A/N: Whoo hoo! I made it to the end! Last chapter, guys!

By the way: Philip Roarche, Nathan Wedler, Geb, Jared, Warren, Moris, Dr. Carlis, and Sgt. Leaman are all mine. Sort of... I made them up anyway. :) Max, Logan, Lydecker, and all the other characters from the show don't belong to me (obviously). Just thought I'd point that out one LAST time... in case someone thinks it'd be fun to sue me...


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Chapter 14: Epilogue



40 Miles from Manticore Base



"What the hell are we going to do with this thing?" Warren asked as he climbed out of the tank, "I mean, it's not like we can HIDE it somewhere..."

Zane patted the turret affectionately, "I dunno... It might be fun to have around... I think we should name it!"

"You are completely and truly cracked, brother," Krit shook his head, grinning.

Zane sniffed indignantly, "At least I still have ONE friend..." He pretended to hug the massive piece of hardware, sniffling.

Lydecker covered his eyes with his left hand. //Good lord...//

Syl patted Zane on the shoulder, "Awe... I still love ya, bro."

"Yeah, but you only love me for my big gun!"

Krit started laughing, "You have SO lost it!"

"Have not!"

"Oh, don't start that..." Max groaned.

"We DO have issue to discuss," Lydecker said, his voice demanding their attention.

"Like what happens now?" Logan put in.

"Exactly," Lydecker paced in front of the group, "We won't know how things are going to land for a while... It's best if we all split up and find somewhere to hole up for the time being."

"But... How do we keep in touch...?" Zane hated to bring up the question. It only reminded them that their 'big brother' Zack had always taken care of these problems.

"I... might be able to help you there..." Logan drummed his fingertips on the armor of the tank, "The informant net has always allowed me to stay in contact with my informants. I should be able to set up something similar for you."

"How long would that take?" Lydecker asked, intrigued.

"Not long at all. The basic infrastructure is already established... Maybe a day or two..."

"Hmm..."

"You really think that'd work?" Krit asked.

"I don't see why not," Logan smiled at him reassuringly, "It should help if you have a stable central connection point. I can also help you find somewhere to go, if you need..."

Max stared at the ground, "Do we really have to split up again?"

"Yes. It's too dangerous for everyone to be together. Especially when we don't know exactly what's going to happen to Manticore," Lydecker said.

It struck Max as being strange how they all listened to him, like he was some tribal elder or the patriarch of the family. The thought of calling Lydecker 'dad,' though, made her skin crawl. It was funny how he always referred to them as 'his kids' and never expected them to think of him as a father figure. He was their commander, their creator, but never their family, "But maybe later..."

"Later is later," Lydecker cut her off, "We can't be too preoccupied worrying about the future when the present is still up in the air." Max scowled at him but didn't protest.

"So... the immediate plan is...?" Warren started.

"We should go back to Seattle," Logan suggested, "I get set things up and put you guys in a safe house for a few days. It might be better than everyone running off right away."

"What about you?" Krit looked pointedly at Warren.

"What...?" Warren looked confused, wondering why he was being singled out.

"Are you still with us? Or are you going to go crawl back to Manticore?" Krit watched in intently.

"I... uh..." Warren stuttered, something he never did, "I... there... really isn't any Manticore to go back to..." He shook his head, "Besides, I don't think they'd exactly welcome me back after all this..."

"You'd be surprised," Lydecker said quietly.

"No... I... don't think I can go back..." Warren found the words more difficult to say that he had ever imagined, "I know too much... They'd want to know it to."

Lydecker fiddled with the sling that held his right arm, "Then it's decided. We'd better get moving. Roarche might just decide to coming looking for us."

"But what about Burtrum?" Zane nearly wailed, "We can't just leave him here..." He hugged the tank's turret again.

"Burtrum...?" Krit raised an eyebrow, "You really are nuts..."

Lydecker sucked in a breath and forced himself to count to ten. For all their genetically enhanced abilities and military training, they still acted like children.

Logan rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh... You know it's out of gas, right?"

Zane sat up and frowned, "It is?"

"Yeah... and do you know how much it takes to fill a fuel tank that size?" Logan couldn't suppress his smile.

Zane looked thoughtful, calculating in his head.

"And do you know much all that gas would cost?"

"Crap!" Zane looked horrified, "Never mind... I think I can find another toy later... one that won't bleed me dry..."

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Logan's Penthouse

Seattle, WA



Logan contentedly stretched his arms above his head. It'd been a long day, but he'd set up the contact system for the X5's. So far, it was jokingly being referred to as the 'Manticore hotline.' Lydecker hadn't thought it was very amusing. //His lose.//

A satisfied smile worked its way on to his face. Yeah, it'd been a lot of work, but it'd be worth it. Now they could communicate much more easily. Lydecker, as expected, had expressed concerns over how secure the system would be. There was always the potential for someone to either betray them or have the information tortured out of them. Logan had easily assuaged his worries, though. Experiences with the informant net had taught him how to allow people to exchange information without putting each other in danger. //Good ol' Eyes Only to the rescue.//

Max had spent the day with her siblings at the safe house, desperate to get to know them again before they had to leave. Cindy had spent some time berating Max for making her worry before caving in and giving her a hug. It seemed that Normal and his crew were actually very worried about her. Normal had even tried to get Cindy to tell him what hospital Max was supposedly. It was odd how things seemed to just settle back to the status quo.

//But it's not the same... is it...?// Logan sighed. Max had been rather distant since they had returned to Seattle. It was obvious she was still dealing with the loss of yet another brother. And not just ANY brother... Big brother Zack... All of the X5's felt uneasy about the future now. They were used to knowing that Zack would be there to take care of things, to tell them what to do. Now they were on their own...

Logan had done his best to help, but he could tell it wasn't the same for them. He wasn't family. He didn't understand. Or rather, COULDN'T understand. It didn't bother him... much. He was used to people being distant. Especially those who had been through a major tragedy or who were being pursued. Constant fear didn't do much for a person's social abilities. It wasn't easy to put your life in the hands of a stranger.

There were still a lot of emotions Logan hadn't managed to work through just yet, but he could deal with them later. Just having Max back in his life was enough for now. He'd been reluctant to let her leave the apartment that morning. After being away for so long, it was hard to let go, if even just a little. She had crashed in his guest room the night before, too tired to resist Logan's persuasion. He had worried when she conked out for almost 12 hours. Max never slept that long. //She probably needed it.//

Logan knew that things weren't really over yet, but the crisis had been resolved for the present. He had promised to keep an eye on Manticore's dealings for a while and to make sure Lydecker was informed. So far, there had only been some small pieces that had floated to the surface. It seemed that there was a great deal of infighting and politicking going on as vacuums formed. A lot of people who had once held high level positions were being 'demoted' or even terminated. All the power hungry vultures were scrabbling to get the best bits of the carcass. //Typical.//

At the moment, though, it meant they were distracted. The X5's and Lydecker would be safe until the dust settled. By then they should all be long gone.

Logan smiled. It was nice to be on top of things. He much preferred being in front of his computer to prowling around in the dark with a loaded weapon. It was good to be in control again.

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Outskirts of Seattle



"Jack..."

"Eva..."

"Ben..."

"Tinga..."

"Zack..."

Zane carefully finished carving Zack's name below the others. He looked up over his shoulder at his siblings from where he was crouched next to the enormous tree, "This thing's getting too crowded..."

"Yeah..." Krit stared morosely at the names. They all hope they wouldn't ever gather here again. It had been Syl's idea to make some kind of gesture to their lost siblings. She felt it would give them something more concrete, something to pour their lose into. Maybe she was right... Krit did feel slightly better.

"We won't forget," Syl murmured.

"No... How could we?" Zane brushed the dirt off his jeans as he stood, "Even if we tried. They're family..."

"At least we have have something to point to, though," Warren said, "I don't mean it as a joke... but, this is our family tree."

Syl managed a smile, "Yeah... It's all ours, isn't it?" It felt nice to have done something to remember her brothers and sisters. It was also something that she could return to later.

"Hey, we'll come back... Maybe every year," Max finally spoke, "We can talk... remember... Tell some stories..."

"You know... I think that'd be kinda cool..." Zane smiled, brightening, "It'd be a family reunion... Something to look forward to, you know?"

"Yeah..." Krit tipped his head, "We need to find Jondy now... Tell her what happened... And all about this place."

"Logan thinks he's found some info on her," Max offered, "He'll be able to track her down."

"It feels a little weird... But nice to have someone else we can trust now. If he can do everything he said he could, it'll be a lot easier to pass things along to each other," Warren smiled.

"Logan's a good guy... He'll make sure things are okay," Max said confidently. She had faith in him. He wouldn't let them down... He was family too...

The X5's lapsed into a comfortable silence, all of them gazing at the tree that would house their memories.

After several minutes had passed, Zane sighed, "We should head back..."

"Right..." Syl reluctantly agreed, slowly turning to head back to the car.

Krit paused and glanced back, "Max? You coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute," she called back. Kneeling down, she ran her hands over the letters that formed Zack's name. It was hard to say good-bye. But then again, she really didn't have to. As morbid as the thought was, a part of him would live on... in her. The stab of guilt she felt whenever she thought of him passed on quicker now. Maybe she'd be able to think of him freely someday. It'd take some time...

She smiled faintly as she rose, gazing for a moment more at the memorial, "See ya around... Zack..." Turning her back to the tree, Max moved to rejoin her siblings.

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A/N: Ah! I made it! It's the end! Of course, I couldn't just wrap it all up TOO neatly now could I? What happens if I get bored? I'd need something for a sequel then... :) Otherwise, you can speculate to your hearts content. If there's anyone who liked this so much they want to borrow some of my ideas, I don't really mind. Actually I'd be flattered!... Just give me a little credit, huh? :)

I'm intending to go back over all the chapters and revise them later. There won't be any huge changes (at least I don't think there will). Just some tweaking.

Oh yeah, and if I missed any X5's who have died, please, please tell me so I can put them in! :)

Thanks for all the fabulous reviews! You guys have been really great! I never really expected such a terrific response, but I really, REALLY appreciate it! Everybody's been so nice! What a great group! * sniff* I love ya, guys. :)