When they arrived Logan informed them about what they had all been waiting to hear. There was no mistake, military convoys sent to the city have increased 50 fold. Lydecker was in town. No one was shocked, but after these three exhausting weeks the news was not welcome.
Logan had a dinner ready for them, Kat ate ravenously, as though it was her first meal in all the weeks she was gone. Cole ate enough to rival the portions Zack had on his plate. Throughout the meal Kat revealed what exactly happened to her at Manticore. The first week she spent strapped to a bed, isolated except for a window where, out of the corner of her eye, she could see Lydecker discussing with doctors and scientists. In that week her strength recovered slowly, but eventually she was in her prime again.
She was then placed in a barren metallic room, the incessant chatter of military instructions ran day and night. The only break from the endless commands was when once a day, Lydecker stepped into the room with four children who apparently were of the new X-6 group. They held her down as Lydecker questioned her and any unsatisfactory answer lead to a beating, which she quickly learned she wanted to avoid. The X-6's were still young but were definitely a force to be reckoned with. He told her that her son was in danger, that his genes were unstable because of all the splicing that took place in his parents. Lydecker went so far as to show her what cross breeding between earlier groups had produced, freak children who looked only slightly different at first, but grew to become hideously deformed or irrepressibly feral.
Soon because of her cooperation they moved her into an area that looked more like living quarters. All the while keeping her alone, except for the questionings. She was tested on agility, strength, knowledge, and they seemed satisfied with what they saw. Then they began the reindoctrination. Every morning the X-6's would come in grab her, taking her to a room and strapping her to a vertical wall. They placed contraptions on her face to keep her eyes open and proceeded to play movies which flashed words and scenes in front of her. They would leave her there for hours and hours, take her down and let her sleep. And then it would begin all over again. After that she had escaped just as she had explained earlier. They all sat and listened in silence except for Cole who had left the table to chase after something or other.
After she got it all out she smiled, "It is good to get that out of my head."
"He will die for this, I promise you Kat," Zack said.
She smiled at his concern, "If you get the chance. But don't go into Manticore guns a blazing for me. You are too important to us all. You keep us safe. What would we do without you?" Kat's smile soothed some of his anger, but not all, so she continued, "What would Cole do without you? Come here Cole." Cole came at her beckon, and she pulled him up onto her lap. "Cole, say hello to Zack. He is your friend. That is Max, and this is Logan. They are your friends, too. You are safe here."
Cole looked at all of them with wide eyes and a pudgy hand made it's way to his mouth. Then he smiled, clapped his hands, jumped down from Kat's lap and went up to Zack. Taking them all by surprised, a word left Cole's mouth, "Dada."
But what seemed to shock everyone else more was the fact that Zack's anger vanished and he smiled down at his son, sweeping him up into his arms. "Later," he spoke to Kat as he smiled at Cole, "But it will happen. He will die, and it will be by my hand." Then he took Cole and went into the other room, all the while pointing things out and saying their name, Cole laughing as he attempted to wrap his mouth around the funny words. Max smiled at the scene but turned to find Kat with a sorrowful look on her face.
*****
Logan wheeled up to Max who sat at the kitchen table, "How was it out there?"
"Easier with your help. Thanks," she turned to him a smiled.
"Just doing my part. I'm pretty quick with the computers," he joked.
"What do you think is going on in Kat's head right now? You heard what happened to her."
"Your training must have involved something about resisting brain washing. Right?"
"I suppose... but the fact she had to go through that in the first place." A shudder ran up from the base of her spine to her shoulders.
Logan moved closer and rested his hand on her leg, "Do you need your pills?"
"No, it just makes me sick to think about it, about Brin. She hasn't escaped. The first thing she would have done was contact Zack. So if she's still there," Max let out a slow breath to calm herself, "If she's still there…I should have let her die. She didn't understand that she would go through that. And I left her to go through that."
"Max, it's okay." His voice was warm and gentle, melting away Max's shivers. "It was her own choice." He reached up to wipe away a stray tear from Max's face. "You'll get her back one day."
The simple gesture tugged the corner of her mouth up into that crooked little half smile.
*****
It was three in the morning, still pitch black, it was that rare time of night when even the busy streets had began to quiet down. Zack had left to get some fresh air, Logan was fast asleep, and Max was taking a quick catnap on the couch. This was her only chance. The doorknob of the guest room turned millimeter by millimeter, and eventually Kat stepped out, dressed in black, Cole asleep and strapped tightly to her back. Noiselessly, she made her way to the front door employing all the stealth she had mastered at Manticore. But even being genetically enhanced and Manticore trained, there were those who were better than her.
"Kat you don't have to bring him back." Max was awake and only a few steps behind her.
Kat cursed under her breath. "And how do you know what is best for my child?"
"Anything is better than that place."
"But he could die."
"You're not sure of that."
"You didn't see what I saw, Max." Their words were hushed but heated.
"How do you know he will die? Lydecker could be lying, just to make sure that even if you did escape you would return and with your son no less."
"You don't understand," Kat turned her back to her and proceeded to unlock the door.
Max grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. "Make me then, 'cause I'm not gonna let you leave."
"Who knows if Lydecker is telling the truth or not. But I'm not willing to take that chance. Lydecker and his men are the only ones who will understand and help Cole. Do you think a hospital will take him in? And who's to say he won't continue to have the mentality of a predator? Soon he will grow up and no one knows if he can be contained. What if he goes on an animalistic rampage and the police shoot him down? Max, I don't want to wait until it's too late. If our genes are fucked up, what do you think his are like. He's an infant in a two-year-old body. You can't tell me that this is alright."
"You can't just leave with him. Have you told Zack? You're not the only one who loves that kid. He is Cole's father."
"And where was he when I was pregnant? Where was he when I had to give birth in my bathtub because I was so terrified the doctors would take my child away and experiment on him? Zack chose to cut himself off from me when I didn't want to get an abortion. He has no right to be this child's father."
"He has changed. You saw him last night. So he made a mistake before. He loves Cole now. You can't take away the only thing that has given Zack back his humanity."
"He has you, Max."
"What are you talking about?"
"You are Zack's humanity."
"You lost me."
"Come on Max, put it together. Or have you pushed every memory of Manticore out of your head?"
"I'm trying real hard to."
"Not the training Max the experiences. Remember the balloon? That red one that you wanted? Zack didn't even hesitate to drop the mission and get you that balloon. Sure we were all confused as to what it was, but he got it for you."
Max didn't know what to say so Kat continued.
"He was always doing that," strangely she smiled as she began to recall the memories, "jeopardizing the mission for your sake. They punished him almost every time for endangering the objective, for failing the operation. Why do you think he came back to the compound later then the rest of us every night? They were commending him on his efforts? Debriefing him on the next operation? If it wasn't for our healing, he would probably be covered in bruises."
Max was confused, "Lydecker would have eliminated him for showing such a weakness."
"Zack was the best prototype Manticore had ever produced up to that date. He was genetically built to be our leader, strong in all ways. Zack knew Lydecker's limits and would stay out of trouble sometimes. But he knew Lydecker couldn't afford to lose him."
Max held her tongue, which prompted Kat to continue. "Why do you think we escaped that one fateful night? Huh, Max? 'Cause Zack was all of a sudden sick of it all and wanted to get us all out? Well then why didn't he do that when Marcus fell to the floor in seizures?"
Too many questions she couldn't answer and quite frankly she didn't want answered, but her voice would not come to her at her summons and she could do nothing as Kat continued to lay the truth on her.
"He left to save you. That night you started to get your seizures, remember? That is what put him over the edge, and that is why we escaped. To save you." Kat paused, for dramatic effect perhaps, or maybe to let Max get her head together but Max was overwhelmed with this flood of information. In a softer voice Kat spoke more.
"Come on, Max. From the very beginning he marked you as his own. Every action he made, every breath that he took was to protect you in any way. He may have respected and protected us as his team, his soldiers, but he loved you. Or at least felt whatever would pass for love at that god-forsaken place."
Love? Max finally caught her voice, "I was his second in command..."
But Kat cut her off again, "Like the alpha male to his matriarch. Don't try to kid yourself Max. It really isn't your style." Kat turned toward the door leaving Max to sort out the debris of the bombshell she had just dropped. Upon opening the door she found Zack reaching for the knob.
"What's going on?" he asked as he took in the scene that lay before him. Kat was poised to leave with Cole strapped to her back. Behind them Max stood in a daze. "What's happening?" he pressed Kat when no one replied.
"I thought I heard a noise so I was coming out to investigate."
"With Cole?" Zack asked skeptically.
"And what happened Last time you left him alone?" she asked back, and he ceased his questioning.
"Max, you hear anything?"
She tentatively looked up to meet his gaze, his eyes so blue that they tinted the space between them. His eyes were so intense she broke contact almost immediately and looked back down at the floor. "Yeah, but I think it was just a cat or something." How was she supposed to look at Zack knowing what she now did? Was it embarrassment that set her skin aflame or was it an acknowledgement that maybe all along she had known and that she possibly felt the same way. But now things were different for Max. She had Logan in her life. No matter how much she denied it to her friends and even to him these feeling for Logan always lingered.
"I didn't see anything. You probably heard me as I came up."
"Just a little paranoid I guess, with Lydecker in Seattle and all."
"Good call," Zack said, "I'm gonna rest up. If we ever do meet up with Lydecker and his men we will be up for a good fight." He smiled at the thought, it had been too long since he had given someone, anyone a good beating.
"I already rested. I need to go for a ride," Max grabbed her jacket and left, avoiding Zack's eyes and trying not to touch him as she squeezed past him through the door.
Logan had a dinner ready for them, Kat ate ravenously, as though it was her first meal in all the weeks she was gone. Cole ate enough to rival the portions Zack had on his plate. Throughout the meal Kat revealed what exactly happened to her at Manticore. The first week she spent strapped to a bed, isolated except for a window where, out of the corner of her eye, she could see Lydecker discussing with doctors and scientists. In that week her strength recovered slowly, but eventually she was in her prime again.
She was then placed in a barren metallic room, the incessant chatter of military instructions ran day and night. The only break from the endless commands was when once a day, Lydecker stepped into the room with four children who apparently were of the new X-6 group. They held her down as Lydecker questioned her and any unsatisfactory answer lead to a beating, which she quickly learned she wanted to avoid. The X-6's were still young but were definitely a force to be reckoned with. He told her that her son was in danger, that his genes were unstable because of all the splicing that took place in his parents. Lydecker went so far as to show her what cross breeding between earlier groups had produced, freak children who looked only slightly different at first, but grew to become hideously deformed or irrepressibly feral.
Soon because of her cooperation they moved her into an area that looked more like living quarters. All the while keeping her alone, except for the questionings. She was tested on agility, strength, knowledge, and they seemed satisfied with what they saw. Then they began the reindoctrination. Every morning the X-6's would come in grab her, taking her to a room and strapping her to a vertical wall. They placed contraptions on her face to keep her eyes open and proceeded to play movies which flashed words and scenes in front of her. They would leave her there for hours and hours, take her down and let her sleep. And then it would begin all over again. After that she had escaped just as she had explained earlier. They all sat and listened in silence except for Cole who had left the table to chase after something or other.
After she got it all out she smiled, "It is good to get that out of my head."
"He will die for this, I promise you Kat," Zack said.
She smiled at his concern, "If you get the chance. But don't go into Manticore guns a blazing for me. You are too important to us all. You keep us safe. What would we do without you?" Kat's smile soothed some of his anger, but not all, so she continued, "What would Cole do without you? Come here Cole." Cole came at her beckon, and she pulled him up onto her lap. "Cole, say hello to Zack. He is your friend. That is Max, and this is Logan. They are your friends, too. You are safe here."
Cole looked at all of them with wide eyes and a pudgy hand made it's way to his mouth. Then he smiled, clapped his hands, jumped down from Kat's lap and went up to Zack. Taking them all by surprised, a word left Cole's mouth, "Dada."
But what seemed to shock everyone else more was the fact that Zack's anger vanished and he smiled down at his son, sweeping him up into his arms. "Later," he spoke to Kat as he smiled at Cole, "But it will happen. He will die, and it will be by my hand." Then he took Cole and went into the other room, all the while pointing things out and saying their name, Cole laughing as he attempted to wrap his mouth around the funny words. Max smiled at the scene but turned to find Kat with a sorrowful look on her face.
*****
Logan wheeled up to Max who sat at the kitchen table, "How was it out there?"
"Easier with your help. Thanks," she turned to him a smiled.
"Just doing my part. I'm pretty quick with the computers," he joked.
"What do you think is going on in Kat's head right now? You heard what happened to her."
"Your training must have involved something about resisting brain washing. Right?"
"I suppose... but the fact she had to go through that in the first place." A shudder ran up from the base of her spine to her shoulders.
Logan moved closer and rested his hand on her leg, "Do you need your pills?"
"No, it just makes me sick to think about it, about Brin. She hasn't escaped. The first thing she would have done was contact Zack. So if she's still there," Max let out a slow breath to calm herself, "If she's still there…I should have let her die. She didn't understand that she would go through that. And I left her to go through that."
"Max, it's okay." His voice was warm and gentle, melting away Max's shivers. "It was her own choice." He reached up to wipe away a stray tear from Max's face. "You'll get her back one day."
The simple gesture tugged the corner of her mouth up into that crooked little half smile.
*****
It was three in the morning, still pitch black, it was that rare time of night when even the busy streets had began to quiet down. Zack had left to get some fresh air, Logan was fast asleep, and Max was taking a quick catnap on the couch. This was her only chance. The doorknob of the guest room turned millimeter by millimeter, and eventually Kat stepped out, dressed in black, Cole asleep and strapped tightly to her back. Noiselessly, she made her way to the front door employing all the stealth she had mastered at Manticore. But even being genetically enhanced and Manticore trained, there were those who were better than her.
"Kat you don't have to bring him back." Max was awake and only a few steps behind her.
Kat cursed under her breath. "And how do you know what is best for my child?"
"Anything is better than that place."
"But he could die."
"You're not sure of that."
"You didn't see what I saw, Max." Their words were hushed but heated.
"How do you know he will die? Lydecker could be lying, just to make sure that even if you did escape you would return and with your son no less."
"You don't understand," Kat turned her back to her and proceeded to unlock the door.
Max grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. "Make me then, 'cause I'm not gonna let you leave."
"Who knows if Lydecker is telling the truth or not. But I'm not willing to take that chance. Lydecker and his men are the only ones who will understand and help Cole. Do you think a hospital will take him in? And who's to say he won't continue to have the mentality of a predator? Soon he will grow up and no one knows if he can be contained. What if he goes on an animalistic rampage and the police shoot him down? Max, I don't want to wait until it's too late. If our genes are fucked up, what do you think his are like. He's an infant in a two-year-old body. You can't tell me that this is alright."
"You can't just leave with him. Have you told Zack? You're not the only one who loves that kid. He is Cole's father."
"And where was he when I was pregnant? Where was he when I had to give birth in my bathtub because I was so terrified the doctors would take my child away and experiment on him? Zack chose to cut himself off from me when I didn't want to get an abortion. He has no right to be this child's father."
"He has changed. You saw him last night. So he made a mistake before. He loves Cole now. You can't take away the only thing that has given Zack back his humanity."
"He has you, Max."
"What are you talking about?"
"You are Zack's humanity."
"You lost me."
"Come on Max, put it together. Or have you pushed every memory of Manticore out of your head?"
"I'm trying real hard to."
"Not the training Max the experiences. Remember the balloon? That red one that you wanted? Zack didn't even hesitate to drop the mission and get you that balloon. Sure we were all confused as to what it was, but he got it for you."
Max didn't know what to say so Kat continued.
"He was always doing that," strangely she smiled as she began to recall the memories, "jeopardizing the mission for your sake. They punished him almost every time for endangering the objective, for failing the operation. Why do you think he came back to the compound later then the rest of us every night? They were commending him on his efforts? Debriefing him on the next operation? If it wasn't for our healing, he would probably be covered in bruises."
Max was confused, "Lydecker would have eliminated him for showing such a weakness."
"Zack was the best prototype Manticore had ever produced up to that date. He was genetically built to be our leader, strong in all ways. Zack knew Lydecker's limits and would stay out of trouble sometimes. But he knew Lydecker couldn't afford to lose him."
Max held her tongue, which prompted Kat to continue. "Why do you think we escaped that one fateful night? Huh, Max? 'Cause Zack was all of a sudden sick of it all and wanted to get us all out? Well then why didn't he do that when Marcus fell to the floor in seizures?"
Too many questions she couldn't answer and quite frankly she didn't want answered, but her voice would not come to her at her summons and she could do nothing as Kat continued to lay the truth on her.
"He left to save you. That night you started to get your seizures, remember? That is what put him over the edge, and that is why we escaped. To save you." Kat paused, for dramatic effect perhaps, or maybe to let Max get her head together but Max was overwhelmed with this flood of information. In a softer voice Kat spoke more.
"Come on, Max. From the very beginning he marked you as his own. Every action he made, every breath that he took was to protect you in any way. He may have respected and protected us as his team, his soldiers, but he loved you. Or at least felt whatever would pass for love at that god-forsaken place."
Love? Max finally caught her voice, "I was his second in command..."
But Kat cut her off again, "Like the alpha male to his matriarch. Don't try to kid yourself Max. It really isn't your style." Kat turned toward the door leaving Max to sort out the debris of the bombshell she had just dropped. Upon opening the door she found Zack reaching for the knob.
"What's going on?" he asked as he took in the scene that lay before him. Kat was poised to leave with Cole strapped to her back. Behind them Max stood in a daze. "What's happening?" he pressed Kat when no one replied.
"I thought I heard a noise so I was coming out to investigate."
"With Cole?" Zack asked skeptically.
"And what happened Last time you left him alone?" she asked back, and he ceased his questioning.
"Max, you hear anything?"
She tentatively looked up to meet his gaze, his eyes so blue that they tinted the space between them. His eyes were so intense she broke contact almost immediately and looked back down at the floor. "Yeah, but I think it was just a cat or something." How was she supposed to look at Zack knowing what she now did? Was it embarrassment that set her skin aflame or was it an acknowledgement that maybe all along she had known and that she possibly felt the same way. But now things were different for Max. She had Logan in her life. No matter how much she denied it to her friends and even to him these feeling for Logan always lingered.
"I didn't see anything. You probably heard me as I came up."
"Just a little paranoid I guess, with Lydecker in Seattle and all."
"Good call," Zack said, "I'm gonna rest up. If we ever do meet up with Lydecker and his men we will be up for a good fight." He smiled at the thought, it had been too long since he had given someone, anyone a good beating.
"I already rested. I need to go for a ride," Max grabbed her jacket and left, avoiding Zack's eyes and trying not to touch him as she squeezed past him through the door.