A/n: OMG I updated! Sorry it's been so long but I've been kind of taken over by B&M.

Anyway, hope you like this.

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Chapter 3

"Max? Can you tell us what happened to Zack?" Syl's voice was soft, gentle, as if she were talking to a frightened child. Max pulled away from Logan's protective arms and faced the three of them.

"He's dead. And it's all my fault, just like she said. Now leave me alone." She turned and stalked away towards the exit.

"Did she give you anything?" Asked Lydecker, sticking his head around the door where he was watching Renfro.

"She's still saying he's dead," replied Krit, softly.

"No more information?"

"None, but we can change that," said Logan, taking charge. "Ok, Lydecker, work your famous interrogation skills on the director. Krit, keep watch on Alec and Brin, and Syl, check the perimeter. We don't know how close they are or if the tracker's been disabled yet. I'm going to talk to Max." Just then, Logan's cell phone rang and he turned away to pick up. "Yeah?"

"Since when was he in charge?" Murmured Krit to Syl.

"Since Max was out of commission. Besides, better him than Deck."

"Fair point." Logan hung up his phone and turned around.

"Good news, the tracker van's been blown, but we still need to be careful in case they got a fix on us before we got them. We should move out ASAP. I have a safe house set up in sector five, 1724 Smithson. Here." he threw a set of keys at Krit, who caught them effortlessly. "Take the prisoners there and wait for me and Max. We shouldn't be too long." He headed towards the door Max had left through.

"Uh, Logan?" Said Syl. He turned back towards her, raising an eyebrow.

"Thanks for helping out."

He smiled quickly. "No problem."

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Logan finished climbing the now familiar steps and sat down beside Max on the edge of the space needle.

"Thought you didn't like heights," she said.

"I didn't. But since you've been gone, I've been coming up here a lot. Guess I got used to it."

"Go away, Logan. I'll only get you hurt again. I hurt everyone I love, just like Renfro said. Poison…" The hopelessness in her voice cut Logan to the quick.

"Max, look at me." Logan grabbed her face in his hands and forced her to meet his eyes. "You are not poison. They only told you that to try and break you. But you're stronger than they are. You got away again, you came home to me. And if you think I'm going to let you give up now…"

"But it's true, Logan! It was my fault you got shot. It was my fault Zack died. It was my fault they got Brin. It's my fault Case doesn't have a mother any more. I did that, all of it."

"Max, listen to me. I would be dead now if it wasn't for you, a hundred times over. Manticore would still be chasing you and all of your siblings. Case would be in a cage being experimented on. You did everything you could to help them, all of them."

"But it wasn't enough. Nothing I do is ever good enough."

"You're not superwoman, Max, no matter what Lydecker tries to tell you. Everyone fails. I failed you when I left you in the woods for them to find. I failed to protect Sophy, and Peter, and Nathan."

"That wasn't your fault! None of it was."

"And none of the things you're blaming yourself for were yours. We're human, Max. We make mistakes. Sometimes the best case scenario is enough to make us feel guilt. But can you imagine what would have happened if you hadn't tried to help? I'd be dead, Zack would be dead, so would Tinga, and Charlie, maybe Case too. Jace and her child would be in Manticore. You have to do the best you can in the circumstances. Sometimes that's good enough, sometimes it's not. You just have to learn to deal with it."

Max was silent for a while, considering what he'd said. Then she told him exactly what had happened to Zack.

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Original Cindy was rudely awoken by a loud knock at her door in the middle of the night. She pulled on a robe and answered it, grumbling blearily.

"All right, all right, I'm comin…" She froze in shock. Max and Logan stood outside.

"Max? Is that you? What…" Max just pulled her into a long hug. "Thank god you're alive, boo. I missed you so much…"

"Me, too," whispered Max. When they eventually separated, Logan spoke.

"Look, I hate to interrupt, but I have to go. Are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You go deal with Lydecker and Renfro."

"Ok. I'm on my cell if you need anything, and I'll be back in a few hours." He leaned forward and kissed her quickly before turning to go.

"Logan?" said Max as he did so. He turned back towards her from the threshold. "Don't be too long." He just smiled at her.

"I won't."

After he'd gone, Cindy looked at the smile on Max's face and sighed. "Are you going to make me say it?"

Her brow wrinkled in confusion. "Say what?"

"I told you so!"

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Syl, Krit and Lydecker had transferred Alec, Brin and Renfro to Logan's safe house. The two X5's and their leader had been sedated to prevent them attacking their captors, and slumbered quietly against one wall.

"I'll say this for Logan, he has a good setup around here," said Krit.

"He needs one, the amount of trouble he's been causing for Manticore in the last few months," said Lydecker, overhearing.

"I'm not sure if that's bravery or stupidity," Syl remarked. "We've been watching his broadcasts and they're pretty close to the line."

"Revenge is a powerful motive." The colonel said, in the voice of one who knows.

"I still don't understand why that leg wound didn't slow him down," said Krit.

"Let's just say he's had more than his fair share of injuries," Lydecker hinted. Syl and Krit exchanged confused glances.

"What does that mean?" asked Syl.

"Don't say you haven't noticed the noise of that machine he uses? I thought I'd trained you to be more observant than that."

"Machine?" Krit's eyes widened. "You mean that little humming sound? Is that significant?"

"Not really," said Logan, walking in. "Now, do you want to hear about Zack or not?"

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Tell me if you liked.