I don't need a beta anymore -- I have three!! Thanks you guys! :)

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Part .05

Apparently, Zack was in the area. Less than a minute after airing the broadcast, Original Cindy answered a call from him. Hanging up, Original Cindy hollered out to Logan, "Boy says he'll be here in fifteen minutes, which, from my experience, means he's twenty minutes away by standard time."

"You know Zack," Logan said, sitting down suddenly in a chair. He felt so very tired and so very worn out. Original Cindy went over to Logan and put her arm around him. "Cindy, I'm scared for her."

"We all scared, boo, and not just for Max. We scared for ourselves," Original Cindy said grimly. "We all scared that Lydecker's gonna pound her a** flat when he realizes we know she's alive. We scared that she'll be hurt, physically, after so much time there. Mostly -- "

"Mostly we scared she'll be hurt mentally," Logan said in a dull, monotonous voice, still managing to put a little humor in his words. Original Cindy gave him a comforting squeeze.

"That's right, boo," she said. "There's nothing we can think of that wont happen. But we got to remember, our boo Max has the power to keep fighting."

"Let's go through those papers and try to figure out where she's being held," Logan said, standing up and getting the folder he had put the papers in.

"Too true," Original Cindy said in agreement. "Our girl obviously isn't being held in the Wyoming area. We just got to figure out which part of th' country she's occupying."

"That's what I think," Logan said, handing her half the papers. "Its just a matter of where."

Logan got a pad of paper and handed about three sheets to Original Cindy, and, settling down with a pack of pens, they worked for five minutes, writing down clues on where they thought Max might have been being held.

During the middle of their work, Logan got up and went to the phone. Pounding the numbers for the voice mail that he had, he listened for the voice that he expected to hear. No new messages greeted him. He went to his computer and programmed the next broadcast in.

At the end of ten minutes, Zack strode into the room. Barely looking up, Original Cindy told him, "Get a piece of paper and a pen, we've got to find out where Max is being held."

Wordlessly, which, as Logan thought, was something of a miracle for Zack, he sat down and got to work. Going through the papers, for a long time all there was to be heard was a soft rustling. Finally, Zack jumped up.

"How did you know?" he asked, almost screaming. "I haven't asked. I thought I would find some information here, but all I can figure out is that she's been alive these past four years. Nothing on how you got the information."

"A source had a husband who recently died and their child loves Eyes Only . . ." Logan began, still working on the papers. Logan had been pleased that Zack had complied so well with Logan and Original Cindy. It didn't surprise him that Zack was nervous. It was comforting, to have Zack so predictable.

"Sedgwick?" Zack asked, picking up the papers.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Original Cindy answered for Logan, writing down some more information on the sixth piece of paper she'd gotten.

"He's the only one who's died in the past year -- who was married -- that was connected in any way I could figure out with Manticore. Its not many of those men or women that have lives outside work," Zack said, rubbing his hands nervously together.

"You do ya homework," Original Cindy commented.

Zack walked the living room floor restlessly. "What else is there for me to do?"

"Get to work," Logan barked, looking up. "Do you want to find Max or what? You just standing there isn't going to research any information."

Zack looked angrily at Logan, but bit back from saying some biting remark. Sitting back down on his seat, he picked up some papers and once again started copying down information. Original Cindy glanced up irritably at Zack. Logan smiled at the defensiveness that Cindy had for both Logan and Max. The girl had her heart in the right place.

After about an hour more of going through the papers -- complete with several trips by each person to get a new glass of water -- Logan got up and went to the phone.

"What're you doing?" Zack asked, barely moving his head as he continued reading.

"Checking my voicemail," Logan said. "I have to check if Lydecker has contacted me. If not, then I'm going to run my broadcast a third time, only I'll have my introduction on normally, so that he'll notice it."

"What if that doesn't work?" Zack asked, with curiously. Logan shrugged.

"If it doesn't work by the second time, I run the entire broadcast on normal speed. I don't expect to have to go there, but I may," Logan frowned thoughtfully and he listened to his voicemail message.

"Suga, with all the trouble ole Deck has given you, you just might have to," Original Cindy interjected. "No new messages from him?" she asked as Logan went to the computer and started programing the next broadcast, which was scheduled less than three minutes away. Logan nodded mutely, then went back to his chair. "Don't worry, they got men out for you. They'll notice this."

"Let's hope," Zack added cynically.