Chapter 7: Reinduction

Tima's cheek still stung from where he hit her, and a part of her still wanted to be mad at him despite the wound he had laid open before her. On the other hand she was unsure that he wasn't entirely justified in his reaction.

Logan was all business after his outburst and made no more mention as he tore through security codes and hacked into computers at an accelerated speed. She watched fascinated by the speed at which he maneuvered through the Net. It was amazing how easily he could to rip through others computers in his search for a Manticore contact.

"Do you think that you could teach me some of this?" She asked eagerly as she watched, "I would never have to touch another soul again."

He smiled without looking at her but the smile went no further than his mouth, "Maybe..." He said distantly, as if he had only half heard what she had said to him. Then he added, "You have no idea how hard it was to find a computer fast enough to keep up with me these days. This is custom built and it still irritates me by how slow it is," he said as he plunged into a database he had no business even being able to touch much less gain access to.

He went silent again as he became entirely wrapped up in his queries. An uncomfortable silence fell over the place and Tima could make out the clock ticking in his kitchen.

"Here we go," he said finally, causing her to jump after the drawn out silence, "There is a Manticore base right here in Washington, it seems. Just East of here at an old Air Force Base."

He looked over at her for the first time in an hour, "What I don't get is how you could go all these years and never run into another Manticore... not even the X-5's that are still floating around. Especially when Max and I could never seem to get away from them."

She shrugged, "Bad Luck I guess," and backed up as he pushed away from the console. She couldn't meet his eyes as she turned to face him, "Look I'm sorry... about what I said earlier. I had no right to judge Max's decisions."

Logan smiled more warmly this time and there was a hint of embarrassment in his eyes as he said, "I should be the one to apologize. There was no need for the reaction I had... It's just that," His brows furrowed, "Max taught me how to live again, something I had insulated myself from way up here. Poor rich boy with nothing to do but play with his toys," He laughed without humor, "She filled a hole I hadn't even know existed in my life," He sighed again.

"When I lost her and lost the baby... I was devastated and it took me a long time to pull my life back together again. And I still find myself getting very defensive about her. It doesn't excuse my actions," And again an uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Logan finally turned away and pulled a printed map from his printer and showed it to her, "Let's see if we can't get you home, shall we?"

Logan approached the perimeter fence of the air base slowly, throwing the Aztec into park and shutting off the engine. He had been running without lights for the last five miles to lessen their chances of being detected by those who now occupied the base. A thin fog had added to their cloak. Logan was thankful for Max's gift as he looked around him and saw everything clearly.

Logan looked at Tima, "Are you certain that this is what you want to do?" He asked her yet again. Tima was shaking with excitement and anxiety and could only nod in answer. Logan shrugged, "Alright," he replied and stepped out of the vehicle. Tima mirrored him and they approached the fence side by side. In unison they looked up at the ten-foot fence topped with razor wire. Then they looked at each other, "Well good luck Tima. I hope that you find what you're looking for," Logan said to her. Then he looked down, "Do me a favor will you?"

"What," she asked.

"Don't mention me to them when you get back in."

"Why's that?"

"I don't want to be forced to live the life Max lived," He said smiling as he looked back at her.

"I promise," Tima "Well good luck," And he turned back toward his car.

"Wait!" Tima said stopping him. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Come with me... just until I see Lydecker."

"I'd rather not... Entering a Manticore installation is not exactly something I am good at. That was Max's bag."

"Please, Logan, I'm... scared," she bit her lip unhappy with having to say that to him.

Logan shook his head, "You're going to have to do this one yourself, Tima," He looked away as his face darkened, "Besides If I get near Lydecker I will kill him. That would kinda spoil your chances of going back wouldn't it."

Tima smiled nervously and nodded. She backed up several steps and gracefully cleared the fence landing lightly on the other side. She looked back once.

"I'll wait until they have taken you back then I'll leave. I'll back you if anything goes wrong."

She nodded again and started away from him.

Logan watched as Tima moved through the complex. She looked into each of the windows as she passed them continuing on when she didn't see what she wanted to see.

He backed away from the fence concealing himself in the fog. He tracked her with his eyes and listened carefully for any sign that she had been discovered. There was none so far, and he leaned onto the Aztec and monitored her progress, behind his eyes as well as with his more normal senses.

Logan watched as Tima's dark shape stopped just before a large square of open space before her. She carefully surveyed the area, here she waited for long drawn out moments taut with trying to sense danger. Then she stood straight and dashed across, only to be pinned by spotlights as she reached the halfway point. Logan approached the fence again, trying to get a better view through the fog, as the dark shapes of soldiers appeared out of the woodwork to surround her frozen form.

Logan grit his teeth as his stomach sank and he tried desperately to ignore it. He knew only too well what the feeling meant. Something terrible was about to happen to the girl he had brought here. He told himself incessantly that she was going to be OK; that for once his danger sense was wrong. He needed to avoid getting involved in this situation, as this was the last place that he needed to demonstrate his abilities. Lydecker might even be here, that would be good of him jump in looking like some thing out of a martial arts film with Lydecker there to witness it. Then if he didn't kill him, Lydecker would spend the rest of his days trying to figure out who he was and get him into a nice cramped little cell.

But this was not going to be a smooth reinduction for her. In fact what he was feeling told him that she would end up dead if he didn't do something to stop them.

"Damn," He whispered as his conscience got the best of him. He backed away from the fence again judging what it would take, muttering to himself, "Let's see if I still remember how to do this," and gathering himself he leapt, nicely clearing it but landing awkwardly the other side of the perimeter. He straightened and quickly made himself parts of the nearest wall, watching events unfold around Tima. He looked back a moment memorizing his landmarks thinking, "I need more practice. I am way rusty at this."

Logan hugged the building as he approached the perimeter of the circle surrounding Tima.

Tima surveyed the circle of soldiers surrounding her, cautious but not afraid. Loudly she announced, "I am X-10, My code is 926473899, I have been MIA for 11 years and wish to return home," She searched featureless masks surrounding her, looking for some sign of reaction from them, "I wish to speak to Lydecker." she asserted.

She watched as one of the soldiers relaxed his aim and pulled off his helmet, "Tima?" the man said squinting at her. The bar code between his brows was plain to see and she knew the number.

"Kito?" Tima asked happily, as he stepped up close to her. She embraced him tightly tears running down her face. She noticed that several others had begun to do the same.

They separated a moment as Kito and Tima looked each other over, "You've grown," Kito observed.

"So have you," Tima replied.

"How did you find us?"

"That's not important," she evaded, "All that matters is that I am home."

"Back to your position soldier!" A loud voice boomed. Kito and Tima both looked to the source of the voice. Kito's eyes went wide and he reluctantly resumed his position in the circle around them. The mystery figure stepped into the light and Tima's heart leapt. It was Lydecker! She popped to a smart attention before him, as he looked her over.

Lydecker looked older... much older than she had imagined he would. His stern face was deeply lined and his hair was receding and thin over most of his head now. It detracted nothing from the feel of authority he exuded.

"What have we here?" He asked, circling her like a shark. She stood shock still allowing his eyes to move over her. She was silently wishing that she had taken all of her ornamentation off before coming here. She hoped that Lydecker would not think less of her for her oversight. He stopped as he circled around to face her and his eyes locked onto the bar-code on her forehead, "Tima..." He breathed, then more strongly, "We thought that you had been killed with your escorts on the way to Oregon."

"Those facts were misconstrued sir," She answered crisply, her chin raising ever so slightly. Her heart beat rapid succession, proud and happy that he had remembered her, when he had some many children to look after over his time in Manticore.

"The matter of your extraction was complicated when your escorts deviated from the prescribed route. It took the extraction team more than a month to find the wreckage. We did try to find you Tima, we really did." He said sincerely.

A tear rolled down her cheek, "Thank you, sir."

"So," He said looking down at her, "You're ready to come home?"

"Yes sir," she said with enthusiasm, "More than."

He looked down pursing his lips; "Well... that IS a problem, isn't it?"

"Sir?" She asked confused.

Lydecker stepped back training a gun at her, "Reinduction doesn't work, Tima. No matter how much you want to come back, you can't. You're too tainted by the world to be of any use to Me," Even as he said it Tima could see that he was pained by this course of action. He didn't want to kill her, he felt he had to.

"SIR!" Kito said desperately from his spot in line.

"Quiet," Lydecker ordered, "You know as well as I do that it has to be done!"