Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel. The name Sarah Frantz was taken from two of my greatgrandmothers however, so I do have some claim to that.
Lydecker roled over on the cot he was laying on and smiled. "You took longer than I thought to get here. I figured you'd be interogating me as soon as they got me back here."
Max looked at Logan and smiled. "I had some things to take care of first. Now spill, do you really know how I can find my mother, or was that just another of your little schemes?"
"I have the information. Her name is Sarah, Sarah Frantz. She was 17 when she came to Manitcore, a choice she made to avoid spending time in juvenile detention. She was apparently a rather unsucessful thief prior to that point. Seems you had it in you to be a thief before Manticore ever manipulated one gene in your DNA strand. She didn't know when she came to us what we planned, but the judge let her decide. She could spend the next year in a juvenile center and be on probabtion until she was 21 or she could spend a year with us and earn some money in the process. She didn't fight when we told her she would be acting as a surogate mother. She didn't fight when we did the in vitro fertilization. She didn't fight at all until she heard your heartbeat for the first time. That's when she decided she had to get away. She tried multiple times to escape, and she almost made it once, just before you were born. How a nine months pregant woman made it past the perimeter fence, we never found out. When you were born she begged us to let her keep you. After that, she never spoke again. She was basically catatonic from then on. We did everything we could to bring her back, but she wouldn't come out of it. When it was time for us to release her, we did. She was sent to a mental health facility not to far from Manticore. She was still there as of when I was captured by the Conclave."
Max just sat there while Lydecker talked, taking in the words that he said. He had known where she was this entire time and he'd never said a word about it. Sarah Frantz, so that's who my mother is. And she's been so close this whole time.
"Why didn't you tell me? You've been claiming to be helping me for over a year now and you just let me go on thinking only God knows what about who she was. How could you do that, knowing it was so important to me."
Lydecker sighed, "I planned to tell you, I never ment to keep it so long. First I thought you'd been killed during the Manticore raid. That's when I made contact with Sarah again. I wanted to tell her what had happened to you, but my heart wouldn't let me. Even I couldn't believe that you were really dead. After you escaped and the Conclave started hunting down the transgenics, I knew it was too big a risk. Then I was captured, and there was no way for you to be told. I was afraid that the secret would die with me, in that hellhole of theirs. When you came into that cell a few days ago, I knew it was time. I wasn't sure if you'd believe me, and I was right." Lydecker looked at Logan and continued. "If you'll go do an internet search on the Wyoming State Hosptial's mental health facility, you should be able to get all you need to be able to see her. I've already had you listed in her file as her daughter. I did that after Manticore collapsed, of course I had you listed as Rachel Glassier. The Conclave never found her, but I didn't want to leave a trail."
Max stared in awe at the man she'd spent most of her life hating. "Thank you." With that she stood and walked out of the room, Logan followed her out into the hallway. Stood there shaking for a moment, trying to take it all in. Not only had Lydecker helped her, but he'd made it so easy. If she hadn't been sure that the government wanted rid of him more than they did of her at the moment, she might have thought it was another of his traps. With that she started to sob.
Logan walked up behind her. He motioned for Jax and Fred to give them some space, then wrapped his arms around her holding her tightly. Max turned to face her, holding him as though she were trying to merge into him. Logan reach a hand to her face and wiped away her tears. Smiling at her he said, "So, you feel up for a little road trip? Assuming you can still stand the sight of me, I'll bet we can be on the road by dinner time?"
"How about we leave first thing in the morning. I want to do this now more than anything, but I've been slack the last couple days, and I need to make sure Alec isn't running this place into the ground before I take off for who knows how long. I want to bring her back to Seattle. Do you think you could talk to Dr. Carr and see if we could find a hosptial here in the city that can take care of her. We don't know what state she'll be in, and...and....," and with that Max started crying again.
Logan let her back down the hall to the command center. He settled her in a chair, then went to talk to Mole to see if they could get Alec to come down. "We're leaving in the morning for Gillette. Lydecker told us who and where Max's mother is. We're going to try to bring her back here, but we could be gone as long as a week."
Mole chewed on the end of one of his cigars and grinned. "When we heard you were in with Lydecker I had Alec paged, told him to get his ass back to Terminal City. He should be here any minute. I think he's a little mad that Max didn't wait for him before she talked to him."
"This particular conversation had nothing to do with Alec, he'll get over it. I'm gonna take Max home, have Alec come to the apartment as soon as he gets here. I'll explain it all to him, and make sure he's calmed down before I send him back."
"Sure thing Logan, will do." Mole walked away shaking his head, thinking, 'for an ordianary that Logan isn't a half bad guy.'
Logan walked over to a still visably upset Max. "Let's go home, Alec will be joining us soon. We'll talk to him, I'll make a few calls, then we can get packed. We'll leave first thing in the am. Okay?"
Max stood up and took Logan's hand. "Okay."
As they walked back to the building with the tunnel that led back to their home, neither spoke. Max tightened her grip on Logan's hand and he returned the gesture. As they entered the building Max had only one thought, 'For once, everything is going right.'
Lydecker roled over on the cot he was laying on and smiled. "You took longer than I thought to get here. I figured you'd be interogating me as soon as they got me back here."
Max looked at Logan and smiled. "I had some things to take care of first. Now spill, do you really know how I can find my mother, or was that just another of your little schemes?"
"I have the information. Her name is Sarah, Sarah Frantz. She was 17 when she came to Manitcore, a choice she made to avoid spending time in juvenile detention. She was apparently a rather unsucessful thief prior to that point. Seems you had it in you to be a thief before Manticore ever manipulated one gene in your DNA strand. She didn't know when she came to us what we planned, but the judge let her decide. She could spend the next year in a juvenile center and be on probabtion until she was 21 or she could spend a year with us and earn some money in the process. She didn't fight when we told her she would be acting as a surogate mother. She didn't fight when we did the in vitro fertilization. She didn't fight at all until she heard your heartbeat for the first time. That's when she decided she had to get away. She tried multiple times to escape, and she almost made it once, just before you were born. How a nine months pregant woman made it past the perimeter fence, we never found out. When you were born she begged us to let her keep you. After that, she never spoke again. She was basically catatonic from then on. We did everything we could to bring her back, but she wouldn't come out of it. When it was time for us to release her, we did. She was sent to a mental health facility not to far from Manticore. She was still there as of when I was captured by the Conclave."
Max just sat there while Lydecker talked, taking in the words that he said. He had known where she was this entire time and he'd never said a word about it. Sarah Frantz, so that's who my mother is. And she's been so close this whole time.
"Why didn't you tell me? You've been claiming to be helping me for over a year now and you just let me go on thinking only God knows what about who she was. How could you do that, knowing it was so important to me."
Lydecker sighed, "I planned to tell you, I never ment to keep it so long. First I thought you'd been killed during the Manticore raid. That's when I made contact with Sarah again. I wanted to tell her what had happened to you, but my heart wouldn't let me. Even I couldn't believe that you were really dead. After you escaped and the Conclave started hunting down the transgenics, I knew it was too big a risk. Then I was captured, and there was no way for you to be told. I was afraid that the secret would die with me, in that hellhole of theirs. When you came into that cell a few days ago, I knew it was time. I wasn't sure if you'd believe me, and I was right." Lydecker looked at Logan and continued. "If you'll go do an internet search on the Wyoming State Hosptial's mental health facility, you should be able to get all you need to be able to see her. I've already had you listed in her file as her daughter. I did that after Manticore collapsed, of course I had you listed as Rachel Glassier. The Conclave never found her, but I didn't want to leave a trail."
Max stared in awe at the man she'd spent most of her life hating. "Thank you." With that she stood and walked out of the room, Logan followed her out into the hallway. Stood there shaking for a moment, trying to take it all in. Not only had Lydecker helped her, but he'd made it so easy. If she hadn't been sure that the government wanted rid of him more than they did of her at the moment, she might have thought it was another of his traps. With that she started to sob.
Logan walked up behind her. He motioned for Jax and Fred to give them some space, then wrapped his arms around her holding her tightly. Max turned to face her, holding him as though she were trying to merge into him. Logan reach a hand to her face and wiped away her tears. Smiling at her he said, "So, you feel up for a little road trip? Assuming you can still stand the sight of me, I'll bet we can be on the road by dinner time?"
"How about we leave first thing in the morning. I want to do this now more than anything, but I've been slack the last couple days, and I need to make sure Alec isn't running this place into the ground before I take off for who knows how long. I want to bring her back to Seattle. Do you think you could talk to Dr. Carr and see if we could find a hosptial here in the city that can take care of her. We don't know what state she'll be in, and...and....," and with that Max started crying again.
Logan let her back down the hall to the command center. He settled her in a chair, then went to talk to Mole to see if they could get Alec to come down. "We're leaving in the morning for Gillette. Lydecker told us who and where Max's mother is. We're going to try to bring her back here, but we could be gone as long as a week."
Mole chewed on the end of one of his cigars and grinned. "When we heard you were in with Lydecker I had Alec paged, told him to get his ass back to Terminal City. He should be here any minute. I think he's a little mad that Max didn't wait for him before she talked to him."
"This particular conversation had nothing to do with Alec, he'll get over it. I'm gonna take Max home, have Alec come to the apartment as soon as he gets here. I'll explain it all to him, and make sure he's calmed down before I send him back."
"Sure thing Logan, will do." Mole walked away shaking his head, thinking, 'for an ordianary that Logan isn't a half bad guy.'
Logan walked over to a still visably upset Max. "Let's go home, Alec will be joining us soon. We'll talk to him, I'll make a few calls, then we can get packed. We'll leave first thing in the am. Okay?"
Max stood up and took Logan's hand. "Okay."
As they walked back to the building with the tunnel that led back to their home, neither spoke. Max tightened her grip on Logan's hand and he returned the gesture. As they entered the building Max had only one thought, 'For once, everything is going right.'