to give anything away. LOL

Aur – Thanks!

ontheDL – Thanks!

HoneyX5-452 – Thanks!

boombox200 – Thanks Livie!

Gamegirl452 – Thanks!

w1cked angel – Thanks! I'm going to bring breeding partners in, don't worry, just not yet. The time isn't right yet. LOL Mina's going to be having some talks with Max about 494.

CrimsonReality – Thanks!

meri24 – Thanks! The MA moments are coming up, don't worry. Glad you like Mina.

Me – Thanks! LOL Love your name. Me, it's original. LOL

Alana84 – Thanks! Alec better watch out because Mina is very much like Max and when you double Max's kick-ass attitude, you get one explosive combo. LOL

Lulu – Thanks! I hate ML. LOL No offense to ML lovers.

Thanks to everyone again and please review so I can get my already typed chapter out there. I'd love to hear your feedback! Hugs and kisses, aod78