There was a moment of stilled silence when neither Logan nor Lydecker said anything. Logan's mind was screaming at him that this monster before him could not be related to the beautiful Max. It wasn't possible.

But, then there were those eyes. Those glittering brown eyes that were so utterly perfect and Logan knew that lying to himself wasn't going to help anybody.

"What's your point?" Logan asked Lydecker, although he was speaking more to the floor than to the other man.

"My point is that this is what Max could become if she does not receive our new treatment."

"It's not possible…" Logan whispered.

"Yes, Mr. Cale, it's very possible."

"But…this thing." At that moment, the creature's head lifted and its eyes burned bright as if it knew Logan was talking about it. Logan shuddered and tried to ignore such a ghastly spectacle.

"This thing is, indeed, a monster unto itself. But it is Max's clone nonetheless. They share the same DNA after all, the same essence that makes up all of us."

"So what you're trying to tell me is that if I don't tell you where Max is, she'll become this?"

"Exactly."
"But I-" Logan began, but stopped as he was unsure as to what to say to such a man like Lydecker.

"I understand that you care about her very deeply, and I'm sure she would understand that all of this would be done out of love."

Logan looked up from the floor, his eyes suddenly burning. "And what would you know about love?"

"More than you'd think, Mr. Cale." They met eyes, but Logan was the first to look away. Lydecker stiffly walked over to Logan and crouched down beside him. He rested his hand on Logan's. Logan tried to jerk away, but being tied to wheelchair certainly does restrain much movement.

"If you tell me, I'll allow you to come with me to make sure that she's not hurt."

Logan shook his head. He couldn't tell. Max would never forgive him.

"I promise she won't be hurt, Mr. Cale. In fact, her hurt will be lifted if she comes her to receive treatments."
"Will you let her go once she receives treatments?"
"Yes," Lydecker acknowledged. It wasn't a lie, after all. The treatments would be the brainwashing, and Max would need to be let go in order to start the search for the remaining X5s.

"You promise?" Logan asked hoarsely.

"On my life, I promise that she will be let go once she receives her treatments."


Logan licked his parched lips. Could he really be doing this? "The house is in sector…it's an apartment-"


At that moment, the door to the downstairs opened and two men came running up to Lydecker. He rose to his feet and waited for them to salute before asking, "What the hell is the meaning of this?"


"Sir, we have a captured X5 in the building."


"Under whose command was this X5 captured?"


"Hers, sir."


Lydecker sighed heavily. Great. Another plan sabotaged by Renfro. Now, he'd never get Logan to say where Max was. "Who is it?" Lydecker asked reluctantly.

"Sir, it's X5-452."

Both Logan's and Lydecker's faces dropped, but only Logan felt the oncoming of tears while Lydecker couldn't be any more ecstatic if he had tried.