Chapter 2: Family Reunion
Max and Logan sat in silence, as they had for the past couple hours. Logan was playing with some new hardware he had installed on his computer, Max staring at the rain the poured through the Seattle streets.
"Where are they?" Max said, more to herself then to Logan.
"Don't worry Max, they'll be here," Logan reassured her. Max turned around, realizing she had talked out loud. She nodded and sat down on the couch, nervously tapping her foot.
"Never seen you like this Max, not even before you were about to take down Manticore," Logan commented.
"I wasn't about to see my family for the first time in over ten years before I took down Manticore," Max snapped back. Logan shook his head and continued fiddling with his computer.
"So, how are those seizures doing?" Logan asked, attempting to make conversation. The X5's were supposed to meet in Logan's apartment that night but none had showed up yet. He could tell Max was beginning to get anxious and he wanted to try and keep her busy.
"I knew they'd come back once I escaped from Manticore again. They used to take me into the infirmary every week for treatment but now, my body's not getting the treatment. At least they're not as bad as they used to be."
"They will be though. Just like before you ever went back. Your body just hasn't got rid of all the medication yet." Logan told her. Suddenly the window opened, blowing a couple papers of Logan's desk.
Max jumped up and walked cautiously to the window. She didn't see anybody and disappointment filled her face when she realized it wasn't one of her siblings. Then she felt a touch on her shoulder. She turned around quickly and saw her oldest brother standing before her. His blonde hair hung in front of his face
"Are you ever going to use the door?" Logan asked when he saw Zack. Zack shot Logan an annoyed look and then returned his gaze to Max.
"Maxie, your okay. I knew you'd live, I knew you'd escape," he whispered tenderly before his face hardened again. "What's going on? Usually I'm the one contacting the others. What makes you think you can jeopardize their safety and bring them here?"
"At ease Zack," Max said sarcastically. "I need some help."
"I figured that, what is it?"
"I think we should wait until everyone gets here," Logan interrupted. "That way Max won't have to explain more then once," he added when he caught Zack's angry stare. Logan and Zack still didn't get along and Zack would never trust Logan, not after what happened the night they decided to destroy Manticore.
Zack got out with just a shot in the shoulder. He got shot but kept running anyway. When he got back, he realized Max wasn't there. Logan wasn't panicked or worried. He was calm, cool, as if he knew it would happen but didn't try and stop it. Zack got the feeling Logan couldn't be trusted.
Half an hour later, Logan was tensely watching Zack and Max talk from the other room. He saw Max happy again, for the first time in quite awhile. She looked comfortable and relaxed and he knew it was because she felt safe with her big brother. There was a quiet knock at the door and Logan stared at Max and Zack as they rushed to the door.
Max opened the door, Zack's hand on her shoulder. A tall, muscular man stood in the doorway with a smaller, authoritative looking woman behind him. With his blond hair and sparkling blue eyes, he looked a lot like Zack. The woman was very familiar looking. Max recognized her immediately.
She was Jace, Max's sister who she had sent to the Canadian border when she learned she was pregnant. She looked much more different since she had given birth. More tired, stressed out. The man rushed forward and wrapped Max in a powerful hug, lifting her up off the ground.
"Zane!" Max cried, burying her face in his shoulder. He twirled her around before setting her back down, holding her shoulders as he looked at her.
"Little Maxie, baby sister, you're all grown up," he said quietly. He let go of her shoulders and held his hand out for Zack. Zack took his hand and shook it roughly before pulling his brother in for a quick hug.
"Good to see you, Zack," Zane said. Zack reached out into the hall and wrapped his arms around Jace.
"What are you doing here Jace? I thought, I mean, you stayed back at…" Zack mumbled, confused.
"Max helped me realize family is much more important while I was on a mission to kill a former Manticore doctor. I have a son now, named Max," Jace said, smiling at Max. Max grinned and hugged her sister. Logan walked into the room and looked around at the X5's.
Zane frowned at Logan and then looked back at Max.
"He's not from Manticore is he?" Zane asked.
"No, he's an old friend. He knows all about us, he knows everything," Max said. Logan nodded towards the new arrivals and introduced himself.
Zane and Jace had just got settled when there was another knock. Max didn't even open the door when Krit walked in and past Max. He looked around the room and his brown eyes lit up.
"Hey Zack," he said slowly. "Logan, Jondy and Syl are downstairs. We ran into each other and they are talking down there."
"Krit," Max whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. Krit jumped and turned around. His eyes opened wide and he almost tackled Max, hugging her strongly.
"Max! Your alright!" he cried, holding Max in his arms. "Zack, why didn't you tell me she lived?"
"I didn't know for sure. I never doubted she would make it, but I didn't want to get your hopes up," Zack replied. Just then, Jondy and Syl walked in. There was a similar greeting between Syl and Max and then a very emotional reunion between all the X5's.
Together, Max and Zack told the others about what happened to Brin and Tinga. Then Max told everybody about Ben. Logan sat in silence, listening to the stories of where everyone had been and what they were up to. Finally Zack snapped back to attention and asked Max why she had got them all together.
"It's Lydecker," she began.
"Lydecker? I thought he was on our side now," Syl interrupted.
"He is, I think, we still can't trust him all the way," Max replied. "The only thing is, we thought he got killed. I found out that he's not dead, he's being held at a facility in Oregon."
"So what?" Zack asked.
"So we need to get him out. From what I've learned, this place is similar to Manticore. They might be using him for information and if they are, there could be a whole new Manticore type fiasco on our hands.
"Plus, Lydecker did try and help us take down Manticore. Even though it didn't completely work, we did damage the productivity of the X series quite a bit. Now if this facility in Oregon is trying to produce the same type of projects as Manticore, we're in trouble."
"Max is right, furthermore, it shouldn't be too hard. Get in, get Lydecker, get out. Why did you call all of us to do this Maxie?" Krit asked.
"Well, if they are creating genetically enhanced soldiers, like Manticore, my guess is one or two of us can't take them on," Max replied. There was a moment of silence before Zack stood up and faced his younger brothers and sisters.
"Well guys, you know what to do, let's plan this mission," he said sternly. Logan watched enviously as Max's eyes began to shine. He knew that even though she had been running from this life her whole life, it satisfied her to act like a soldier. She was born to give and take orders, to complete missions, to hunt and as much as she denied it, it made her happy to do that.
** Review please, I can't finish without reviews, I need to know how I'm doing :D **
Max and Logan sat in silence, as they had for the past couple hours. Logan was playing with some new hardware he had installed on his computer, Max staring at the rain the poured through the Seattle streets.
"Where are they?" Max said, more to herself then to Logan.
"Don't worry Max, they'll be here," Logan reassured her. Max turned around, realizing she had talked out loud. She nodded and sat down on the couch, nervously tapping her foot.
"Never seen you like this Max, not even before you were about to take down Manticore," Logan commented.
"I wasn't about to see my family for the first time in over ten years before I took down Manticore," Max snapped back. Logan shook his head and continued fiddling with his computer.
"So, how are those seizures doing?" Logan asked, attempting to make conversation. The X5's were supposed to meet in Logan's apartment that night but none had showed up yet. He could tell Max was beginning to get anxious and he wanted to try and keep her busy.
"I knew they'd come back once I escaped from Manticore again. They used to take me into the infirmary every week for treatment but now, my body's not getting the treatment. At least they're not as bad as they used to be."
"They will be though. Just like before you ever went back. Your body just hasn't got rid of all the medication yet." Logan told her. Suddenly the window opened, blowing a couple papers of Logan's desk.
Max jumped up and walked cautiously to the window. She didn't see anybody and disappointment filled her face when she realized it wasn't one of her siblings. Then she felt a touch on her shoulder. She turned around quickly and saw her oldest brother standing before her. His blonde hair hung in front of his face
"Are you ever going to use the door?" Logan asked when he saw Zack. Zack shot Logan an annoyed look and then returned his gaze to Max.
"Maxie, your okay. I knew you'd live, I knew you'd escape," he whispered tenderly before his face hardened again. "What's going on? Usually I'm the one contacting the others. What makes you think you can jeopardize their safety and bring them here?"
"At ease Zack," Max said sarcastically. "I need some help."
"I figured that, what is it?"
"I think we should wait until everyone gets here," Logan interrupted. "That way Max won't have to explain more then once," he added when he caught Zack's angry stare. Logan and Zack still didn't get along and Zack would never trust Logan, not after what happened the night they decided to destroy Manticore.
Zack got out with just a shot in the shoulder. He got shot but kept running anyway. When he got back, he realized Max wasn't there. Logan wasn't panicked or worried. He was calm, cool, as if he knew it would happen but didn't try and stop it. Zack got the feeling Logan couldn't be trusted.
Half an hour later, Logan was tensely watching Zack and Max talk from the other room. He saw Max happy again, for the first time in quite awhile. She looked comfortable and relaxed and he knew it was because she felt safe with her big brother. There was a quiet knock at the door and Logan stared at Max and Zack as they rushed to the door.
Max opened the door, Zack's hand on her shoulder. A tall, muscular man stood in the doorway with a smaller, authoritative looking woman behind him. With his blond hair and sparkling blue eyes, he looked a lot like Zack. The woman was very familiar looking. Max recognized her immediately.
She was Jace, Max's sister who she had sent to the Canadian border when she learned she was pregnant. She looked much more different since she had given birth. More tired, stressed out. The man rushed forward and wrapped Max in a powerful hug, lifting her up off the ground.
"Zane!" Max cried, burying her face in his shoulder. He twirled her around before setting her back down, holding her shoulders as he looked at her.
"Little Maxie, baby sister, you're all grown up," he said quietly. He let go of her shoulders and held his hand out for Zack. Zack took his hand and shook it roughly before pulling his brother in for a quick hug.
"Good to see you, Zack," Zane said. Zack reached out into the hall and wrapped his arms around Jace.
"What are you doing here Jace? I thought, I mean, you stayed back at…" Zack mumbled, confused.
"Max helped me realize family is much more important while I was on a mission to kill a former Manticore doctor. I have a son now, named Max," Jace said, smiling at Max. Max grinned and hugged her sister. Logan walked into the room and looked around at the X5's.
Zane frowned at Logan and then looked back at Max.
"He's not from Manticore is he?" Zane asked.
"No, he's an old friend. He knows all about us, he knows everything," Max said. Logan nodded towards the new arrivals and introduced himself.
Zane and Jace had just got settled when there was another knock. Max didn't even open the door when Krit walked in and past Max. He looked around the room and his brown eyes lit up.
"Hey Zack," he said slowly. "Logan, Jondy and Syl are downstairs. We ran into each other and they are talking down there."
"Krit," Max whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. Krit jumped and turned around. His eyes opened wide and he almost tackled Max, hugging her strongly.
"Max! Your alright!" he cried, holding Max in his arms. "Zack, why didn't you tell me she lived?"
"I didn't know for sure. I never doubted she would make it, but I didn't want to get your hopes up," Zack replied. Just then, Jondy and Syl walked in. There was a similar greeting between Syl and Max and then a very emotional reunion between all the X5's.
Together, Max and Zack told the others about what happened to Brin and Tinga. Then Max told everybody about Ben. Logan sat in silence, listening to the stories of where everyone had been and what they were up to. Finally Zack snapped back to attention and asked Max why she had got them all together.
"It's Lydecker," she began.
"Lydecker? I thought he was on our side now," Syl interrupted.
"He is, I think, we still can't trust him all the way," Max replied. "The only thing is, we thought he got killed. I found out that he's not dead, he's being held at a facility in Oregon."
"So what?" Zack asked.
"So we need to get him out. From what I've learned, this place is similar to Manticore. They might be using him for information and if they are, there could be a whole new Manticore type fiasco on our hands.
"Plus, Lydecker did try and help us take down Manticore. Even though it didn't completely work, we did damage the productivity of the X series quite a bit. Now if this facility in Oregon is trying to produce the same type of projects as Manticore, we're in trouble."
"Max is right, furthermore, it shouldn't be too hard. Get in, get Lydecker, get out. Why did you call all of us to do this Maxie?" Krit asked.
"Well, if they are creating genetically enhanced soldiers, like Manticore, my guess is one or two of us can't take them on," Max replied. There was a moment of silence before Zack stood up and faced his younger brothers and sisters.
"Well guys, you know what to do, let's plan this mission," he said sternly. Logan watched enviously as Max's eyes began to shine. He knew that even though she had been running from this life her whole life, it satisfied her to act like a soldier. She was born to give and take orders, to complete missions, to hunt and as much as she denied it, it made her happy to do that.
** Review please, I can't finish without reviews, I need to know how I'm doing :D **