Author's Note: It's been ages, I know. And it's horribly short, I know this also. I'm really sorry and I'm sure you've all totally given up on me but I was asked/ordered to write another chapter of this by the wonderful libzofdoom…and with a name like that, how could I refuse? So here we go again. If you hadn't noticed I kept some of my old A/N.

Review, I might actually write some more.

Chapter 8: Some Home Truths

~*~

And what if there are no damsels in distress? 
What if I knew that and I called your bluff?
Don't you think every kitten figures out how to get down 
whether or not you show up?

~ Ani DiFranco, "Not a pretty girl"

~*~

Jondy could tell she was in trouble when Alec started coughing in order to hide his laughter. She brought Mr. Binky up and said in a squeaky voice from the side of her mouth, "pay no attention to the girl behind the puppet."

"Stop it with the puppet!" Logan huffed, his nostrils flaring softly with ire.

"His. Name. Is. Mr. Binky. Get it right!" Jondy pulled her lips into a tight line and glared at him. Max put a hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Enough with both of you, and start explainin'."

"I almost feel embarrassed saying this," Jondy started with a laugh, "you're entire relationship with Loggie here started as a 'quid pro quo,' am I right?"

"Yeah, how'd—" Logan began, but she made waving motions at him.

"Shush," She sighed and gazed heavenward. "No interrupting. Now, he found siblings for you and you went and did Eyes Only missions for him. Am I still on the money?" She asked, her lips forming the words carefully as she eyed both Max and Logan.

"I'm not…"

"I said shush." She lifted one eyebrow and quirked her lip at him, "don't insult my intelligence…now, where was I?" She looked over at Alec and cocked her head to the side slightly.

"Quid pro quo." He answered quickly, fascinated by the scene spreading out before him.

"Ah, yes, so am I right?"

"Yeah," Max answered, blinking slowly.

"The exchange of favors…wasn't exactly a fair one." Jondy sat down on Logan's desk and crossed her arms as she looked down at him. "How many of her siblings did you find for her?" It took Logan a minute to realize that she wanted him to actually answer this time.

"Well, I found…"

"One?"

"No, I found more than that." Jondy looked up at Max, smiling and lifted an eyebrow thoughtfully. "I found Zack," Logan said defensively.

"What I had heard was that Zack found you, actually." Lifting an eyebrow her eyes flickered between the two. "Did I hear wrong?"

"No," Max answered her brow furrowing.

"And Zack brought Brin into you're little Seattle world…" Jondy dropped her hands into her lap as she smiled sweetly. "So there's two you didn't find…" Her head tipped to the side and she looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully before lighting up theatrically. "Ben! You found Ben…or actually you found his barcode tattooed on a dead man's neck. Which lead Max to Ben, she found him, you just sort of pointed her in the right direction." Blue eyes moved to green, a flash of pain lighting the depths before she turned back. "I'll give you Ben, cause you were close that time."

"Thanks," his voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You're welcome."

"Then there was Tinga…" Jondy's face went a little hard at the name but cleared quickly before anyone but Alec caught the change. "Did you find her?"

"I helped…"

"You helped?" she repeated and shook her head. "You sent out a message on Eyes Only and she skipped town, you didn't really find her."

"How do you know this!" Max yelled, hitting a gloved hand down on Logan's desk.

"It's common knowledge…" Jondy shrugged, "come on, Maxie, think with me here. You're the local hero, why would you think no one would know all this?" Max's full lips pulled into a tight line as her eyes narrowed but she didn't say anything else. "Syl and Krit," Jondy went on slowly still staring Max down, "didn't find them either, Zack brought them in on your big attempt at burning down Manticore."

"So?"

"Is that all you've met so far?"

Max looked like she was going to explode but only let out a choked, "yes."

"Looks like Zack did all Logan's work for him."

"What are you getting at?" Logan asked, his nostrils flaring.

"She owed one job," Jondy held up one finger coldly. "One. How many would you say she's done for you?"

"I don't…"

"Don't know?" Jondy pulled a pout, "how convenient for you…but let's guess. How many do you think?"

"Forty?" he ventured.

"Way more then that," Alec piped up without thinking. "I mean…never mind."

Jondy smiled and looked over at Logan, "way more then forty…we'll say fifty-five just for arguments sake. So that would be one sibling that you found for her out of…how many was it?"

"Ten," Max swallowed.

"One out of ten…really bad odds. I mean, I wouldn't place money on it if it was a bet, and I got some of the best luck of anyone you know. So she owed you one mission for the sake of the quid pro quo, so that's…fifty-four brothers and sisters you owe her?" Jondy gave a low chuckle "I don't think she has that many that got out in the escape."

"What's the point of this?"

"Even if you found the five remaining siblings, or seven if you count that you have no idea where Syl and Krit scurried off to, you would still owe her a very large amount of favors." Jondy looked at Max and yawned, "the transgenic population owes him nothing…except maybe a punch in the nose."

"Excuse me?" Logan's voice suddenly went high as his eyes tripled in size. No one moved for a second until Jondy went on.

"He knew about Manticore for years before he met you, Max."

"Yeah, I know…"

"Do you ever think? He knew what they were doing. Logan, the savior of mankind, didn't give a rat's ass that the government had made children and were making them into killing machines. It meant nothing to him, but a couple corrupt cops shake down a family for money and he has a crusade."

"Hold up…" Max started.

"No." Jondy bit out. "It didn't matter that there were children being tortured and killed in the name of science and country…but he jumped on the chance to get a new transgenic pet, a certain shapely cat burglar."

"That's ridiculous—"

"I'm no pet!" Logan and Max yelled at the same time.

"Are you sure about that?" Jondy asked calmly. "Come on, a nine-year-old managed to find everyone and he couldn't? Maybe he was perfectly capable of finding five lost children, being all grown up and having access to all that technology, I would think so. Serves his purpose not to try too hard doesn't it?"

"Zack got to start when there was a fresh trail…"

"And he was nine years old! He found us, I bet Logan could have too…"

"Us?" Max's mouth dropped.