Author's Note: Yes I know – I've done this flashback twice already, but I wrote with the original and it just didn't seem to want to fit in anywhere in the rewrite, but I didn't want to leave it out. So you have my sincerest apologies if you've read it before.

Chapter 7

Pushing her twin aside, Kitty crouched down in the dense bushes that grew beside the barn. She lent close to the ancient wood keeping as low as possible. Carefully she adjusted several branches so that she could see clearly, without being seen at the same time.

"You can see okay?" Nick asked anxiously.

"Yes Nick,"

"And what about hearing? You sure you'll be able to pick up everything okay?"

"Nicolas," Kitty hissed, "If you don't shut up right this second you'll be able to find out how much you can hear – when your unconscious."

Nick winced, "Sorry – I'd just hate for you to miss this. I know how much seeing him again must mean to you…"

Kitty growled, and he shut up.

Both sets of eyes fixed upon the horizon, waiting. Kitty felt her fingers tap the dry soil beneath her. She frowned and then started chewing her lip nervously. "Come on," she murmured, "Come on."

Nick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She froze … and he removed it quickly.

Then suddenly he nudged her.

"Listen," he whispered.

Several minutes later, she smiled as she heard it too.

Hooves.

The herd was coming home … and the ranchers would be coming with them.

It took awhile before Kitty's damaged eyesight could make out more than the outline of the cattle, but as soon as she could see detail, Nick saw her tense up in concentration. Her eyes desperately scanning the more human figures.

Suddenly Kitty felt the urge to giggle in happiness. There he was.

The sun shone across his muscular figure silhouetting his torso in the soft pink fields. His blonde hair had been combed back out of his face. The jeans and vest he donned looked almost new, rather than the well-worn clothing they were used to seeing him in. Physically he was almost glowing with health and Kitty was sure she could see a smile playing around his face.

Then suddenly he roared with laughter as one of the other men told him a joke. Kitty grinned proudly. She hadn't seen him so happy since he was a small child.

"Bloody hell!" Nick exclaimed behind her.

Kitty smiled, "He's magnificent, isn't he?"

"I assume you mean Zack?" her brother muttered.

She shot him a confused look, "Who else would I be talking about?"

"Three o'clock," was all Nick answered.

"Bloody hell!" Kitty cried.

At the head of the herd guiding the cattle back into the barn was a huge man dressed completely in worn denim. His frame was almost as broad and powerful as Nick's, but his hair had gone almost completely white. Even so Kitty knew he wasn't any older than his late thirties.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Kitty muttered.

"He's supposed to be in Mexico isn't he?" Nick asked, keeping his voice slightly more hushed than a normal whisper.

"That's right," Kitty replied, equally quietly, "Looking after Brin."

"If he left her untended – I'm gonna kill him," Nick hissed.

"Not if I get there first!" his sister snarled, balling her fists.

Nearly all of the cattle had found their way back into the barn by this point. Kitty noticed the large denim clad man glance up for a second.

"You kids go inside and get some supper," he yelled, "I'll finish up here."

"Sure thing, Buddy," Zack called back and he and the other men left as 'Buddy' drove the cows through the last metal pen into the barn.

It was the chance Kitty and her brother had been waiting for.

As soon as the other men had vanished into the house, she stood up.

"Hello Buddy," she snarled. The rancher flinched. Painfully slowly, he turned towards the direction of her voice.

"Hi Kitty," he said. "Nick," he added, as her twin also emerged from the undergrowth.

"What the hell do you think you were playing at?" Nick shot at him, clearing the distance between them in seconds, "You do realise we had to call in help from a civilian to find Zack – and all the while you were right here with him!"

"Logan?" 'Buddy' asked mutely.

"Who else?" Kitty, who had finally also cleared the distance, was snarling like a wild animal, "We've almost certainly alerted Maxie to our presence now thanks to you! And I thought you were in Mexico looking after Brin."

"She ran out on me," the tall man muttered.

"With a loser like you I'm not surprised," Kitty roared, "What the hell did you think you were playing at Napoleon!"

"Napoleon?" the rancher gasped in shock.

"Nicknames would imply affection," she hissed viciously.

"Look Kitty!" 'Napoleon' began.

"Don't you 'Look Kitty' me!" she cried, "You hid my charge from me! You tried to separate me from him again!"

"I didn't mean too … just let me explain …"

"What the hell is there to explain Leo?" she was shaking with rage, "You left me worried sick about Zack, when all it would have taken was one simple phone call to put my mind at ease!"

"Kit!"

"And you call yourself my brother," she spat, before suddenly turning on her heel and storming off the ranch.

"Kitty …" Leo groaned, staring after his vanishing sister.

Nick watched him coldly. "You know what Leo?" he said, "You make one fucking bad CO. Maybe you should ask the kid in there to give you a few pointers," and with that he followed his sister out of sight.

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The soldier, now twenty-seven, darted along the corridor trying to avoid the security system. She knew what she had to do. Her boy had been compromised. She had no choice.

It took her less than five minutes to open the door to the main ops centre. Honestly, you would have thought they might actually have the sense to install security systems they hadn't taught to her to by-pass. She entered the centre without even causing a minor beep in the system.

Normally this place was teaming with life, but at the moment, there were only three men in the centre. Something that could well be related to the fact that it was three-oh-five in the morning.

The first one way a guard slumped on a stool taking a nap. He could wait for a second. The second was monitoring the screens, and very unwisely, he had his back to her. The third wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She smiled.

Half a second later, her hand connected with the back of the monitor's neck, sending him to dreamland.

The guard awoke with a snort. He jumped from his stool, but a flying kick to his mid-riff sent that problem colliding headfirst into wall from which he didn't rise again.

The third man looked at her stupidly, but didn't do anything. Probably had something to do with the fact that he was bound and gagged to his chair.

Carefully she removed the gag. The man started to babble his thanks, but she held up a hand – and he fell silent.

She pulled up chair from a nearby desk and sat down in front of him, leaning slightly forwards, her fingers folded in her lap. Perfect interrogation stance. The man went pale.

'Poor thing,' she thought. He was pale enough as it was. His sand-coloured hair was in a mess and he looked like he could do with a shave, but he didn't look hurt. They clearly hadn't gotten properly started on him yet. Thank whatever was up there for that! She had been in time then.

Renfro had had him brought up here for interrogation, but a sudden crash in the entire computer system had called her away for the evening. Kitty smiled. The computer system had a nasty habit of crashing, especially when they found new leads on the escaped X5s. Wonder why that was?

They had got it fixed though, but it had been so late that Renfro had simply gone to bed. Lazy bitch! But at least that self-serving laziness was something you could rely on with Renfro; Lydecker would have finished the interrogation before turning in, which would have made this little trip nearly impossible.

Still … wasn't like he wasn't going to pay at all …

Neither of Manticore's evil rulers knew it yet, but the crash had caused the deletion of several very important files, including some on the escaped X5s. How strange! And such a damned nuisance too, as the paper files had also vanished. What a coincidence!

So now there was just one more lose end to tie up. This man …

"You something about X5?" she began.

"N-no! Of course not!"

"Please!" Kitty sighed exasperated, "I've seen the file! Don't lie to me!"

"I swear I don't know anything!"

She cocked her head coyly, "Nothing?"

"Yes! Nothing!"

She lent forwards, "Really?"

"Really! I know nothing about any X5s or a boy named Zack or anything!" the man cried desperately.

Kitty raised an eyebrow in mock-confusion, "Zack?" she repeated innocently, "Zack? I never mentioned a Zack."

She hadn't thought it was possible, but the man's face went even paler, "Yes, yes, you did!"

She shook her head firmly. "No, I didn't," her voice sounded tired all of a sudden.

"Damn," she sighed. He raised his head. She could she the fear and confusion etched on his face.

"Damn," she said again, "Damn. Damn it to hell!" She supported her forehead with her hands, her elbows propped on her knees.

When she spoke again her voice sounded genuinely distressed, "I would have helped you escape, you know, I could have. But the thing is you see … you know too much. About my kids. I've never been out of here. I know nothing of the outside world. So even if you escaped I couldn't guarantee you'd be beyond their reach … if that is even possible. And if they caught you again – the chances are you'd tell them all you knew before I could even get to you."

"No!" he gasped, "No! No! I wouldn't! I'll shut up until you come! Hell, I'd go to Europe or South Africa or somewhere! Somewhere where they'd never find me in the first place! Please! I promise! I swear! Please! Please!!"

"Not good enough," The young woman muttered, "You couldn't withstand Manticore torture and you clearly don't know the extent of its influence or you would never have suggested South Africa."

Kitty sighed again, deeply, "I swore I'd never do this. But it's for them. For him." Then she reached out and snapped the man's neck.

"Sorry," she whispered.

The door crashed open! Renfro and a bunch of soldiers swarmed in. Kitty watched almost bemused as Renfro's face contorted in horror at the man's slumped body.

'Damnit!' Kitty thought. She'd been caught! But she knew she had had to do it … and she also knew, without a doubt, that her older brothers and sisters would consider her quest both necessary and right, this time … for the simple fact there were no orders for it … and that was well worth personally checking out the new phy-ops facility any day …

She turned to face Renfro with a confident smile.

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Wow! You've got to this point in my story? Surely you wouldn't leave without pressing that little purple button huh? *big puppy-dog eyes*