Fran stumbled into her room, clutching her head. Her eyes strained to see where she was going, and she felt for the window. It had come on suddenly, and she just had to get away from Logan. The window slid open, and she jumped out into the roof of a neighbouring block of flats. Her legs gave way, and she knelt on the hard tiling. The noises echoed back and forth, and as Fran looked up, eyes glazed over, she heard one voice, loud and clear in her mind.

Itwo units utilized...third required...sending in X-63832.../I She heard Brinn's after-thoughts and subconscious ideas, some repeated again and again. Then others joined hers, and Fran felt like her head was going to erupt with all the noise.

She crumpled herself up, and tried to ferret out which of the mass jumble of thoughts were hers. After a while, they died away slowly, and Fran felt strong again. She stood, and before anyone saw her, she jumped off the roof, down to the alley below.
The radio was still tucked in her pocket, and without hesitation, she pulled it out. When she switched it on, it picked up the chatter of Lydecker's soldiers. It was worth a try.
"Lydecker"
She released the button, and waited for a reply.
"Lydecker" she repeated, and this time she got him.
"Who is this?" he asked. One part of her hated his voice, but another was relived to hear it.
"Fran"
There was a pause, and then noise of background crackling grew louder.
"Where are you?" Fran laughed at this; he didn't really think that she would tell, did he?
"Why is this happening again?" she asked.
"You must come in, just give me a location and I can pick you up," his voice seemed to be filled with concern, but Fran knew that he would be putting it on.
"Tell me"
"We won't know until you Icome back to Manticore/I" Fran looked at the radio, and, in a sudden fit of anger, threw it down onto the ground, where it smashed.
With tears in her eyes, she held her head. Zack was echoing around in her mind, angry subliminal thoughts and messages that just wouldn't go away. Damn him.
Fran stood up, and walked slowly out of the alley, into the busy streets. She looked around, and saw various groups of people just standing around, obviously with nothing better to do. As she scanned the various stalls that were dotted around, she saw a bike lent up against the wall of one of the houses. As she walked over to it, she saw that it had a small symbol of a man on a bike on a pack on the side, the same that Max's friend Original Cindy had on a bag the night before.
Fran waited there until a small girl came out with a pad in hand.
"Hey, can you tell me where Jam Pony is?" Fran asked, "A package of mine that I sent through you never got to its location, I wanna chase it up."
The girl shyly nodded, and gave directions.

"Look boo. Original Cindy ain't gonna take no for an answer. You are spendin' a quiet night in wit me so we can get your hair sorted out. It needs a good brush to it" she said, and pulled slightly at Max's hair as they took off their bags and sat down near the coffee machine.
Max looked Cindy directly in the eye and smiled.
"My hair is fine. Look, I don't have time to sit around and do nothin'. This girl's gotta..."she stopped as she saw Fran walk through the door, " 'cuse me"
Max got up, and ushered Fran into the locker area.
"What brings you here? Got tired of Logan already?!"
"No, just thought that I'd see where you are for most times of the day."
Max sat back down with Original Cindy, and Fran too.
"Hey Fran. Look, this girl won't listen to Original Cindy, maybe to you she will. Tell her that instead of runnin' around most of the day kickin' @ss, that she should stay home and indulge herself."
Fran opened her mouth to speak, but a tall, thin man came up behind Max, and looked at her in annoyance.
"Come on people, enough of the box social. These packages don't deliver themselves"
"Normal," Max said as she turned to him, "what the hell is a 'box social'?"
He ignored this point and looked at Fran for the first time.
"Who is this? No, wait. I don't care. Just take this and deliver it Inow/I. Come on, bip bip bip!"
Both Fran and Max rolled their eyes, Original Cindy made an excuse to leave. Normal threw the parcel to Max, who grabbed her bike and indicated for Fran to follow. They walked out of Jam Pony, with Normal yelling at them every step of the way.

Max and Fran walked side by side, bike in tow. On the way out, Sketchy arrived back after spending two hours delivering a package.
"Yo Sketchy, deliver this for me, please?" Max said, fluttering her eyelashes. Fran looked on with amusement, but then whispers in her head started up again. She bent over in pain, Max crouched down by her side.
"What is it?" she asked, with concern. Sketchy also bent over, and had Max's package stuffed into his arms. "Deliver it," she said as she pulled Fran up, and took her away.

Max dialed Logan's at the nearest phone booth, and told him to pick them up. She didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, Fran needed help, fast.

"What do you think is wrong with her?"
Max and Logan were sitting in the living room of the penthouse, drinking coffee together. Max held her cup tightly, worrying about Fran, who was sleeping in the other room.
"I dunno. I don't remember her seizures being so bad..."she broke off, as a train off thought ran through her head.

IBack in Manticore, Lydecker was talking to us, we were all tired and standing in line. Fran had been getting strange seizures, and during Lydecker's speech, she fell to the ground, screaming for the voices to stop. We didn't know what was wrong, and we sort-of expected for her to be taken away and killed, due to a defect. But Lydecker ordered for her to be taken straight to Medical, and treated there until well enough to be put back in training.
Her screams for help echoed in our heads, a memory that was so vivid.../I

Max shook the thought off. Logan looked inquisitively at her, but Max just waved him off.

In the next room, Fran was awaking. There was silence in the room, and in her head. Fran held her breath, so that this stillness was not destroyed. She realized that this was Logan's...someone must have brought me here, she thought. Fran climbed slowly out of bed; all her abilities seemed to be dulled down. Then she realized that the voices had not gone, they were there, clogging up everything. All the backwash of thoughts were hanging around, not causing pain at the moment but generally annoying her.

"Ahh..." she whispered. Small noises niggled in the back of her head, but she still got up and walked out the door.
Max stood up, and rushed over to her little sister, embracing her.
"Tell us what is happening,"she whispered into Fran's ear, "don't shut us out."