Escape and Evade

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, except this story, that I'll probably deny I wrote later on. Everything belongs to Charles Eglee, James Cameron, and all those other annoying people who think they can kill Zack off.
Summary: What I hope will happen during season 2. Max will escape sometime in later chapters (that is, if all of you don't think it's horrible) with help from Zack who (obviously) isn't dead. It'll eventually become a m/z story, so if you don't like it screw you, don't read it, and I mean that in the nicest possible way; really I do.
Spoilers: just to be safe, every episode to date (AJBAC), I'll probably bring up a lot of past episodes.
Rating: PG-13 (language and eventually some m/z encounters *wink, wink* but if you watch the show it's not that big of a deal)

A/N: Thanks 4 the reviews, u guys are awesome *takes a bow*.


I spent the night in the barracks listening to Brin preach about how Manticore would change me for the better and how great it was. As I faked an exaggerated yawn in her face she shut up and let me get to sleep. She knew I didn't sleep, and wouldn't let myself become vulnerable by letting my guard down and resting. If I let myself fall into a non-drug induced sleep, I'd have nightmares about Zack shooting himself. Not tonight though, tonight I knew he was somewhere within the walls of Manticore with me, and that fact calmed me enough to almost allow me to fall asleep...almost.

How was I supposed to sleep with all I could think about was Zack being alive. I wondered what he was doing at that moment. Being beaten for fighting against orders, sleeping, talking with Renfro again? It was a big shock to see the man I loved, and thought was dead, sitting as alive as I am rebelling against Renfro. I needed to talk to her; to get all the information I could out of her. I mean, I don't even know who's heart I have in me anymore. If I could just find Zack and talk with him, we could organize a plan to bust out of Manticore. The next morning I'd find away to get to Renfro...and get to Zack.

Brin woke me before sunrise, I actually didn't mind since I was just lying there with my eyes closed, acting like I had drifted off. Throughout the night, as I watched Brin stir in her sleep, I'd devised a plan to get to Renfro. It was pretty unorganized, but I was good at improvising. If I was lucky I wouldn't get the shit beat out of me by Brin in the process. Subtlety wasn't my specialty, so I figured I'd just take Brin's gun when she wasn't expecting it, and knock her out. Simple as that, then I'd find Renfro and threaten to kill her unless she takes me to Zack. I could always just ask to see Renfro; maybe she wouldn't care...

"No, we have training we need to take care of soldier!" Brin barked. So much for that idea.

"I know he's alive." I stated simply, eyeing Brin as she took me outside of the building to run through a drill. I watched her dark eyes narrow in concentration, thinking of what to say. Renfro had called Brin into her office a few minutes after I'd seen Zack, probably to discuss how to handle my knowledge of Zack's condition. What is she going to do? Just convince me it wasn't him? He's the one person in the world I could never mistake for anyone else.

"You don't know what you're talking about." She retorted shortly, urging me forward into the forest. Time to put my plan into action. There were cameras everywhere, so I had to be careful. I waited until we were far enough into the forest that I'd be out of range of bugs and cameras. She was explaining what I had to do, and as she turned to point out where a target was, I grabbed her neck tightly from behind and slammed her against a tree.

"Where's Renfro?" I breathed, holding her gun away from me. Her face was neutral, although I knew she was scared. I'd spent 9 years of my life with her, and she couldn't even show her emotions to me when we were alone anymore like we used to. She struck me on the side of the face with her free hand, and I felt the sting of her punch. Controlling my rage and breathing deeply, I awaited my answer. She just struggled slightly against my grip, and finally stopped fidgeting.

"You are not authorized to contact her at this time. Now, at ease soldier!" She panted, closing her eyes and swallowing hard. Did she actually think that would work on me? She wasn't going to give me any information, so she was useless. I threw a hard uppercut under her jaw, knocking her out. I watched her limp body fall to the ground with a thud. For a minute I considered killing her...I just couldn't. How could I kill my own sister? Hesitantly grabbing her gun, I walked out of the forest casually. Hopefully I wouldn't look too suspicious.

Stealthily, I moved throughout the halls, attempting to avoid cameras and random guards sweeping the halls. I heard a man yell, "March!" And the sound of stomping feet. Ducking into an abandoned room, I watched through the partially opened door as the X7s passed. I still really hadn't gotten used to seeing myself, Brin even had me spar with my clone. She was good, and it was going to be hard when the X7s got old enough to accompany Renfro in search for the other X5s. They could take any of us out; maybe not Zack, but they knew tons of stuff we weren't even taught in Manticore. I shuddered as I watched myself at that age walk down the hall, same bar code, same dark, short hair.

I fought the urge to walk out, kill the soldier leading them, and let the kids escape to freedom. Some of the clones resembled X5s that were taken to the 'bad place' after violent seizures. Seeing them made me miss my deceased brothers and sisters even more. They were people, how could they just take them away and study them until their death. It was inhumane...so cruel, but that was Manticore.

Jondy's clone was last in the line, and flashbacks brought me back to the times late at night together. Since neither of us slept, I'd hang out and talk with her on her bed while everyone else slept. Times like those kept me from becoming completely closed off and kept me mutinous. I wondered if Zack had found her; I'd give anything to see my sister again. Maybe I'd ask him if we got out of this prison.

As the last group of X7s past, I darted swiftly through the corridors, checking each door as I passed in search of Renfro. Finally, I ran toward the door I'd seen her in yesterday with Zack. Probably was her office; she wasn't anywhere else I'd checked. I kicked open the door, gun at the ready. Two soldiers accompanied her in the room. Like that could really stop an X5 from getting to her. I snapped one's neck with ease, and knocked the other out with little trouble.

"Where's Zack?" I demanded, barrel shoved to her temple. Her eyes were wide in fear, hands in the air. Those cold, cruel eyes that had met mine when she threw Zack's alleged death in my face. I hated everything about her from her peroxide-blond hair to her smug grin. That grin wasn't on her face now. Her mouth was open in horror, and I fought the urge to burst out laughing.

"X5-599 is deceased, you know that. You have his heart." She replied as if it was the most blatantly obvious thing in the world. I enjoyed watching her squirm in her seat, my eyes burning dangerously into hers. The blood had drained from her face, now making her lightly colored face even paler. As much as I'd like to stand over her and order her around like she did me, there wasn't time to just make her sweat. I needed answers before Brin recovered, or was discovered.

"Where-is-he? If you don't answer now, I'll kill you and find him myself."

"He's sparring with X7-599...the CO of the X7s." Renfro answered. Big mistake; now there was no reason to let her live. I pistol whipped her, knocking her out of her chair. A thin line of bright red blood trickled down to her ear.

"It's over. I hope you burn in hell, you bitch." I growled, shooting her, point blank, execution style. Clean, and that way I knew she couldn't just get a heart transplant. She wasn't coming back; gone for good. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. With her out of the picture, I moved to the surveillance room, and killed the guards observing rooms throughout the building on monitors. I shot out the monitors with an Uzi I'd taken off one of the dead guards, and ran down the hall to the sparring/training room.

True to Renfro's word, Zack was being supervised by several guards while he attempted to block deadly blows from a blond hair, blue eyed kid. It looked strange; Zack was over two times older than this little kid that could match all of his punches. Zack was thrown to the ground, and as his clone swung his foot forward to meet Zack's face, he grabbed the clone's foot, and pinned him down as soon as he fell against the mat.

Taking out the three guards from the doorway with no problem, I walked into the room. Zack called out my name, and ran to me, arms embracing me tightly. As I explained what had happened, I thought about the X7s. What would become of them? I'd had a chance to talk with some of them. They were just like us...they wanted to be free, but the security had been vastly improved, and it was nearly impossible to escape. They had no 'high place' like we did, and guards always monitored their barracks to make sure they couldn't just break through the windows and run away.

They had the same reasons as we had to want to escape. All of them had seen their brothers and sisters being drug off by soldiers, the child trashing and screaming. I had my doubts about the X7s really wanting to escape when I first discussed it with them. They followed soldier's orders obediently each time, and killed with ease. Of course, that's the way we'd acted too. It was only at night, and when we were seldom left alone, when we could be the least bit human...like normal children. There was no point in always debating orders unless you enjoyed getting beaten or taken to the bad place.

"Zack...what should we do with the X7s?" I asked, cutting our reunion short. I pulled out of his hug, and looked at him. His face was pale, and he was breathing heavily. Dark circles were under his eyes, and scrapes and bruises covered his arms. He probably had fought against everything Renfro and her soldiers had ordered him to do. His brow wrinkled in thought. "They're just like we were....they want to be free Zack. Should we let them go?"

"How many X7s are there X7-599?" Zack asked his clone sharply.

"There's only 12 of us left." He responded on command.

"Do you want to come with us?" I asked, kneeling down in front of his clone, watching his eyes widen in surprise.

He nodded fervently, and with several hand gestures, told us that the X7s were in the field completing a mission. He'd have to work on that whole socializing concept. It took me a while to grasp that normal people didn't just gesture at each other to communicate. I had received a lot of strange looks back then. I cleared my head, and concentrated on the mission at hand by listening to Zack.

"Max, come on...twelve X7s parading around the country...do you really think we should do this?"

"If we could manage, so can they. We can't just leave them here...they're just kids..." I pleaded. He turned to face me, and motioned for us to stop.

"Fine, but we're going to have to split them up, we can't have a big group of them all staying together in the same city." Why was it that Zack could never just say 'ok'? There was always a compromise involved. He was right though, it would be too dangerous to let them stay together. I would've grinned at the thought of 12 kids in identical gowns, wearing crew cuts, and bar codes tatoos on their necks walking through some town if I wasn't in such an urgent situation.

"Let's do it." I agreed, and we walked out of the building, confused security guards being taken out in passing. We saw the X7s moving deeper into the forest. Zack's clone looked at us, and Zack nodded. The clone ran into the forest at an amazing rate of speed, and gestured to the group that we were allies, and they were to follow us to escape. Zack and I walked in closer, and the children's somber and blank faces stared at us and each other. Slowly, smiles spread around the group, and they let out cheers, as they followed us to the perimeter fence.

The fourteen of us cleared the tall fence, and Zack told them they'd have to split up, and gave them his contact number. They'd remember it; photographic memories. Once they all relocated, they were to call the number to find out the other's locations, and to keep in touch with Zack. I sighed as I realized Zack would have to constantly move around the country to keep in touch with all of them.

"You'll give yourself names, find a place to live, and if you decide to meet with another X7, tell me first as a precaution. You don't want to get caught. Even though Manticore is gone, it doesn't mean others won't be interested in studying us. If anyone suspicious starts following you, leave town." Zack ordered, and gestured for them to split up. It was a beautiful sight, watching all those hard soldiers, complete with paint on their faces from their mission, holding handguns, and dressed in camouflage smiling as they took off running in different directions. I felt a tear slide down my cheek, and saw that even Zack's eyes were welling with tears, which promptly disappeared as he became a soldier once again.

"Are you going to start making your rounds?" I asked softly, not meeting his eyes; bracing myself for the answer. He couldn't leave yet, I hadn't even told him hold much he meant to me...

"It can wait; just don't look back." He replied, looking down at me and grinning. He put his arm around me as we started to make the long journey back to Seattle together...


A/N: Don't worry, Max and Zack will soon admit their feelings toward each other, talk about Max thinking Zack was dead, what happened to Brin, and all that other good stuff in the next chapter (which will be longer than this one). And she'll face Logan and tell him what happened soon (I really don't hate Logan, I like him sometimes). Then we'll laugh at his angst, and cheer for joy as Max gets with Zack. Don't 4get 2 review, I'll get the next chapter up tomorrow...probably.