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The wind whistled through the rust colored leaves, breaking the eerie silence of the night. There was no moon tonight, only the light of the flickering street lights broke up the darkness. Ames White waited impatiently, the flickering lights highlighting his cold features. "Sir," the voice called out from behind White. "I have located the file you were looking for." Private Merchants moved into view. "I found it in Colonel Lydecker's private files at the old building." "Did anyone see you?" Ames took the file from the soldier and flicked through it. He looked up at the Private's face. "No Sir." Private Merchants glanced nervously around the secluded street. "I was careful. Nobody even knew where I was going." He had no wish to stick around Ames White any longer than necessary. "Good." White pulled out his gun and fired. He was about to clean up the transgenic mess that had eluded him for too long and he didn't want any interference. "Where to start." He walked back to his car while reading the file. "I always wanted to go to LA, so I guess we'll start with you Zane." He tossed the file in the passenger seat of his car as he climbed into the driver seat and started his car. Logan rolled his eyes as Max won yet another hand of cards. "Are you sure you're not cheating?" "No more than usual." Max flicked the deck of cards expertly through her fingers. "When did you start caring?" She shot him a sexy smile. "It's a win, win game. You lose I get to take advantage of your body. I lose, you get to take advantage of mine." Logan gave her a toothy grin back. "Why do you think I keep offering to play this game?" He took a sip of wine. "You want to play another hand? We could always go out if you want?" He didn't want Max to feel trapped in his apartment and he had a feeling after the first three hands of cards that Max was going into heat. Max reached out and took the glass out of Logan's hand and put it aside. "No, I think I'll collect on my winnings." She crawled across the floor where they were both sitting and crawled into his lap. "Time to pay up hot shot." Logan chuckled. "What a way to lose." His chuckle deepened as his shirt went flying across the room, courtesy of Max. The chuckle changed to a groan of pleasure as Max started licking her way up his chest. Los Angeles, the City of Angels. At least that's what it had been before the pulse. Now it was just another broken down city. Zane tinkered with the carburetor before peering out from under the hood of the car. "Ok, try it now, Noah." A smile lit up his face as the car roared to life. "Ain't that a beautiful sound?" His boss grinned back. Switching the engine off Noah climbed out of the car. "Thanks for staying late, Zane. I told the customer he could have his car back by morning." He looked up at the clock on the wall. "Which is what it is now." He slapped the young man on the back. "Go on home and get yourself some sleep. You've earned it." Zane grinned at the older man. "It's the least I can do considering the number of times I've left on family emergencies." His grin faded when his German Shepherd began to growl. "Get out of here quick, Noah." He shoved Noah in front of him as they headed for the back door. Peering into the dark, Zane saw White moving cautiously towards the workshop. Silently Zane maneuvered Noah clear of the building and out of harms way. "Looks like I'm gonna need a few days off again, Noah." "Same thing as last time?" Noah knew Zane had a big family split up over America. He also knew they had problems with the military. He trusted the young man enough not to question further. "Yeah. Sorry to run out on you again, man. You know the drill." Zane hated to bolt again but if White knew where he was, then the others could be in danger too. Noah nodded. "I know. You were working here, but you got a phone call and disappeared without a word five minutes later." He shook Zane's hand. "Take care. See you in a few months." He watched Zane creep into the darkness with his dog by his side. White lay his hand on the hood of each car in the workshop. One was still warm. "Damn," White cursed to himself. The X5 has seen him coming somehow. He turned and left the same way he had come in, anxious to get to his next destination. "Las Vegas." He muttered to himself. With any luck he could fly there before the other X5s caught onto what he was doing. Krit handed his friend a beer. The view of New York from the top of the Empire State Building was spectacular. "I keep telling yo, Mike, I have a lot of sisters but none of them would be interested in you. They have taste." He joked with his friend as he pulled the ringing cell phone out of his pocket. He instantly recognized the caller ID. "Hey, Zane. What's up?" "White just turned up in LA." Zane carefully steered his beat up car towards San Francisco. "I don't know how the hell he found me but I figured I'd better warn you. I can't get hold of the girls so I'm heading to San Francisco. Can you try and get hold of Syl and I'll meet you in Seattle." Krit snapped instantly to attention. "You gonna move the whole San Francisco clan? I can be there faster if I go by air." "No, I think White will try for Jondy last." Zane had been thinking about this while he was driving. "He wants one of us to bargain with. Just get to Syl, I'll keep trying Max and Jondy's phones." "See you at the meeting place." Krit hung up the phone and slipped it back in his pocket. "Gotta go, Mike. I have a plane to catch." He threw a line over the side of the building and crawled through the hole he had made for himself in the observation deck. Snapping his harness onto the line he waved good by to his friend and started his descent down the side of the building. "Krit!" Mike yelled. "You asshole. You let me in here. How the hell am I supposed to get out?" His yells fell on deaf ears. Krit was already gone. Syl loved the bright lights of Las Vegas. When she looked out into the night they seemed to sparkle like different colored jewels. She glanced at her watch. Her break was over, time to go back to dealing black jack. As she turned to make her way back inside, Syl felt the breeze pick up and whip through her hair. Looking up she saw a helicopter hovering above her. Using her enhanced vision she spotted Krit flying the helicopter. In the next minute a rope ladder swung down to her. "Oh God. What's wrong now." She muttered as she climbed up the ladder. Krit watched as his sister made her way up to him, but was momentarily distracted by the sound of gunshots. Another helicopter was heading straight for them. "Hang on, Syl, I'm going to try and lose this bastard." He swung the mechanical bird around, trying to keep his sister out of shooting range. "That's how White got here from LA so quickly." Syl tightened her grip but kept climbing. "I'm not dying on a damn rope ladder." She pulled herself into the helicopter. "How the hell did he know where to find me?" She could quite clearly see White in the other helicopter. Krit shook his head as he flew the helicopter around the buildings. "I don't know, but he hit LA first. Zane's on his way to San Francisco. I figure there's got to be some sort of pattern and I don't think it's just an attempt to get to Jondy." Syl thought it though. "You remember when Manticore got hold of Zack? He compromised some of us. Lydecker must have written up a report on the whole thing. I'm willing to bet White got his hands on the report and is trying to pick us off one by one." Krit had to admit it made sense. "In that case, we'd better get hold of Max so we know who else White's heading for." Max had been with Zack when he had accidentally revealed their locations. "Buckle up, Sis." Syl did as she was told. "Whatever you're going to do, Krit, do it fast. White's within shooting range." Her stomach almost leapt into her throat as Krit flipped the helicopter so that it basically somersaulted backwards over the helicopter White was in. White had to quickly grab hold of the side of the helicopter to stop himself from being tipped out. He tapped the pilot on the shoulder with his gun. "I don't care what you do, but don't lose them." "Too late, Sir." The pilot was frantically searching the night sky. "They've disappeared." He checked the gages on the panel in front of him. "If you want to try another destination tonight, we're going to have to refuel." White banged his fist against the seat. "Fine. Just do it quickly. I want to be in San Francisco before they warn X5 210." He figured Jondy would be easier to find. British Eddie had told him a few months back that she had been pregnant. That meant she would be trying to run with a child. White smiled to himself. He could have her stopped by the Sector Police. All it would take was one phone call. Krit and Syl sat in the helicopter, floating behind a building. They waited until White was out of sight before breathing a sigh of relief. Syl brushed her hair out of her face. "That was way too close. What's the plan?" She glanced nervously at her brother. Krit moved the helicopter out from its hiding place. "First we ditch this bird, get a car and some cash, then we head for Seattle. Have you got your cell phone on you?" Syl nodded. "I'll try and get hold of Max. Why don't you find us a car, I'll get the cash." Working in a casino meant she knew how to dodge the cameras. It also meant she knew which table to play and win at. Half an hour later they were on their way to Seattle. Syl shrugged her shoulders. "Still no answer on any of the numbers we have for Max." Krit checked his watch for the time. "Give Zane another half hour then call him. If he's with Jondy, she's sure to know what's going on." Zane pulled his car up in front of the bar that Jondy worked at. It was nearly closing time but the place was packed. He had already phoned Julia to alert her to the fact they would have to move out immediately. He found that Jondy had prepared her family well. Julia was waiting for him with the children and Kera packed and waiting in a van. "I'll just go and get Jondy and then we'll get moving," Zane called out to Julia as he walked into the bar. Rather than waste his time walking around the bar trying to locate his sister, Zane walked straight up to her boss, Nigel. "Hey Zane. What brings you San Francisco?" Nigel reached across the bar and shook Zane's hand. "My sister's stalker's been seen heading this way. Sorry to do this to you man, but I have to get her and the children out of town." Zane knew Nigel had become used to Jondy disappearing. "What's this guy look like?" Nigel kept pouring drinks for the customers. "Maybe we can stall him for you." "Medium height, dark hair and eyes, carries a gun." Zane listed off. "Be careful with this guy, he's not picky who he shoots at. Where is my sister?" Nigel pointed at a group of guys dancing in the center of the floor. "In the middle of that lot. It's stops them from fighting when she dances with them. Does this stalker have a name?" Zane caught a glimpse of his sister. "Ames White." He hooked his fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. Everyone in the bar turned to face him. "Jess, your stalker's heading this way." Jondy pushed her way out of the crowd and grabbed the jacket Nigel held out for her. "Are the family packed and ready to go?" "Yeah." Zane took hold of her elbow to guide her out of the door. "All ready and waiting. We can't get hold of Max at the moment. Krit and Syl will meet us in Seattle. Any idea how White found me in LA and Syl in Las Vegas?" Jondy frowned up at Zane. "He actually found out where you were situated?" She watched Zane nod. "Damn. He's got hold of Lydecker's files. Lydecker would have written a report on the whole 'Zack escaping Manticore again' incident. At least Tinga and Zack are in different cities than they were at that time." Zane grabbed his bag and let the dog out of his car. "So any idea why we can't get hold of Max?" Jondy climbed into the front passengers seat as Zane climbed into the driver's seat of the van, his dog sitting between them. "She's in heat again. How long have you been trying to get hold of her?" "Ever since White turned up at my workplace in LA. I figure he's traveling by air cause Krit only just got to Syl in time." Zane started up the van. "Why?" Jondy reached underneath her seat and pulled out a brunette wig. "We'll have to sit outside Logan's apartment when we get to Seattle. The last thing we want to do is try and get through the Sector Points without Max jumping anything in trousers." "Good point." Zane kept his eyes on the road. "Any idea who else could be in that report of Lydecker's?" He had called the three X5's that had first occurred to him. Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "As I said, Tinga and Zack have changed positions so they should be safe. White knows that Alec and Joshua are in Seattle somewhere along with Max. He may have found out that you and Max got hold of Rebecka, so we'll have to move her as well. It's probably best they all come with us." Zane gave his sister a quick glance, noticing how the brunette wig seem to make her eyes a clearer blue. "If we take Alec with us, does that mean we have to put up with Asha?" Despite Asha's fascination with Alec, Zane had still seen the blond eyeing up Logan. "I don't want to have to beat her off of Logan." Jondy flipped down the sun visor to make sure her wig was on straight in the tiny mirror behind it. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We can take the van at Logan's and split into two teams. The minute we hit Seattle we can call Rebecka, Alec and Joshua. Max and Logan probably have the phones switched off or unplugged." Zane nodded in agreement. "Heads up, Sis, check point ahead." He held his breath until they were cleared to go through. "I guess White took it for granted that you wouldn't attempt to disguise yourself." Jondy giggled. "He took it for granted a long time ago that I'd be easy to catch. More fool him." Ames walked up to the bar and lent his arms on it. "Excuse me. Have you any idea where I can find Jessica?" He took a guess that Jondy was still using the same alias she had used when he had first seen her. "She's an English redhead with blue eyes, very pale skin, hard to miss." Nigel shook his head. "She's not working tonight, try tomorrow. Maybe her husband will let her come out and play." White frowned. "Husband? Does she by any chance have a child?" Maybe he could get some extra information. "I heard she was pregnant a while back." Nigel shook his head. "Nah, baby died at birth. I guess that's why Jess went crazy. I'm surprised her husband didn't put her in a hospital." Nigel kept his expression guarded. Jessica needed time to get some distance between her and this guy. White pretended to be sympathetic. "That's a shame. I really have to catch up with her, any idea where she lives?" Nigel scratched his head as though he were thinking. "I don't know the address but it's close to the Golden Gate Bridge." That had been where she had lived before she and Devon had adopted the girls. "Thanks." White turned and left the bar, unaware of the smug expressions of the crowd watching him leave. Alec paced back and forth in his apartment. "I can take it if you're not interested, Asha, just don't lie to me!" He stopped directly in front of the stunned blond. "Am I supposed to know what you're ranting about?" Asha had been out of town for the past month on S1W business. She had turned up at Alec's apartment, only to find him in a foul mood. "The key to Logan's apartment," Alec snarled. He couldn't help it. He had been boiling on this subject for a whole month. "He asked for it back. You told me you decided to give it back." Asha turned bright red. "I suppose Max told you that." She wasn't so bothered that Alec knew she had lied, it was more because she had been clumsy and not covered the lie better. "Max thought I already knew." Alec didn't know which stung him more, the fact that Asha had lied, or that she was admitting that she had lied. "Don't fool yourself, Asha, Logan's only interested in Max. He made that rather obvious when he didn't notice your absence at his Grandmother's funeral." He felt sick to his stomach. Asha's eyes widened in shock. "His Grandmother died? Is he alright?" The instant the words left her mouth, she knew it had been the wrong thing to say. She had never seen Alec look so cold. "He's fine. Max made sure of it." Alec had been the guy women cheated on their husbands or boyfriends with before, but he had never been the second choice. He never realized how much it hurt. He angrily spat out one last hateful comment before answering the ringing phone. "Even if Max wasn't around, what makes you think Logan would want you when he's got Jondy and Syl as back ups." Asha felt the color drain from her face as Alec snatched up the phone. She noticed how gentle his tone became when he realized who was on the other end of the phone. It had to be Jondy. Nobody else held Alec's affection the way the redhead could. Cursing herself, Asha turned and left the apartment. Alec heard his apartment door shut and knew Asha was gone. "No problem. I'll pick Joshua up on the way over." He said goodbye and grabbed the bag he kept packed on the way out the door. White had been banging on doors all morning. Nobody seem to know where to find Jessica, or if they did, they weren't saying. "Hey Mister." A voice called out from behind him. "You looking for Jessica and Devon?" White turned around to find a boy about ten years old watching him. His mind flashed back to the day he had found out that Jessica was X5 210. He had aimed his gun at her and a man had pushed her out of the way and taken the bullet himself. White could still hear her screaming the man's name. "Devon!" He looked down at the boy in front of him. "Yeah. Do you know where I can find them?" The little boy nodded. "Devon's at the cemetery. Sometimes I see Jessica there. Come on, I'll show you." He grabbed Ames' hand and started walking. "My name's Ty. What's yours?" White smiled down at Ty as he followed him. "Ames. How far is this cemetery?" He was wondering if it might not be a better idea to drive. Ty rounded a street corner and pointed. "There it is." He raced through the gates dragging White behind him. "He's just over here." He stopped suddenly in front of a gravestone. "See." White knelt down in front of the grave. "Devon Saunders. Loving Father. Loyal friend. Generous Son." He read the writing out loud. "It doesn't say anything about being a husband." He turned to find that Ty had disappeared. "What the hell is going on?" Looking back at the headstone he noticed the date of death. The shot he had fired had been fatal after all. The elevator doors opened on Logan's floor and Jondy, Zane and the family stepped out. Krit, Syl, Alec, Joshua and Rebecka were already sitting on the floor outside Logan's apartment door. There was a lot of banging and crashing going on inside the apartment. Zane looked concerned as he glanced at Jondy. "I guess you were right. Is Logan going to be alright in there with Max like that?" Jondy listened for a moment. "I can't hear him complaining. In fact I think he's enjoying himself." She looked down at her girls. "Alright, we have to wait out here for a while." The children dropped their sleeping bags on the floor and pulled books and games out of their bags. Belinda looked up at her mother at the sound of something smashing inside the apartment. "What are Aunty Max and Uncle Logan doing in there?" Everyone looked at Jondy to see how she would explain Max being in heat to her children. "They're wrestling," Jondy said simply and sat down in between Alec and Zane. "There goes the crystal vase on the sideboard." She muttered under her breath. She pulled a deck of cards out of her pocket and started shuffling. A few minutes later all of the adults were sitting in a circle playing cards. The children were either reading or playing games. When cries of 'Jesus' or 'Oh God' erupted from the apartment, the children would stop what they were doing and glance at their mother. Jondy kept playing cards. "They're praying." She would give as an explanation, but not look up. After about the fourth outburst, she looked up and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess they're really religious." The adults around her struggled not to laugh. Krit looked at his watch. "Well, I'm impressed. Logan's been keeping up with Max for the last four hours." Emma heard Krit's comment. "Is Uncle Logan a good wrestler?" The innocence of her comment almost broke the adults down into laughter. "By the sounds of it," Syl offered. "I'd say he's an excellent wrestler." There was the sound of something hitting the floor. She looked at Jondy. "Was that Logan's computer chair?" Jondy nodded. "I think the coffee table's a goner as well." She pulled a card out of Alec's sleeve. "Gin." She lay her cards down in front of her. Joshua gazed over at the door. "Can we go in and wrestle?" He was incredibly surprised by the joint 'No!' from all of the adults. "Just asking," he mumbled. Alec tried to join in whole-heartedly but he was still fuming from his argument with Asha. "Can't we just leave a note for Max to join us later? The longer we stay here, the more likely it is that White will catch up with us. We don't even know where he is at the moment." Zane frowned at Alec and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed the number he wanted and then waited for the phone on the other end to be picked up. "Hey Nigel. It's Zane. Any sightings of Jessica's stalker?" He listened for a few minutes and grinned. "Thanks for the help. We've been delayed for a while so the longer you can stall him, the better it is for us. Be careful though." Zane chuckled at the comment on the other end of the line. "I'll tell her. Thanks again. Bye." He put his phone away in his pocket. "Well Jondy, your boss has sent White on a wild goose chase. He told him you went crazy after losing your baby and that your husband won't let you leave the house. Then he sent him to the wrong address and a kid showed him Devon's grave. I'd say he's probably totally confused by now." Krit stretched his arms above his head. They had all been sitting still for too long. "So Ames is still in San Francisco. At least we still have some breathing space." He listened to the quiet for a moment. "Is it just me or has the wrestling stopped inside the apartment?" Syl starting dealing another hand of cards. "No, they've just moved to another room. I heard the shower being switched on." She started giggling. "If they keep this pace up, we'll have to carry Logan across the boarder." Alec glanced quickly at his cards. "What's the damage inside at the moment?" He nodded towards the apartment door. Jondy rubbed the back of her neck. "One computer chair, one coffee table, three crystal vases, the door to the guestroom, the dining table and at least two of the matching chairs." She rolled her head from side to side to loosen up her neck. "But that's only what I've counted since I got here. Who knows what else they tried wrestling on before we arrived." Rebecka looked at her daughter in shock. "This happens to you girls, three times a year? How can you afford the damages?" Syl shook her head. "Jondy usually works through hers, I usually visit Krit and he keeps an eye on me for mine. Max is lucky she has someone to help her take the edge off. We don't usually totally destroy our homes." Jondy giggled. "I broke a door down with a guy one time, during one of my cycles." Krit nudged his sister. "Didn't you end up with a bullet wound in your side?" He shook his head in disbelief when Jondy nodded. "It's hard enough keeping Syl from bouncing off the walls." Zane grinned mischievously at Krit as he massaged Jondy's shoulders. "And how do you do that exactly?" Krit rolled his eyes. "I get her to alternate between sit ups, push ups and very interesting games of scrabble." He gave his brother a friendly shove. "She's my sister for God's sake." Jondy reached up to stop Zane's hands from massaging her shoulders. "Hey, it has gone awfully quiet in the apartment." She stood and picked the lock. Peering into the room to make sure it was safe to go in, Jondy gestured Zane to follow. The apartment was a mess. Broken furniture and ornaments were lying everywhere. Jondy gingerly stepped over the broken objects and stood outside Logan's bedroom door. Zane watched his sister, knowing that Jondy wouldn't have to knock on the door to let Max know they were there. Sure enough Max opened the bedroom door and stuck her head out. Max was surprised to see Zane and Jondy standing outside the bedroom door. She could tell by the serious looks on her sibling's faces that all was not well. "What's wrong?" She kept her voice low so that she didn't wake Logan. "We've gotta move out." Zane quietly explained. "White tracked me and Syl down and is currently being side tracked in San Francisco." "How did he find you guys?" Max realized what had happened as soon as she spoke the question. "He's found Lydecker's files." She leaned heavily against the doorframe. "I'll get my bag and be with you in a minute." Jondy frowned. "Aren't you going to wake Logan?" She glanced over Max's shoulder to the sleeping form still in the bed. "He can sleep in the van. We have to take my van and his anyway." Max's face filled with sorrow as she too watched Logan sleeping. "I can't put him in danger like that." She turned back to her siblings. "You know we'll end up facing off with White, once we get Julia and the girls across the boarder to safety. Logan won't be satisfied staying behind with the girls. He'll want to go with me." "Max, that's not your choice to make." Jondy could only imagine how Logan would feel waking up and finding out Max had skipped town. She saw the determined look fixed on Max's face. "You'd better leave him an incredible good bye letter." Max nodded. "I will. You guys start loading up the van, you know where Logan keeps the keys. I won't be long." Zane waited until the bedroom door shut before looking at Jondy. "She doesn't think that she'll be coming back, does she?" Jondy's face was just as determined as her sisters. "You know what happened last time. I don't think Logan could go through losing Max again." Zane pulled Jondy into a hug. "So we just have to make sure we get Max back to Logan safely." He felt Jondy relax slightly. "Come on, we'd better get the other van packed." Max sat perched on the end of the bed, her packed bag at her feet. This was so much harder than she had thought it would be. She quickly scribbled Logan a note and left it on the pillow on her side of the bed. Tears flowed freely down her face with the knowledge that she was doing the right thing, no matter how much it hurt. Jondy and Zane were waiting for her by the front door as Max cast the apartment one last look. So consumed by her sorrow was she, that she didn't notice Jondy slip away briefly. She didn't even see the looks of surprise on everybody's face when Logan wasn't with her. "What's the plan?" She handed her bag to Krit. Krit tossed the bag into the back of one of the vans. "Everybody's split evenly between the two vans. We'll have to smuggle Joshua past the check points, which is where Jondy and Alec come in." Syl climbed into the front passenger seat of one of the vans. "Come on. Let's get out of here before White guesses we know what he's up to." White stormed into the bar and slammed his hands down on the counter in front of Nigel. "How about you stop yanking my chain and tell me where to find Jessica." Everywhere he had been that day, he had been told a different story. Some said she was married, others said she was a single mother with ten children. A few people had actually told him that she was dead. No one seemed to know where she was. Nigel glared at the man before him. "She's long gone, knew you were coming. You won't find her till she wants you to." White lunged at Nigel, but found himself staring into the barrel of a sawed off shotgun. Slowly he backed away and walked out of the bar. He kicked the tire of the car he had rented. Then it dawned on him, they would head to Seattle. That's where X5 452 was. That's where he was going too. Logan rolled over, his arm reaching over for Max. He knew before he even opened his eyes that she had gone. His hand fell on a sheet of paper. He woke instantly and grabbed his glasses. Reading through the note she had left him, Logan shook his head in disbelief. Pulling on his robe, he marched around the apartment with the note still in his hand, looking for Max. This had to be a joke. "Logan!" Original Cindy let herself into the apartment as Jondy had purposely left the door open. The X5 had called Max's friend once they had passed the first checkpoint out of Seattle. Logan walked up to Max's friend. "She's gone." He held the note out for Original Cindy. "I can't believe she's gone." Original Cindy read through the note. "Looks as though it was a spur of the moment decision." Something caught her eye as she handed the note back. Turning the sheet of paper over she read the message on the back and smiled. "She's coming back, Boo." She showed Logan what she meant. The message on the back of the sheet of paper was in Jondy's handwriting. "Sister girls gonna make sure of it." Logan turned the sheet of paper over to see what she was talking about. In bold writing were the words. We'll make sure Max gets back to you safely. He rested his head in his hands. "I would have gone with her." Original Cindy sat down beside him, ignoring the ransacked appearance of the apartment. "She knew that and that's why she left without telling you. She didn't want you risking your life fighting beside her. She needs to keep her head in the game." Logan looked up at Cindy. "When did you talk to her?" He felt a brief moment of bitterness that Max had obviously spoken to her friend, but she had snuck out without a word to him. "About ten minutes ago." Original Cindy reached under the cushion she was sitting on and pulled out Max's cell phone. "Here you go, Boo." She handed Logan the phone thinking it was his. Logan shook his head and placed the phone on the arm of the sofa. "It's not mine, it's Max's. She's making sure I can't contact her. She must have called you on Jondy's phone." He ran his hand through his hair. "I gather Max called you from the van. Who's with her?" Cindy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. Max mentioned two vans, so I'm thinking Jondy and her kids plus Julia and Kera for starters." Logan considered the odds for a moment. "If Jondy's in trouble, then Zane will be helping as well so it's a sure thing he's with them." He picked up his cordless phone. "There's one way to find out." Cindy grinned. "You're calling, Sister Girl." She hadn't agreed with Max's decision to leave Logan behind. There had been something in Max's tone when she had called that told Cindy that Jondy hadn't approved either. Jondy had said as much when she had called earlier. Logan nodded. The line rang a couple of times before a familiar male voice answered Jondy's cell phone. "Zane. It's Logan. Where's Jondy?" Zane watched Max and Joshua in the wing mirror of the van. 'Logan, I'm gonna have to get her to call you back once we get past the check point. She and Alec are having a domestic in front of the Sector police." "You've got ten minutes before I call back." Logan replied before hanging up his phone. Zane gazed out the windscreen once he had seen Joshua and Max sneak past the Sector Police. He chuckled at the diversion Jondy and Alec were causing. The officers on duty were staring in amazement at the couple screaming at each other. Zane cleared his throat knowing that Jondy and Alec would hear him, but the Sector Police wouldn't. "Ok folks, kiss and make up. Max and Joshua are through." "You cheated on me with that Blond," Jondy yelled at Alec, her black wig flowing around her shoulders. "You cheated on me with a gay guy.," Alec bellowed back. "And don't think I don't know the twins aren't mine." It felt good to let some of the rage out, even if it was a pretend fight. Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, you got me on that one." She smiled sweetly at Alec. "So do you still love me?" Alec pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, I still love you."' He glanced over at the stunned officers. "Can we got through or what?" When the officers nodded, too shocked to speak, Alec waved at Zane to pull the van up. "Thanks." Zane waited for Jondy and Alec to climb into the van. "You two are unbelievable. Those cops didn't know what to do with you." "It worked didn't it." Jondy waited until they were a safe distance away before pulling the wig off. "Did Max and Joshua get in the other van?" She noticed Zane wasn't slowing down to pick anyone up. "Yeah." Zane handed Jondy's cell phone back. "Logan called before. Probably wants to know what the hell is going on. Did you get a look at what Max wrote in her note." Jondy noticed that Alec tensed up at the mention of Logan. "Yeah. It didn't tell him where we were going or why. Just that it was too dangerous for him to go with her." She turned to Alec. "What's the matter, Alec? You've been uptight about something since we were back in Seattle." Alec shrugged his shoulders. "It's not important. Don't worry about it." He should have known Jondy would notice his bad mood. "So this is about Asha then?" Zane had noticed that Alec hadn't made any move to include Asha in their trip. He was pretty sure Alec's reason for leaving Asha behind wasn't the same as Max's reason for leaving Logan behind. Alec nodded. "Like I said, it's not important." He looked up and found himself looking into Jondy's big blue eyes and the words just seemed to tumble out. "She lied to me. When I called her out about it, she didn't even seem bothered. She's still hung up on Logan. What is it about that guy that all the women go for?" Jondy smiled at Alec. "You're pissed because you realized you're in love with Asha. You hate it that she means so much to you. As for Logan, you'll have to ask Max what the big turn on is with him." "You don't find Logan the least bit attractive." Alec looked at her in disbelief. "You must be the only woman on the planet that doesn't." Zane looked over at Alec. "I don't know why you find that so hard to believe. After all, Jondy did give birth to twins who were fathered by a gay guy." Jondy's phone started to ring. "Hey, I'm a complex person." She answered her phone. "Hi Logan. How are the legs holding out?" Logan could feel his face turning red. "You were waiting outside the apartment, weren't you?" "Only for the last six hours." Jondy was completely unfazed by what had been going on in Logan's apartment. "Don't worry, I told the children that you and Max were wrestling. What can I do for you?" "Tell me where you are." Logan knew it wouldn't be that easy to get the answers he wanted from Jondy. "Hell, tell me what's going on." He needed something to give him hope. "Please." "We think White got hold of one of Lydecker's old files." Jondy would tell Logan only what she felt he needed to know. "Zane, Krit and Syl narrowly got away from White. From what we hear, he barely missed me. He knew where to find us Logan." "Ok, you are obviously not going to tell me where you're going." Logan would have to approach his questions a different way. "Who's with you and is everyone alright?" He was already working out his next steps. Jondy considered the question carefully before answering. "We're all fine. Ask Lydecker about his files. Somehow White got hold of one of them, you'll find your answers there." She hung up the phone before Logan could ask any more questions. "Jondy? Jondy!" Logan put his phone down and looked over at a very puzzled Original Cindy. "She says they're all fine. I know that Krit and Syl are with them and Zane mentioned Alec before." "I stopped by Joshua's on the way here." Original Cindy added. "He wasn't there so I'm thinking he's with them as well. I don't think they'd risk leaving Rebecka behind either." Logan ran the new information through his head. "They'll drop the children, Julia, Kera and Rebecka off somewhere safe. Joshua stands out too much, so Max will try and convince him to stay with the children." "Then what?" Original Cindy was confused. "I doubt this is just some weird family reunion." Logan looked her straight in the eyes. "They're bringing the battle home. They're gonna take on White." Max sat between Krit and Syl in the second van. It seemed as though they were constantly fighting a battle for their lives. She wondered for the hundredth time if Logan would ever forgive her for disappearing without saying goodbye properly. "Max, are you in there somewhere?" Syl waved her hand in front of her sister's face. Max forced a smile onto her face. "Yeah, I'm here. Did anyone call Tinga to let her know what's going on?" Even though Tinga had relocated, there was still a chance White might stumble across her. Krit nodded, but stayed concentrating on his driving. "I called her once Syl and I got to Seattle. She's moving Charlie and Case around for a couple of weeks so that they're not in one place for more than a day. Tinga told Charlie what's going on, but Case just thinks he's getting an educational trip of America. She's avoiding the states that we've all been sighted in." Max was relieved Tinga had already put a plan into action for the safety of her family. "I'd call Zack, but he doesn't remember us. If we try and build his memory back up, it could end up putting him in more danger. Besides, I doubt White would think of looking for any of us on a farm." Syl pulled her long blond hair into a ponytail and secured it with a clip. "It feels kinda strange doing all of this without Zack though." She looked questioningly at Max. "I know you left Seattle without Logan so he wouldn't be in danger, but is he really safer in Seattle? White's sure to head back there at some point." Max struggled to hold the tears back. "As long as he's not fighting beside me, then White won't go looking for him. I did what was best for everyone." Somehow knowing what she said was true, did not make her feel any better. Krit noticed that Zane had pulled the front van over to the side of the road. "Looks as though we're either stopping to stretch our legs or swapping some passengers around." He pulled their van in behind Zane's. He waited for a moment, watching his brother get out of the van and thump it's side. When Jondy and Alec appeared, Krit knew what was happening. "Looks like we're taking a stretch and food break. Everybody out." It had grown dark by this time so Joshua finally had a chance to walk around freely without supervision. Jondy checked on each of her children before joining Max by the side of the road. "How are you holding up?" Jondy was carrying a twin on each hip. Max held her arms out to take one of the twins. "As well as can be expected." She saw that Alec looked as bad as she felt. "What's up with Alec? Did you guys tell him he couldn't bring Asha along?" Jondy looked over her shoulder at Alec. "He found out Asha lied to him and he's not taking it too well. I don't think he even considered bringing her along." She turned back to Max. "Logan called. I think you scared the hell out of him." Max looked worried. "You didn't tell him where we were heading, did you?" Jondy shook her head. "No. He did ask though. You didn't exactly explain anything in your note, did you." Max looked guilty. "I guess not. It won't take Logan long to figure out White's on the rampage again." She looked down at the child in her arms. "I know you think I should have included Logan in this trip, Jondy. I just couldn't live with myself if anything happened to him because I was selfish and wanted him with me." Jondy heard her cell phone beep. "It's not important now." She checked the message on her phone. "That was quick." Max's brow creased in confusion. "What was quick? Who's texting you?" "Logan." Jondy pushed a speed dial number. "Hey it's me hitting you back." Logan was taken by surprise by Jondy's response on the phone. It was exactly what Max said to him when he paged her. "White's back in Seattle. Matt Sung called before. It appears that White has alerted the Sector Police to look out for you with a child. Then about five minutes ago the alert was changed to you, Max, Alec and some children, at least one being a baby." "Damn it." Jondy rolled her eyes. "Syl's going to have to get us through the next check point. Thanks for the heads up, Logan." Logan had been working with his contacts all afternoon and most of the evening to ensure the X5 family's safe passage. "Just be careful. I'll let you know if I find out anything else. Jondy, tell Max I understand why she left like she did. Tell her I love her." If Max wouldn't talk to him, then he would reach her another way. "Will do. Bye." Jondy hung up the phone and shoved it back in her pocket. "Well, Max, Logan says he understands why you left as you did and he loves you. Also White's back in Seattle and he's upped the odds. The Sector Police are now looking for you, me and Alec as well as the children." Max groaned. "Great. It's hard enough sneaking Joshua past the Sector Points. How are we going to sneak fourteen children, Joshua, and Alec passed them?" Zane heard their conversation as he walked up behind them. "We've only got one more check point to get past. I have an idea but it means we won't be crossing the boarder. Only Julia, Kera, Rebecka, Joshua and the girls will cross the boarder. The rest of us will be heading back to Seattle to stop White, for once and for all." Max snapped to attention. "We're listening. What's your plan?" It was a few minutes before midnight when the two vans pulled up to the checkpoint. "Hey, Warwick." One of the two Sector Police Officers on duty called out to his friend. "You got that photo that was faxed through to us?" "It's right beside you, Bruce." Warwick poured himself a cup of coffee. "You think this might be what White's looking for?" He nodded to the two vans. "Could be." Bruce looked over the photo. "Can't say it would be a hardship putting cuffs on these beauties. I think we might have to frisk them as well." He grinned at his friend. "All in the line of duty, of course." Warwick took a look at the photo in his friend's hand. "God, I love my job." He grinned back at his friend. He looked up from the photo in time to see Syl jump onto the roof of the back van, closely followed by Jondy without a disguise and Max. "Move that van out of the way." Bruce banged on the side of the front van as he drew his revolver from his holster. "Now." He didn't see Joshua sneaking past the checkpoint to wait for the van to get through the other side. Warwick and Bruce moved in front of the second van. "Come on down ladies. Nice and easy." Warwick called out, his gun raised. They hadn't noticed that Kera had pulled the front van through the checkpoint and Joshua was now climbing in. Alec shoved the van in reverse and floored the gas pedal. The van screeched backwards as the three women threw themselves down onto the roof of the van. Alec quickly, but careful spun the van around and shifted gears. Once he was sure they were safe, he slowed the van down enough for Krit and Zane to help the women back into the van without coming to a complete stop. "Seattle, here we come." Lydecker opened the door, surprised that he had visitors at this time of night. "What's happened to Max?" Donald Lydecker knew that was the only reason Logan would visit, especially this late at night. "White got hold of one of your old files." Logan invited himself in. "Want to guess which one?" When Lydecker remained silent Logan continued. "Let me give you a hint then. He knew exactly where to head to find Syl, Zane and Jondy. Ringing any bells yet?" Lydecker knew what Logan meant. "That file was encrypted and in a private safe. How the hell did he get it, let alone break the encryption?" He closed the door and turned to face Logan. Even back then he hadn't trusted Renfro to leave that particular file unsecured. Logan stood, hands in his pockets. "A contact of mine turned up a suspicious death of a Private Merchants. He also managed to find one very frightened witness later that saw White murder Merchants. It turns out Private Merchants was some sort of whiz kid when it came to encrypted codes. That answer your questions?" If it took the rest of his life, Logan knew he would never understand Donald Lydecker's actions. "I take it my kids have regrouped and moved out." Lydecker cursed himself for not destroying all his files when he had the chance. He tried to remember if there were any other files that he hadn't had time to get rid of or felt would be secure enough to be left behind. "Just the ones who had returned to their lives they had been living previously." Logan shrugged his shoulders. "As far as I can tell anyway. I have a feeling they'll move their civilian family to safety and then return to Seattle to finish the fight." Lydecker raised his eyebrow. "Do you know where to find White?" He knew his kids well enough to know Logan was right. They would finish the war White had started. "Not yet." Logan started heading for the door. "But I will." Lydecker had just confirmed what he had feared. The X5's were going up against White. "Logan." Lydecker waited for the younger man to stop. "Their ace up their sleeve is Jondy. They know that." Logan nodded. "I know. I also know of fourteen children that just want their mom to come home safe." He walked out of the door and shut it behind him. He had his own reason for wanting all of the X5s home safely and it was entirely selfish. Logan knew that Max would never forgive herself if she lost another sibling in a fight that affected them all. "Come home safe, Max," he murmured into the night. The five X5s sat on the roof of the van at dawn watching the facility before them. Max had used the computers inside the van to trace the call that was made at the last checkpoint they had crashed through. She had correctly guessed it would be made to White alerting him of their position. "Ok." Alec thought for a moment. "Most memorable sexual experience." They had been playing this game for the last half an hour while they observed the security around the facility. "For myself I would have to say it was this contortionist I got with. Man, the positions she could get herself into." "You would have to pick that subject." Max rolled her eyes. "Don't you think of anything else?" Alec held up his hands in defense. "Hey, we already did favorite color, most embarrassing moment and favorite book." Zane shook his head in amusement. "Fine. Mine would be this girl I knew called Lena. She had a thing for handcuffs. She was so good, I didn't have the heart to tell her I could pick the locks on them and set myself free." "Andrea," Krit chimed in. "There was nothing kinky about her, but she sure as hell had stamina." "You know," Syl cut in. "These are not really details I want to know about my brothers." She had to admit, though, it was certainly cutting through the boredom. When the guys all groaned, she tutted. "Alright. I don't remember his name, probably because I was in heat at the time. It was before Krit started keeping an eye on me. We went back to his place and christened every room. And there were a lot of rooms." Everyone looked at Max. "Logan." When everyone groaned, she laughed. "Not because of his abilities that you all apparently heard while waiting for me outside of his apartment. It's because he was the first guy, where it wasn't just a case of him scratching an itch I had. He actually paid attention to what I wanted and needed." It was Jondy's turn. "Devon." She saw the shocked looks on her siblings' faces. "The first time." Their shock increased. "Devon didn't believe me that it was part of our training at Manticore, to make it difficult to get an X5 drunk. So we set out to prove it one weekend when Julia was away. Devon decided it was unfair for me to drink alone and we both ended up drunk, although I was considerably less drunk than he was. One thing led to another. It was the first time that the sex had actually been good for me. I guess he made me feel safe. I'd never had that before. When we sobered up in the morning Devon told me he was gay." "Jondy wins that round," Alec hastily decided. Sex had always pretty much been a great way to pass spare time to him. He realized now that it wasn't the same for everyone. "I've got one," Krit quickly changed the subject. "Most hated training maneuver at Manticore. Mine was anything that involved running through those damn woods." "Learning to play the piano for field work," Alec added. He had actually enjoyed his training, so it was the best he could do. "Although it is a handy trick for pulling the women in." "Anything with guns." Max shuddered as she remembered Eva being killed. "Staying under water." Jondy could remember Jack being so frightened under the water and panicking. "I hate water unless it's in a bath or a shower." Zane laughed as his addition popped into his head. "Anything that got me up at the crack of dawn. I'm not a morning person." Max nudged Jondy and pointed to a building off to the side of the facility. "I'm thinking that's the weapons shed. That should probably be our first stop." Krit raised his eyebrows. "Well, considering how much Max and Jondy hate guns, I sure as hell hope they have some explosives for you girls to play with." Jondy reached out and tugged on Zane's arm. "What the hell are all of those boys doing here?" She gestured to the children walking around the compound. "And who or should I say what is she?" Max instantly recognized the group. "She would be the High Priestess. Those kids are going to be a problem. I had one levitate me across the room once. I had to flash him to get the upper hand." The three men looked over at Jondy. Jondy shook her head. "I am not flashing a bunch of hormonally challenged little boys." She smiled sarcastically. "Hell, I'm not flashing a bunch of hormonally challenged big boys." Zane put his arm around his sister's shoulders. "You won't have to flash them, Sis. Just stand in full view and let their hormones do the rest." Jondy rolled her eyes. "God, does my life suck. Remind me if I ever find the asshole that decided to make me the Manticore distraction, to break the bastard's neck." "Sis, if we ever find out who that is." Zane stood and helped his sister up. "I'll hold the bastard while you snap." "Hey, I've been up against these kids before," Max reminded them. "That is not an experience I want to repeat, but those kids deserve a life other than the freakish one we had before we escaped." Alec hopped down from the van roof. "Well maybe Jondy can convince them to be good little psychos and fight for the good guys." He was joking but Jondy had a way with children and most males. If anyone could do it, she could. Krit jumped down next to Alec. "So Jondy plays mommy to the brats while we go looking for explosives to play with. Just another average Friday morning." "For us anyway." Syl slid down the front of the van. "What about that Priestess bitch? I doubt she's just going to let us take her brats away." "We take her out of the equation," Alec offered. "I'll go with Jondy. Just make sure you find me a nice Colt Python .357 Magnum." He gave them a smart-ass grin. Max shook her head at him. "Let's go shopping." "Got it." Logan yelled triumphantly, causing Original Cindy to run in the room. "I've found White. Can you stick by the phone incase Max or Jondy phone in." Original Cindy nodded. "I've got you covered, Boo. Just be careful. Max will never forgive herself if you get caught in the cross fire." Logan loaded his gun and pulled on his jacket. "I'm stopping off for back up. Hopefully I'll return with Max and the rest of the family." He flashed Cindy a quick smile and left. The X5s had made it easily over the fence before splitting up. Alec and Jondy headed towards the High Priestess and the boys. Alec stopped Jondy before she moved into view. Pulling his pocketknife out, Alec sliced the sleeves on Jondy's long sleeved top. "I'll buy you a new one later," he assured a visibly annoyed Jondy. "I'm just working with what you've got." He sliced the bottom of the top off, turning it into a crop top. "And, Sis, you've got it going for ya." Jondy swatted him around the head. "Quit talking about me like that. You're making me feel like taking a hot shower to degrease myself." She walked out in front of the boys. "Hey, boys, can any of you drive?" Alec zapped around in front of the High Priestess. "Hey, Baby. Going my way." He was somewhat surprised when the woman pulled a knife on him. "Well, that's not nice. You're not being a good example to these boys." He ducked the knife but got caught in the arm. "Bitch." He reached up and snapped the woman's neck. As he straightened himself up, Alec found himself flying across the compound. "Hey, Jondy said we had to get you kids to safety. Nobody mentioned Wonder Woman there." Jondy quickly tried to convince the boys that they were there to help before Alec suffered any more injuries. "Listen. This place is about to blow. You guys have to get out of here. Your mothers were killed by these assholes. Don't tell me you're going to let them have died in vain." The kids looked visibly shaken by what Jondy had said. "You're lying," one of the boys spoke up. Alec got to his feet, the knife still sticking out of his arm. "Why would she lie to a bunch of kids. For some reason Jondy doesn't want you to be just another science experiment. What have you got to lose?" Jondy pulled the knife out of Alec's arm and threw it on the ground. "Alec's right. All I'm asking is that you wait outside the fence line where it's safe. Give us half an hour. If we're lying you can come back in." She could see the others laying the charges around the facility behind the boys. The boys considered what she was saying for a moment. "You've got thirty minutes." The boy who was obviously the leader of the group spoke up. "We'll take care of you ourselves if you're lying." He motioned the others to follow him. Once the boys were safely out of range, Alec and Jondy joined the others. The back of the facility sat on the dock of the water. "You've got thirty minutes before the demon spawn want back in." Alec announced as he started to help lay the charges. Zane cast his sister a confused look. "Jondy, what the hell happened to your top. I seem to remember there being more of it." Jondy saw Logan's Aztec pull up to the dock. "It's a new designer. The kids seem to like it." Krit chuckled. "The amount of flesh you're flashing, baby sister, they'd have to be blind not to like it." "I'm certainly impressed." White was standing behind them with half a dozen armed men. "Tell me what you've done with the boys and I'll consider letting you go." He smiled at Jondy. Syl let out a short sharp laugh. "Yeah right. Now tell us how Cinderella lived happily ever after with the Prince. We've been dying to hear a good fairytale all morning." Max saw Logan and Lydecker get out of the Aztec. "Jondy, have you been making phone calls to my boyfriend again?" She prayed her sister would realize she was picking a make believe fight. Jondy could also see Logan and Lydecker out of the corner of her eye. "Well, you don't want him so why shouldn't I have him?" She signaled behind her with hand signals. Max took a step forward and shoved her sister. "Who says I don't want him. You always want what's mine." Moving as one Max and Jondy kicked Ames White in the groin. All six X5s moved quickly to disarm and disperse of the other men. Since the charges were on a timer the X5s made a run for it, but White jumped up in front of Jondy. Lydecker opened fire with his semi automatic but White never flinched. "What the hell did you say he was?" "He calls himself a familiar. Basically he's just some sicko who has the hots for Jondy." Logan saw Max heading over to the group of boys outside the fence. "Can you actually hit him without getting Jondy?" Lydecker shook his head. "Not at this angle. We're too far away for either of us to get a direct shot." Jondy faked a run to White's left and then ran to his right. Just as White grabbed her arm and spun her around, Jondy hit the speed dial on her cell phone that was clipped to her belt. The signal from the phone was enough to set the charges off. Jondy went flying backwards into the water courtesy of the young boys Max had been talking to. White was frantically trying to put his clothes out as the explosion had set him alight. Lydecker peered into the water trying to spot Jondy. "Where is she? Jondy hates the water. She can't be staying under on purpose." He remembered that from the training he had put them through at Manticore. Logan tore his jacket, glasses and shoes off and dove into the water. The water wasn't very clear so it took him a couple of dives to find her. The X5s came running up to the dock prepared to jump in after their sister. Before they could get to the water, White found where he had dropped his gun and started firing. They all dropped to the ground but not before Max took a bullet in the shoulder. Lydecker helped pull Jondy out of the water behind White. Logan grabbed his jacket and put it around Jondy. Her face was covered in burns. As he stood with Jondy in his arms, Logan picked up his gun cocking it. Lydecker picked his semi automatic up and started walking towards White making sure when weapon fired that it didn't hit the X5s. Jondy opened his eyes. "Logan?" Her normally blue eyes had changed to white from the exposure to the blast from the explosion. "We're going to get you out of here, Jondy." Logan was worried. It was obvious Jondy couldn't see him. He didn't have enough medical knowledge of the transgenic kind to be sure she would recover her sight. White spun around to see who was firing at him. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Jondy in Logan's arms. He glared at Lydecker. "You're supposed to be dead." As he moved to fire at Lydecker, Logan fired the gun he still had in his hand. Despite not wearing his glasses, Logan's shot was spot on. Zane ran up to Logan and took Jondy out of his arms. "Max has been hit, it looks pretty bad." He stood aside to let Logan get to Max. Krit was sitting with Max's head in his lap while Syl frantically tried to patch up Max's shoulder. Alec stood off to the side, not really knowing what to do. Logan knelt down beside Max. "Hey. Do you think you're up for a trip to visit Beverly? We've got to drop by anyway. Jondy got too close to that explosion." "Is she alright?" Max couldn't see her sister from where she was lying and it hurt to move too much. Alec saw Jondy cradled in Zane's arms and quickly covered his shock at her condition. "She's gonna be fine, Max. Just a couple of burns." Logan carefully picked Max up so that he didn't jar her shoulder. "Let's go then. Beverly will be missing us. We haven't visited her in at least a week." Syl grabbed Logan's glasses and his shoes. "What about all of those kids?" She gently put the glasses on his face. "We can't just leave them here." Krit spotted another van close by. "I'll hot wire that." He pointed over to the van. "We'll take the kids with us, figure the rest out later." Zane made sure that he kept Jondy out of Max's view. "Fine, let's do it. I just wanna get the hell out of here." He was worried, Jondy's breathing sounded strange to him. "I'll follow in the Aztec." Lydecker kicked White's body as he walked past. "Nobody touches my kids," he muttered. Jondy rested her head on Zane's shoulder. "That would have been touching if he hadn't been the King of our childhood hell." They all made their way back to the van except Krit and Syl who went to get the frightened group of boys and the other van. A couple of hours later, Beverly Shankar left the examination room to talk to the group waiting outside. "Max is going to have to take it easy for a couple of days, but she was lucky. The bullet missed all of her vital organs." He noticed the relief flood Logan's face. "Jondy is slightly more serious. The burns on her face are already healing but it's a case of wait and see with her eyesight. I'm sorry I can't be more positive." Zane hated hospitals. The sterile surroundings were too much like Manticore. "Can we get them out of here. No offence, doc, but leaving them in a hospital means they're easy targets." Bevery nodded that she understood. "Just make sure you get both of them back here in a couple of days so that we can see how they're doing. Bed rest for both of them." She warned. "No problem. Thanks, Bev." Logan shook his friend's hand before walking into the room and up to the bed Max was in. "So there I was asleep in my bed and I suddenly realized you weren't there." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Then I find a note saying that you love me, but it's too dangerous for me if you stay." Logan struggled to stop the smile from crossing his face from what he was about to say. "So I call your sister and she tells me, we had an audience before you left for at least six hours. The children think we were wrestling." "Jondy did some quick thinking." Max managed a small smile. "She also told them we were religious. I guess we got a bit vocal." Max gave Logan a worried look. "So I guess you're pretty mad at me." Logan reached out and stroked Max's cheek. "I'm not mad. You scared the hell out of me but I'm not mad. I would have run with you. Don't you get it? We're a team. If somebody goes after you, it affects both of us. You run, I run." Tears began to run down Max's face. "It's not that easy." "It is if you want it to be." Logan kissed her forehead. "Come on. Beverly says that you can go home as long as you stay in bed for a couple of days." Max looped her good arm around Logan's neck and hugged him. "I've missed you." She looked over Logan's shoulder and saw Zane carrying Jondy out of the room. She caught the worried look on Alec's face. "What's wrong with Jondy? I thought she just had a couple of burns." "She's blind, Max." Logan tried to break the news to her gently. "Beverly isn't sure if the blindness will be permanent or not. I'll call Peter and set your siblings up at my Grandmother's place. When we're sure it's safe than Zane and Krit are going to go and bring the others back." Max got dressed and let Logan carry her out of the room even though she could walk. Once they were seated in the van, Max crawled over to Jondy and touched her shoulder. Jondy covered Max's hand with her own. "It's alright, Max. I'll be just fine. Can we get out of here? I'm starving." Alec sat the other side of Jondy and held her hand. "Hey, maybe Zane can lend you his dog until your eyes heal." He felt Jondy squeeze his hand. "And I can help you out with stuff if you want." Krit slapped Alec on the back. "Sounds like you've got it all worked out. Syl and I will meet you back at the Cale Mansion. We found out some of those kids have family close by, so we're going to drop them off." He kissed Jondy on the top of her head. "Catch ya later, Sis." Later that night, Zane watched his sister feel her way along the wall. "You need something, Jondy? Cause you're suppose to stay in bed." It killed him to see her so helpless. Julia had his dog with her and the children for the moment. He wasn't willing to bring the children back until he was positive that it was safe. Jondy shook her head. "No. Just getting a feel for things. Think you can take a look at my phone? It got kinda water logged when I took that dip in the dirty water." "Sure." Zane took the hand she reached out to him. "You know, I think Max and Logan are gonna be ok. Logan seems to be in this for the long run." "If Max will let him." Jondy patted her brother's arm. "It's pretty hard to include people in your life when you're so used to being alone. Still, Logan's a patient man." Logan swept up the last of the evidence of his and Max's sexual marathon as Original Cindy walked out of the bedroom. "Is she finally asleep?" Original Cindy nodded. "My Boo is clean wiped out. You think you got through to her about skipping out on you?" Logan shrugged his shoulders. "That might take some time. I'm not going anywhere though. Are you heading home or would you like to use the guestroom tonight?" "The guestroom, if you don't mind." Original Cindy shook her head. "Sister girl gave me a fright too. I just want to keep my eye on her for a little bit. That is if I'm not intruding." Logan chuckled. "I think Max needs both of us close by for a little while. Still, that's one more bad guy down." "You don't think it's over though." Original Cindy eyed him suspiciously. "You think there's another bad guy just waiting around the corner." There was something in Logan's tone that made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. Logan chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. "White worked for someone and he or she is still out there. Then there's the South Africans, just because they've been quiet doesn't mean they've given up. The CDC started asking questions when Max ended up at Harbor Lights hospital. Maybe I'm just being a pessimist, but I don't think this is the end of it." They sat in the dimly lit room contemplating what new trials tomorrow would bring. One thing was sure they would face them all together.
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