A/N: Personal favorite of mine, hope you enjoy.

Chapter Seven
Logan sat with Lydecker another moment, inside the dim conference room as the last pair of transgenetic soldiers filtered out of the room. "Do you want a tip?" Lydecker asked as he turned to walk in to the building.
"Sure." Logan asked as he followed.
"If you go to their house, bring them food. You can win over any of them, especially Max and Zane, with food."
"Wait, they don't live on base? I figured they would be living in barracks here."
"They did until the age of eighteen, then we let them all move off base." Lydecker explained. "Several of them stayed, but one of the groups of X5s bought a big house out in the middle of nowhere, about twenty minuets from here. Whenever they aren't deployed they all stay there. We let them live off base mainly because they have very few options in their lives, but they'll never do something they don't want to." Lydecker stepped up to the door to his office. "If you want the military side of the story, you'll find it here. You want to know what these people are really like, you'll find it when they are at home."

Several hours later, after the sun had set, and much of the world was asleep, Logan found himself driving on a long gravel driveway in the middle of nowhere. He as surrounded on both sides by trees, and briefly wondered if Lydecker's plan had been to get him lost in the middle of the woods to effectively end the story.
Well, Logan thought as he jammed on the brakes to narrowly miss hitting some random animal that had darted across the road, he very well may have succeeded.
Just when Logan was about to turn around and admit defeat, twin headlights cut across the darkness from behind him, Logan glanced in the rearview to see a cherry red MG convertible approaching behind him at a breakneck speed. The car passed him, driving up beside him dangerously close in the narrow rode. Logan heard the loud music blaring out of the car's speakers, and he glanced over momentarily to see the driver's curling hair whipping in the wind behind her. He didn't have any more time to examine the woman, as she recklessly swung in front of Logan, leaving only inches between the back of her car and the front of Logan's. Logan swore as he slammed on the breaks and swerved left to avoiding hitting her, which ended up being arbitrary as she sped up to be going well over the legal speed limit, and tires squealed as the tiny convertible swung into a driveway on the right side of the road.
Logan finally backed himself out of the small ditch he had ended up in after he had ran off the road. Pulling back into the proper lane, Logan pulled up to the gravel driveway he had seen the insane driver pull into. There was a large house, huge in fact, lights blazing in most of the windows. It looks like Lydecker hadn't been lying. There were at least five cars parked in the driveway, including the MG that had almost gotten him killed moments before.
Logan drove slowly down the driveway, wondering exactly what he was getting himself into. It was one thing to write an article on super soldiers, but it was quite another to go to their house in the middle of the night. Logan t thinking, Logan reached up and rubbed the back of his head, where there was still a large lump. Being smacked over the back of the head with a blunt object had a tendency to do that to you.
Logan parked his SUV next to a mean looking Corvette and grabbed the stack of pizza boxes sitting on the passenger seat. Lydecker said bring food, and if that would keep him from getting his ass kicked again, then he'd bring food, and lots of it. But chances were that they would eat the pizza, and then kick his ass anyway.

Max dropped the bag of groceries onto the kitchen counter with a thump. "No Zane." She said decisively. "We aren't watching any of your subtitle French crap."
"It isn't crap, Maxie." Zane shot back as he through a bag of popcorn in the microwave. "It is artistic. I don't see why you hate subtitles when you speak French anyway."
"Doesn't matter." Max said as she pulled off her light jacket and tossed it on a chair. Zane and Max had just gotten back from raiding the groceries and picking up movies for the night ahead. "Your movies suck anyway." She finished with a grin.
"What, so your movies, where there is absolutely no plot what so ever and everything gets blown up, that is better?"
"Of course it is!" Max said.
"Would you two quit bickering for five minuets?" Jondy asked as she walked into the room, dropping onto a chair at the table.
Zane and Max pretended to think. "No." They both said at the same time.
"I'm going to go change." Max said over her shoulder as she and Zane walked out of the room.
Max was bounding up the stairs two at a time when the doorbell rang. "Someone get that!" She shouted as she rounded the corner. She passed Zack's closed door, as usual he was locked inside working away at breaking the encryption codes on the disks he'd gotten out of Phillip Costello's office earlier in the week. "Movie starts in ten!" She shouted as she hit the door with the side of her fist. Max grinned as she heard Zack's muttered curse.

When Syl opened the door, the last person she expected to see was Logan Cale standing on their front porch with a stack of pizza boxes. But since she smelled pepperonis, she had no choice but to be nice. "Mr. Cale." She said with a southern drawl. "I see you've come to visit us in our humble abode."
"Yeah." Logan said somewhat cautiously. "Lydecker told me where you guys lived. You don't mind do you?"
Syl cocked an eyebrow. Did they mind? Sure. Did they have a choice? No. Lydecker had specifically ordered them to corporate with him, in every aspect of their lives. This included their private lives, one for which even Lydecker knew very little about. "Oh its no problem." She said sweetly. Well, it wouldn't be until Max found out. "Come on in."
Logan found himself inside a brightly lit foyer, a set of carpeted stairs to his left, two glass doors to his right leading to what was obviously a living room, with a bunch of over sized chairs and a set of couches situated around a large entertainment center. "Nice place." Logan commented as he followed Syl into a pristine white kitchen.
"Thanks. We moved in here almost four years ago, we haven't gotten sick of it yet." Syl said as she took the pizza boxes from Logan's hands. He couldn't tell if she was just being polite or just really wanted pizza. "But considering the barracks back at the base was the only home we knew before this, this is pretty damn nice, isn't it." Syl added as she pulled a stack of paper plates out of an oak cupboard.
Logan was semi-surprised at Syl's talkativeness. Out of all the X5s he'd had the *joy* of meeting personally, one had tried to snap his neck, and the other probably would have wanted too if his superior hadn't intervened. But this one hadn't thrown him into any walls yet, and was openly talking to someone she knew that would be writing about her. "So where is everyone?" He asked cautiously.
As if on cue, there was a high pitched scream from the second floor. Logan's head shot around to look up at the open hallway over the kitchen in time to see a flash of vivid purple streak by. "Max!" Logan saw Zack run by after her. There was the loud pound of feet on steps and a moment later, Max ran into the kitchen, a huge grin plastered on her face, her violet robe flapping behind her as she ran to jumped behind Syl. "Save me!" She shrieked as Zack skidded into the room.
Logan took one big step back as his gaze landed on the butcher's block full of black handled knives. Max. Sharp instruments. Not a good combination considering he was still in the room. But the way the boxer shorts she was wearing showed off her long, tan legs… Logan rolled his eyes skyward and wondered if stab wounds were really all that bad.
"Give it back, Max." Zack said firmly as he stepped up to the opposite side of the counter.
"What, this?" Max asked innocently as she pulled a black plastic rectangle from behind her back, which Logan recognized as a laptop battery. "Give it back, Maxie. I have stuff to do." Zack snapped.
"Oh, poor Zackie, he was drug away from his precious computer for five damn minuets. How can you ever forgive me?" Max asked as the pair circled the counter.
"Max, I'm serious here. I have to break those codes." Zack said scowling as he advanced on Max.
Max grinned wickedly and then darted forward and past Zack, who in turn whirled and gabbed her around the waist, picking her off her feet. Max screeched again as Zack grabbed the battery out of her hand and dropped her unceremoniously on her feet.
"Bon essai, petite soeur, mais tu peux toujours courir." Zack said in perfect French as he walked out of the room.
"Ne va pas penser que tu ne vas pas aller au cinéma avec moi ce soir!" Max shot back with an expert accent. Max walked back into the kitchen, and for the first time since she'd run into the room, noticed Logan's presence. She opened her mouth to make some threats of bodily harm, but then she was distracted. "What the--Oh! Pizza!" She said in a pleased voice as she rounded the counter to where Syl stood silently munching away at her piece. She pulled a piece out of the box, and took a few big bites as she did her best to ignore Logan.
Logan contemplated this change in personality. All he'd seen of Max was the cold, bitter side, one which spit out military jargon as easily as it kicked the a** of a fellow soldier. But now it seemed she had a whole other side that ran around in a little tiny tank top (one that was very sexy, in Logan's opinion) and harassed her brother like any little sister would do. And it seemed Lydecker was right that food was a major winner, one that might keep his a** from getting kicked.
"You know, I would kick you out of my house in the most painful way possible." Max said around a mouthful of pepperoni and sausage pizza. "But there is two things that are holding me back. One, Lydecker specifically told me to cooperate. Two, you brought me pizza."
Logan considered his options. He could stay out of her way, which would probably be safest because it didn't seem that she would be warming to this situation anytime soon. But where would the fun in that be? "Nice robe." He commented, grinning mischievously. "Didn't think you military people would be into purple silk."
Max cursed inwardly. She hated being caught off guard, especially when it was *him* doing the catching, and she viewed being caught at home with her defenses down one of those moments. "Oh yeah, I picked this up in Japan last year. I think I went out and bought this after I assassinated the prime minister." Max said seriously, meeting Logan's gaze steadily, trying to gain the upper hand.
"Must bring back some fond memories, huh?" Logan said easily.
Max arched a brow, impressed. She figured Logan to be some spoiled rich boy who had no idea what the real world was like in post-pulse America. But he didn't even seem the least bit thrown off by her proclamation. He'd probably be disappointed to know that Tinga had given it to her last Christmas.
Syl finally spoke up for the first time in a several minuets. "I have to ask, Mr. Cale--"
"Please, call me Logan." Logan said politely, to which Max snorted rudely.
Syl choked back the laughter that was bubbling in her stomach. It was so obvious that Max was flustered by Logan's presence; she got like this whenever she didn't know what to do. "I have to know, after all of this, why aren't you afraid of us. You've seen what we are capable of, Lydecker has told you what we can, and have done. Why are you still here?"
Logan seemed to consider the question for a moment. "Honestly." He said quietly. "I have no idea."
Max muttered something under her breath, which sounded mysteriously like 'a**hole'. But still, he once again impressed her. Others would have run like hell soon as she'd taken beaten the hell out of him, then taken out a group of armed guards, on principal alone. But he was still here, much to her frustration. "Come on, Syl, let's get everyone together, I'd like to get this movie going before we have to leave for base tomorrow." Max said as she walked out of the room.
Syl stood in the kitchen, finishing off her slice of pizza as Max screamed up the stairs. "Movie starting in five, get your asses down here!"
"You're more than welcome to stay, if you'd like. We are going to watch a couple of movies, pig out of everything we can get our hands on. Its sort of tradition."
"What do you mean tradition?" Logan asked as Syl began gathering up the various boxes of pizza and grabbed the bag of popcorn out of the microwave.
"Max and Zack just got back from a bunch of missions. This is their first night back after about a month. Whenever one of us goes away for a while, when they get back we have a big movie fest." Syl said as she walked out of the room. Logan followed her down the hallway and into the living room where three people, Jondy, Krit, and Max already sat. Syl dropped the pizza boxes onto the table and flopped onto a oversized leather chair.
"I smell pizza." Zane said as he appeared in the doorway. His eyes lit up when he saw the boxes sitting on the table, and much like Max seemed to miss the fact that Logan was in the room. "Where's Zack?" He asked as he stretched out across a couch. Max stood and walked across the room to pick up a phone and dialed a series of numbers. Logan watched the scene unfold in front of him, carefully observing and taking mental notes. The group of young men and women looked nothing alike, every range of nationality being represented, but they were so obviously family it was almost heartbreaking to think of what they were capable of.
Logan distantly heard a phone ring. "Zackie dear." Max said sweetly. "Get your ass downstairs or I will come up there and make you come down….No…I don't care…you have all of tomorrow. Bite me. Right…" Max hung up the phone. "He'll be down in a minute she announced to the room in general, and true to word Zack jogged down the stairs a moment later.
"Max, my cell is for emergencies only. How many times do I have to tell you that before you'll stop calling me to ask me to pick you up shampoo or come downstairs?" He asked, annoyed as he brushed past Logan to stand in front of the TV.
"I'll never learn, will I?" Max said mockingly. "Now get out of my way, I can't see the TV. But while your there, be a dear and pop in the movie?"
Max stretched out on the floor, Zane tossing her a pillow. "Logan, if your going to hang around here and annoy the hell out of me, the least you can do is sit down and get out of my site." She waved a hand at him, which Logan figured was going to be as much of an invitation as he was going to get.

It was interesting watching 'The Matrix' with a group of genetically enhanced killing machines who spent the whole movie making comments like 'That's easy' and 'We did that once.' But it was also very informative for Logan. These weren't half humans, as he fleetingly thought earlier in the day. These were merely people who were better than most. There was Jondy who used Zane's leg as a pillow and fell asleep halfway through the movie, and Zack who tried his best to look annoyed about the wasted time, but was still enjoying himself. There was Krit who didn't talk much, well, at all for that matter, but looked like he was absorbing every detail of what was going on around him, and Syl whose eyes were drooping by the end, and Max who consumed an entire pizza on her own. If Logan hadn't known any better, he'd think these people were just some group of friends hanging out together on a Friday night, instead of the million dollar technology that they were. And he wondered how he was supposed to write a article about killing machines the government had been hiding when he now had the mental image of them running around their house bickering amongst themselves.