Disclaimer: Y'all know my sad story by now; I don't own 'em, I just like to play with them!!! Although, I wouldn't mind owning Michael Weatherly . . . . :shakes self out of fantasy: Ok, well that's the drill. Enjoy!
A/N: Once again, a HUGE thank-you to my betas, afan and angel_gurl! This story would be so flat without you guys and your input! :Blows kisses: Thanks, chicas!!!! Thanks also to everyone who reviewed. :Peers into blackness of internet: Where are you guys? I know you're out there! Come on, read and REVIEW! If you don't let me know you're out there, I can't make you happy! Ok, well anyway, for those few who have reviewed, here is the next bit. Enjoy!!!!
Finding a Way Back, chapter 3
The lights flickered on with military precision, and Max reluctantly opened her eyes. 'Not like there's much to see,' she commented silently as she gazed around her cell. She wasn't certain how much time had actually passed since her re-capture, but she knew that even one second spent in her private hellhole called Manticore felt like an eternity. She did know that this would be the second "day" of her reindoctrination.
The door opened, and Max looked over, expecting to see Brin with a breakfast tray. To her surprise, the person carrying the tray was not her "sister", but one of the regular soldiers. "Where's Brin?" she demanded.
The soldier gave her an odd look. "I do not know any soldier by that name," he said coldly. "If you refer to X5-734, I was informed that she was unwell this morning."
"Yeah, probably from having to eat the slop you guys call food around here," Max retorted. 'I guess one thing I should be thankful for is my attitude,' she thought to herself. 'It's one thing that I can count on to keep me strong through this bitch.'
The soldier set the tray down on the table, and without missing a beat, backhanded her across the face. "It can be arranged for you not to be fed at all," he informed her, his tone still calm and even. "It makes no difference to the Director; physical weakness can aid the rehabilitation process."
'He means it; I know he does,' Max realized. 'I've gotta keep up my strength so I can bust out of here. I can't afford to antagonize anyone yet.' "Fine," she said aloud, not bothering to hide the hatred in her voice.
"I'm glad you see things our way," the guard said, a small smirk crossing his face.
He unfastened her arm restraints and sat down in the chair. "Eat," he ordered.
'I could take him out easy,' Max thought, her mind racing. 'He's not an X5; I could knock him out and be out the door before anyone knew . . .' A sudden thought brought her mind to a halt. 'He said Brin was unwell. X5's don't get sick; where could she be? Please, don't let her be in trouble because of me . . .' The thought that Brin was being punished, or worse yet, executed for trying to dig up information on Tinga made Max vaguely sick. With a great effort, she picked up the fork and began to eat, too worried to even notice the bland taste. When she was finished, the soldier refastened the restraints and left with the tray.
Max barely had time to process her worry for Brin's safety when the door opened to admit a lab tech with the reindoctrination equipment. Instead of the overly cheery woman from the day before, this one was a man. As he tilted the cot into an upright position, her eyes fell on the nametag attached to his shirt, which bore the words 'Victor Santiago' in bold print.
'Victor . . .' Max flashed back to the conversation she'd had with Jace, about the father of her baby. 'His name is Victor . . . he's a lab tech at the base . . .'
"Jace . . ." Victor started, and turned from what he was doing. Before Max could react, he had slapped his hand over her mouth. "No talking!" he barked. "Defective prototypes are not permitted to address Manticore personnel!"
Biting her lip, Max realized she'd spoken her sister's name out loud. 'Why are you so worried?' an inner voice scoffed. 'What can he do to you? He's just a lab tech.' 'Yeah, well what if he's loyal, like Jace was?' another voice retorted. 'You don't even know if this is her Victor! He also controls the drug you're given; he can pump you up so high, they'll have you turned in no time.' Nervously, Max waited for Victor to speak.
Victor glanced around at the surveillance cameras, then held a finger to his lips to indicate silence. Turning back to his cart, he pulled a device from a drawer and flicked a switch. Max watched him silently, too surprised at his actions to do anything else.
"How do you know Jace?" Victor's tone was cautious, but she could easily hear the excitement and eagerness underneath. "Is she all right?" Max hesitated, unwilling to say anything that might jeopardize the safety of Jace and her baby. Victor saw her reluctance, and flashed an understanding smile. "It's all right, we can talk now," he explained as he slipped the device into his pocket. "The cameras have been jammed, but I can only leave it on for a few minutes."
"Where did you get that?" Max asked curiously.
"I built it; I've always been good with electronics," Victor said proudly. "It came in handy when Jace and I wanted to be alone. Where is she? She went on that mission and never came back."
"She's in Mexico," Max told him. "Turns out she was pregnant, with your child."
"My . . ." Victor's mouth dropped open, then closed again with an understanding nod. "They wouldn't have been too happy about that here. Did you help her?"
Max nodded. "I showed her what was right, for her and her baby, and once we got Manticore off our backs, a friend helped her get to Mexico." She was about to say more when the device in Victor's pocket beeped.
"One minute warning," Victor informed her, pulling it out of his pocket.
"Help me," Max whispered, catching his eyes and holding them with her own. "Help me get out of here, and I'll take you with me. I can get you to Jace."
There was no time for more. Victor flipped the switch to deactivate his device and hid it back in the cart just as the drill instructor entered. "Why hasn't this subject been prepared for the reindoctrination session?" he barked at Victor. "Get a move on, tech, before I report you!"
"Yes, sir!" Victor turned quickly to the cart. Picking up a syringe, he injected Max with it, and she waited for the numbness to blanket her thoughts. To her surprise, her mind cleared instead. Victor caught her attention and mouthed "Fake it", inclining his head towards the instructor. He flipped some switches, and the familiar words began to flash on the wall.
Thanks to whatever Victor had given her, Max was able to ignore the words and the drill instructor's phrases easily. She put on a wooden expression to fool him into thinking that the procedure was working and let her mind wander into a fantasy about Logan, about what it would be like to kiss him again. 'If the first two were any indication, he's a damn good kisser,' she thought wistfully. 'I can't wait for the next one . . .'
About halfway through the session, Max's enhanced hearing picked up a faint whine. She looked up at the surveillance camera, just in time to see the red power light go out. Looking over at Victor, she caught his quick shake of the head, indicating that it wasn't his doing. The drill instructor hadn't noticed a thing. He was continuing on with his propaganda when Brin entered the room and beckoned him out into the hall.
Max tried to listen in on their conversation, but she couldn't hear a thing; they had moved beyond the range of even her advanced hearing. 'Brin knows me too well,' she admitted with a smile.
"What do you think is going on?" Victor whispered.
"I don't know," Max hissed back, her lips barely moving. "Try not to say too much."
Victor nodded, and the two of them waited together in silence. The tension in the room rose until it was almost palpable. Finally, a single set of footsteps was heard coming down the hall.
The door opened, and Brin entered the room. Max opened her mouth to speak, but the other X5 put a finger to her lips. Max and Victor watched silently as Brin checked the cameras, making sure they were deactivated, before turning to face them.
"Brin, what's going on?" Max demanded. Her sister looked terrible. Lines of sleeplessness marked her face, and an obscure kind of pain lingered behind her eyes, as if she'd seen something she wished she hadn't. Instead of replying, Brin looked at Victor, her gaze clearly suspicious. "It's ok," Max assured her sister hurriedly, understanding her doubts. "This is Victor. Remember when Jace left? It's because she was pregnant. He's the father. It's all right; you can talk in front of him."
"I would never do anything to hurt Jace," Victor said quietly. "Or any of her family; I know how important you are to her." That seemed to reassure Brin; she took a deep breath, as if to steady herself, and Max wondered what her sister could have seen to unsettle her so.
"I saw Tinga's file," Brin said quietly, tears welling up in her eyes. "You were right, Maxie. They did kill her." Victor glanced quickly around the room as if expecting a trap, and Brin managed to smile. "It's all right. I convinced Director Renfro to let me take over Max's reconditioning, in private – no cameras, no listening devices, nothing," she explained. "There are times when Manticore doesn't want a visual record lying around for people to find."
"Will you help me get out of here?" Max asked, her hopes rising.
Brin laughed bitterly. "Help you? Baby sister, I'll get all three of us out. After what I saw, Manticore doesn't own me anymore. They fixed the aging defect, and the seizures. I have no physical or mental ties here anymore, and I'm ready to get back out to the real world."
Max felt her heart lift for the first time since she'd regained consciousness in Hell. 'Will I be home soon after all?' she wondered. 'Wait for me Logan, I'm coming . . .'
"We're going to need a plan," Victor reminded them. "After the '09 escape, security was really stepped up. This isn't going to be a cakewalk."
"Don't worry," Brin assured him. "I've got one. I'll make sure you're assigned to all of Max's sessions; this is going to take a little time."
