Zack rolled his motorcycle next to Max's at the club where he had saved her earlier that night. Earlier that night, it seemed like weeks had past to Zack. He looked up at the dark sky and reckoned that it was almost one in the morning as he walked over to the motel where Krit was stashed. He knew that the X-6 would already be there. It was just a matter of being too late.

Thoughts were running in and out of his head and none of them were comprehensible. So many foreign feelings and emotions were overcoming Zack but not because it was the first he had felt them but because it was the first he had acknowledged them. He fumbled with the zipper on his jacket and thrust the MP5 machine gun against his chest before zipping it back up.

His thoughts strayed to Max multiple times and he wondered if she would ever forgive him. In his mind there was no doubt that he was right but something about losing Max brought a pain to his chest and it made it hard for him to breathe. It wasn't just that they had lived and gone through the incredible pain and hardships together but something more. His other brothers and sisters shared close bonds but it didn't compare for the feelings he felt for Max. He knew it wasn't love but he also knew it wasn't just a brother-sister connection.

Gravel crunched underneath his feet as he stared at the ground, his current mission being one of the last things from his mind. There was so much to take in and it was overloading him. It was time for something Zack did best. Simplify life down to necessity and strip all else away. Suddenly his mind became clear and focused on the matter at hand. Saving Krit.

By the time he reached the front parking lot of the motel he had made himself forget what had happened between Max and his feelings for her as well but he knew she wasn't something he could keep down. She always resurfaced into his thoughts. Zack knew instantly which vehicle the X-6 had come in. There was only one vehicle large enough to carry all of the X-6 and there equipment and it was a large sport utility vehicle. Sneaking up behind it Zack pulled out the MP5 and switched the safety off. Crouching next to the left rear door he counted to two and swung it open. His eyes instantly adjusted to the inside and he focused in on the person inside as his finger twitched on the trigger.

"Krit?" Zack was surprised at first and then he quickly slid into the vehicle and closed the door behind him.

"Hey Zack. Finally someone shows up. Was about to cut out of here on my own," Krit smiled as they focused on each other in the complete darkness with no problem.

"What are you doing in here?" Zack asked as he looked out the window towards the motel.

Krit smiled a broad smile, it was obvious Krit was a much more well adjusted person than Zack was, "If you had six people looking for you than where would the best place to hide be?"

"Nice thinking," Zack didn't even allow a smile to crease his usually despondent features.

Krit nodded as he looked outside with Zack, "So we better get out of here before they come back right?"

Zack was already opening up the doors and they looked each way before stepping out into the cold air. Krit was the first to hear it. Just a tiny little click no louder than the sound of a grain of sand striking a metal surface. He turned around and saw the barrel of a gun pointing at him.

"Nice and easy there. It's funny how stupid some people are. Like we wouldn't think to watch the car," Jared smiled as he wiped the sweat from his dark brown eyes and pushed away his semi-long brown hair. He kneeled on top of the SUV and simply waited with his gun pointing down at them. Zack now had his gun down in front of him pointing to the ground as he carefully assessed the situation.

Zack recognized Jared instantly and nodded over to Krit, "Krit this is one of the X-6. X-6 this is Krit."

Krit looked from Zack to Jared but wasn't surprised at all after seeing them raid his home in Los Angeles just eight days before. They had moved with such speed and precision that now the revelation of them being Manticore kids seemed like old news.

"Thanks for the introduction. Drop the gun Zack or I drop you," Jared replied. This got Krit's attention as he was surprised that they already knew each other. He could see contempt in Jared's eyes for Zack. Little did he know that just hours before Jared had learned that Zack had betrayed them at Manticore like the other X-6 had learned.

Zack slowly began to lower his gun to the ground as he stared up at the FiveSeven pistol in Jared's hands. In a flash Zack leapt into Krit, knocking him out of the way, and brought up his gun firing a three shot burst up at Jared. Zack's genetically enhanced speeds would have allowed him to get the drop on most people but Jared was moving before Zack had even moved. Jared had excelled at Manticore on nerve and tension training to the point where he could see when someone was about to move. It wasn't fool proof but it was useful in situations like this.

Jared leapt backwards onto the SUV and onto his back. Zack dove onto the bed of the SUV and sprayed bullets through the roof. Quickly Jared rolled off the side but Krit was already in action. His foot came up and slammed into Jared's wrist causing it to collide with the side paneling. The gun didn't drop from his hands so he quickly sent a kick into Krit's side and brought the gun up squeezing off a shot.

The bullet grazed Krit's shoulder and caused him to instinctively dodge to the side. Zack leapt from behind the open rear door with his gun ready but Jared was nowhere in sight. Krit shook his head from the initial blindness from the unsilenced muzzle flash. Zack instantly dropped to the ground and just barely saw Jared stand up on the other side of the car which he had just rolled under. Zack slammed the butt of the gun into Krit's shoulder to get him running in the direction of the club which was almost a mile away.

Jared wasn't alone when he started running after the two figures ahead of him in the night. His eyes focused and gathered in light from every available light source to define them more clearly. Thomas and Terrence were running with him and Jules was rushing to find Mira and Steph to then try and catch up in the SUV. Jared was several yards ahead of Thomas and Terrence and continued to push himself further as he closed the gap.

The extra years and training at Manticore were paying off as soon Jared could hear the conditioned breathing of Zack who was just a few feet behind Krit. Something set Jared's internal alarm off and he instantly started to focus on Zack. He instantly took note that Zack had noticeably slowed and that his back had hunched over. It was then Jared noticed that Zack's legs had tightened.

Jared threw himself on the ground moments before Zack even turned around and sprayed several shots behind him. He quickly spun back around and took off again. Jared could feel blood on the side of his face and his right arm from where he had hit the asphalt. He pushed himself up and continued to run after Zack but he could see it was almost too late. Krit was already on a motorcycle and as Zack got on they sped off into the distance.