"How are you feeling?"
"Fine"
"So, I don't suppose you'd be up to some breakfast?"
"Logan, I'm beginning to think you've forgotten me, anything with food in it, and I'm always there!!" Max exclaimed.
"No Max, I'm sorry, I meant…"
"Shh," Max said as she placed her hand over his mouth, "it doesn't matter." They walked into the living room hand in hand, and Max gasped. The others that were sitting in the room turned around, nine people to be exact. Original Cindy, and Bling were there, as well as the rest of the living X5's, with the exception of Brin. Krit, Syl, Jondy, Zane, Charlie, Fiona, and Sarah were all there. Max let go of Logan's hand and greeted each of the X5's and gave each of them a hug. She finally came to the last one, Jondy, her best friend from her Manticore childhood.
"How are you, sis?" Jondy asked, for they had not seen each other in ten years.
"I could be better, you?" Max asked in reply.
"I want to hear your story, Syl here informed us that you, Zack, and Tinga were dead," Jondy said. The rest of the room murmured in agreement.
"All of you had better sit down for this, I mean all of you," she said as she spotted Logan standing by the door. He came in and sat down in his armchair. The X5's, with the exception of Krit and Syl, eyed Logan suspiciously, but turned their attention to Max. The room was dead quiet.
"As all of you may have been informed, Zack and Tinga are dead," Max started, tears already welling up in her eyes. "Since our leader is dead, and I am second in command, I will take over his responsibilities. All of you will be taking orders from me. I'm sorry this is the way it has to be. I have a plan to bring down Manticore. We need to kill Renfro, the director, by making it look like an accident. We also need a diversion to draw some of her men far away so they can't come to her rescue. Charlie, Fiona, it's up to you two to travel to Manticore and blow up their experimental labs. That will draw the soilders back to Manticore away from Renfro," Max continued, telling them of her plan in full detail. All the X5's had to admit, it was flawless, but it left little room for mistakes.
"So now that we know our instructions, will you tell us how you got here, why you are alive, and how Tinga and Zack died?" Jondy asked. Max looked away.
"Max, we have a right to know, he was our brother too," Syl added.
"No, you do have a right to know, but it's just hard. Ok, two weeks ago, he came for me because he had found Tinga. You see, Tinga had been captured by Lydecker in turn for her family's safety. I had found her in the place Zack said she'd be in. She was in a coma, I don't know how, but I broke the glass. I knew she didn't want to live in a glass jar for the rest of her life. As I was crying over her, Lydecker came in and captured me. I was stupid, weak, and I am sorry. I'm sure Syl and Krit told you the rest about our little raid on Manticore. But, as Zack and I were going to the car, through the woods, we both were shot. I had been shot in the heart, my right ventricle had been blasted away." By now Max was sobbing. "Zack was shot in the shoulder, he was still alive when Syl, Krit, Lydecker, and Logan left. We were brought into the Manticore hospital wing. When Zack found out I was dead, he told the doctor's to transplant me. They told him there were no hearts left, and besides I needed an X5 heart." By now Max was sobbing uncontrollably, but she kept going. "The stupid bastard, he, I didn't want him to, I would have rather died, I - I'm sorry!!" Max finally broke down, as it suddenly clicked for the rest in the room. They sat there, stunned, as Max got up and stumbled back into Logan's bedroom. She slammed the door shut, and flopped onto the bed, still sobbing uncontrollably. Logan, after recovering from the shock, came to his senses and went into his room, where Max was.
"Go away, I don't want to see anybody!!" Ignoring her whines, he lay down next to her on the bed, hugged her, and stroked her hair. He started to comfort her, as she cried.
"It's all my fault he's dead, now I have to be the leader, how could I do that?! I'll never be as good, or as dedicated as Zack!!" Max hiccoughed and sobbed, tears soaking Logans shirt in which she buried her face in.
"We'll help you, Maxie. You don't have to do this alone," Jondy whispered from her place beside the bed. Max lifted her head and turned to look at her family standing around the bed. Her face suddenly reddened, she had cried in front of them, they heard it all!
"Maxie, it's not your fault. You are not stupid, or weak, or a bad leader. As Jondy said, you don't have to do this alone," Charlie added. Max stared up at them all. Jondy sat on the bed and held Max's hand. Max hugged her as they both cried. Soon the whole room was crying from the loss of a brother and sister, and the realization that they might have to continue without them soon.
