A/N: Here's the next chapter! Hope your not bored. :) I've never tried to write an action sequence before, but here goes nothing! If anybody has some tips, please feel free to send them my way. By the way, for those who don't know, the car Logan drives is actually a Pontiac Aztec. Those things are pretty weird looking if you get up close. :)


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Chapter 6: All's Fair



Manticore Base, Infirmary


Max stared at the ceiling for lack of anything better to do. Most of the infirmary staff refused to even approach her now. Not that she minded... It meant she had the chance to think. The drugs they had kept giving her were finally out of her system, and her mind was clear again. There were a lot of things she needed to work through.

Logan's cable hack had done a great deal to restore her resolve. Just knowing he was alive and still fighting gave her strength. Some of his words still rattled around in her mind, though. He had spoken about loosing a friend... Did he think she was dead? A faint memory of him holding her and telling her she would be fine pricked at her consciousness. Sometimes she thought she had heard him sobbing her name, over and over...

Dr. Wedler perused the results he had just received of the blood analysis. He jotted down a few notes in the margins for future reference before heading over to Max's bed. "Well, looks like you're just about ready to get out of here," he said with what was meant to be a reassuring smile. For him, it was good news. Renfro had been hounding him ever since the Eyes Only broadcast. It wasn't like he could really do anything more to make the X5 better faster. The woman just wouldn't leave him alone.

Max gave him a menacing stare. Oh, she wanted out, all right... not just out of the infirmary, but out of Manticore all together. Unfortunately, leaving the infirmary would mean they were ready to start trying to brainwash her into being a good little soldier again. She was alert for any opportunity, any at all, that might present a way for her to escape. There was no way in hell she'd go down with out a fight.

Wedler fidgeted and sought something else to look at, "You're vitals are looking good... blood pressure's good... strong pulse..." //What's wrong with you? The girl is tied down. There's nothing she can do to you... I hope...//

//The guy's scared... Maybe he'll do something stupid if I play this right...// Max put on her best teary-eyed expression and proceeded to beg, "Please... I don't want to go back... Don't make me go back..."

The doctor looked shocked for a moment and stammered as he sought for something to say, "Well... I... I..."

Max vaguely remembered having seen the man once, a few weeks before the escape. She had ended up with a deep gash in her leg during one of their training exercises, and he had been brought in to stitch the wound up. She could recall him chatting amiably with her while he worked, obviously wanting to calm her... not that she'd been particularly upset or anything. He probably had been used to "normal" children who cried and screamed when they were hurt, "I'm scared... Please... You know what they'll do to me... I don't want to end up like that again," she sobbed convincingly.

Wedler glanced around, unsure of what to do. He'd always had a bit of a soft spot for kids, "It's okay... Don't worry... Everything will be fine," he soothed, awkwardly patting her shoulder. //I shouldn't be doing this... Someone's going to see, and I'll be in a hell of a lot of trouble... but... Awe, hell...// "Look, maybe I can check things again... Another day or so of rest might do you good..."

Max gave him the "brave-little-girl" smile, "Oh, thank you... thank you..." //The dope is actually buying this?! I thought I was laying it on a little thick... Just lean over here a little more, you moron...//

Wedler smiled, feeling much better now that the girl had stopped crying. He couldn't stand crying females... "There, see? Everything's going to be fine..." There was a distinct snap as Max broke the brace that held her right wrist. "ACK!" Wedler gasped as Max's hand suddenly clamped around the back of his neck, twisting his head just enough to make it hurt.

"Untie me... NOW..." she hissed in his ear, "If you yell, I'll break your neck."

//Oh... Now you've done it...// Wedler hastily worked at the release for the straps. //I am so dead... Doesn't matter how this works out, someone's going to kill me...//

Instantly, Max was out of the bed and holding the captive doctor in front of her. //Hostage... Nice...// A feral grin spread across her face as the guards and staff became aware of what was happening, "Anybody so much as breathes, and I get to play amateur chiropractor," she warned.

The guards hesitated a moment before lowing their guns. //Oh hell...// Wedler's thoughts were swamped by panic //They'll shoot me! There's no way they'll let her go... Oh, why me...?//

Max backed cautiously out of the infirmary, taking Wedler with her. She moved rapidly down the corridor, keeping her eyes on the guards who had followed her into the hall. Her senses were on full alert, scanning, searching. She was determined not to let anything stop her from getting out. //For you... Zack... and Logan...//

She quickly pushed the emotional thoughts out of her head, needing to avoid any distractions, "Open the door."

Dr. Wedler made a distinctly un-manly sound as she twisted one of his arms behind his back. Punching the numbers into the key pad, the door slid open and he felt himself being pushed forward again. //Oh pleasepleaseplease... Let me make it out of this alive...//

"Keep moving," Max said gruffly. The instant the door closed behind her, she saw a shadow moving towards her in her peripheral vision. She shoved the doctor towards the shadow and was rewarded when the two collided. Wedler yelped and went down, tangled with the shadow. Max ran down the hallway, halting only when three armed guards stepped out in front of her. //Great...// She dropped down and used a leg-sweep to knock two of them down. The other, she punched in the stomach with full force. He keeled over, groaning.

//Keep moving... Gotta keep moving...// Max hurried past the felled guards, knowing there were others behind her. She was moving on autopilot now, trusting her memory of the place to lead her out.

An unarmed man in military fatigues appeared in front of her. She barely slowed as she clothes-lined the man, forcing him to the ground. A second later, she felt a hand close around her ankle, and she fell forward. Rolling, Max used her free leg to kick her assailant in the face. //Damn... He's fast... Not good.// She didn't recognize his face, but his strength was much to great for him to be a normal soldier. //Damndamndamn//

Scrambling to her feet to face the man attacking her, Max managed to block a punch. Returning his attack, she connected with the underside of his jaw. //I don't have time for this!// He seemed momentarily stunned from the blow, and Max wasted no time in taking advantage of the fact, bolting towards the outer doors.

//Just a bit farther... Wait! Behind...// Max flung herself to the ground just in time to avoid a round house kick. Rolling to her feet, she spun around. "Brin!"

"Don't do this, Max..." her sister warned.

"Bite me!" Using some tricks she'd picked up from the streets of Seattle, Max blocked two punches and hooked Brin's ankle with her own, unbalancing the other X5 and sending her to the floor, "Later..."

Max spun back towards the door and freedom only to find guards armed with tazers. //Oh fuck...// She dodged two of the darts, but three more impacted, sending a massive charge of electricity through her body. //Nonononono... Please...// Collapsing, her body convulsed for a moment before everything went black.

Brin sighed as she collected herself, standing to take charge of the situation, "Escort X5-452 back to the infirmary. See that she doesn't try to... hurt herself again." She cast a disinterested glance at the unconscious body on the floor and turned away.

****** ** *************


Warehouse/ Base of Operations


Logan pried the last of his spare computer equipment from the box on the floor. After spending most of the day searching for a place to "set up shop," he and Lydecker had gone to inspect the location. The warehouse was significantly smaller than the one they had used previously, but in this case, it might just be an asset. Lydecker had comment that it would be much easier to defend a smaller perimeter.

//Well, I guess he knows better than I do.// Either way, Logan wasn't going to complain about something so trivial as a few hundred square feet. If there weren't people who still owed Logan favors, he never would have been able to afford such a place. As it was, if things went badly, there was a strong possibility the warehouse might end up as a casualty of the war with Manticore.

He shook his head with a small smile as he recalled the events earlier that day. "This your car?" Lydecker had said as he eyed the Aztec skeptically. "Yeah..." Logan had answered with some trepidation. Lydecker had made a noise that was almost a laugh, "You're a braver man than I thought, Cale."

Even though Logan appreciated the injection of some humor into the rather bleak situation, it was almost surreal to be joking about his car with a man who was his enemy. //My... enemy's enemy, wasn't it?//

Lydecker had left several hours ago on a "recon" walk, wanting to map out the surrounding territory, leaving Logan to set up the equipment alone. They still had the van the South African tracking team had been using and had brought it to the warehouse as well. Logan was thankful for the solitude. It had been a while since he'd had the time to sort through the powerful emotions that had been coming fast and furious since his anniversary dinner with Max. And that had been six days ago.

He picked up a nearby screwdriver and began setting an auxiliary video card in place. Had it really only been six days ago? To Logan, it felt like an eternity. Waiting, worrying, fearing what might happen to Max... That he might never see her again...

It had been an incredible shock, though a good one, to find out that Max was actually alive. He would never forget the sensation of holding her in his arms as she died. The pain... All he could do was deny what he thought was the truth... that she was gone. Logan had clung to the possibility that taking her back to Manticore might bring her back. He'd been right, but he hadn't been the one to take her there.

And if he had been the one? If Lydecker hadn't stopped him? Logan had cautiously turned the thought over in his mind, but couldn't find an answer. Though it would have meant he had saved her, it would also mean he had condemned her. Logan wasn't sure he could have dealt with that...

Movement on one of the security monitors caught his attention. Cameras had been conveniently installed around the premises, and Logan had easily hacked into the video feed. //Just Lydecker...//

"So... What do you think?" Logan asked as Lydecker strolled into the warehouse.

Completing a mental map of the area, he nodded in approval, "It'll do." Lydecker took a seat next to Logan in the van, "The area's relatively secure. Not much activity in the surrounding buildings. It'd be damn near impossible for them to slip in under our guard from here."

"That's good news..."

Lydecker made an affirmative noise. The two lapsed into an awkward silence. Logan kept his eyes directed to his work, not really wanting to be the one to start a conversation.

Lydecker glanced at his watch and tried to relax in his seat. "How did you end up involved with... Max, anyway?" he asked, not as interested in the answer as a distraction from the quiet.

"She... broke into my apartment." //It can't hurt to tell him the truth, can it?//

"Really?" Lydecker smiled crookedly, "I'm surprised she got caught."

"Things were... tense, so I was already on guard..."

"Hmph..." After another significant pause, Lydecker spoke again, "You ever been married, Cale?"

Logan looked up, startled by the question, "Once... It didn't work out though..." he answered slowly, wondering if the conversation had a direction.

"Divorced?"

"Yeah..." Logan turned his gaze back to the objects in his hands. //This is weird...//

"Hmm..." was the only reply as Lydecker seemed to study something interesting on the floor.

//Very weird...// "You?"

"Yes... She... died some time ago."

Logan searched the older man's face, sensing there was something being hidden, "I'm sorry..."

Standing again, Lydecker began to pace, "Things happen... You learn from them."

Taking the other man's obvious discomfort into account, Logan decided to steer the dialogue in a less personal direction, "So what did you do to piss of your bosses so badly?"

"We had a disagreement on internal policies," he said, though his voice had a certain edge to it.

Concentrating once more on the computer parts in his hands, Logan observed, "Must have been pretty serious for her to want you dead."

"Let's just say I had a big problem with her lack of respect for our limited... resources," Lydecker muttered as he glanced at his watch again.

"By resources, I'm assuming you mean Tinga, right?"

"Among other things... Yes."

"Renfro sounds like a real piece of work... Any idea what she's up to?"

"None at all... Apparently, I've been slowly removed from the loop."

"I can't imagine why she'd kill an X5. Especially after the effort you guys put into searching for them. There's got to be a reason there somewhere..." Logan gestured with the screwdriver without looking up.

"I'm sure there is..." Lydecker stopped pacing.

"And why Tinga? Why not one of the X5's that didn't escape? We must be missing some..." A sharp pain exploded at the base of Logan's skull, and he toppled out of his chair. //What the hell...?// The world seemed to spin nauseatingly around him. Blinking in an effort to clear his blurred vision, Logan looked up to see a doubled image of Lydecker standing over him, gun in hand.

With a crooked smile, Lydecker turned to address someone Logan couldn't see, "It's about damn time you showed up, Humphry. I thought you'd be a little more eager to get to meet the infamous Eyes Only."

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A/N: Wow! Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. I've been swamped with work. So what's next? What'll happen to Max as Manticore tries to re-indoctrinate her? Has Lydecker betrayed Logan? What about Krit and Syl? Oooh, the suspense! Or so I'd like to think. :) Don't worry, I've got half of the next chapter all ready written, so you shouldn't have to wait long!