A/n: I'm so sorry, everyone! I know it's been months since I updated this.

This chapter is more a declaration of intent than anything. I promise, cross my heart and hope to die, that I will finish this story at some point. But you're gonna have to give me a bit of time to do it; it is soooo difficult to write.

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Chapter 4

Logan finished the story, leaving Syl and Krit in shock. Lydecker only looked thoughtful.

"Hmm. I suppose it would be possible for Zack to have survived. Provided he really was moved out to another facility."

"Do you have any idea which one it could have been?" Asked Logan.

"There are a number of possibilities… I wasn't that involved with the biomechanical side of the operation so I couldn't say for sure."

"I have a friend who might be able to help; he's very into that kind of thing."

"Is there anywhere you don't have a friend?" Asked Krit.

"Unfortunately, yes. Manticore, for one."

"What did you do with Max?"

"I dropped her off at her place. She doesn't need to deal with this on top of everything else."

"You think Zack's life is just something to be dealt with?"

"Isn't everything?" Said Logan bitterly. "The four of us can save Zack. We don't need Max's help and right now I don't think she's in any state to give it anyway."

"He's right," Lydecker said. "You saw how Max blew up at Renfro; if she did that on a mission she could get us all killed."

"Ok. But I want one thing very clear," said Syl. "Logan is in charge. Krit and I are infantry and you," she pointed at Lydecker, "are torturer and adviser. Not commander, not anything. Got that?"

"Understood," said Lydecker. Arguing with a stressed out X5 would get him nowhere and he knew it.

"If the chain of command's been established, can we get on with rescuing Zack?" Said Logan, irritated.

"Sir, yes, sir," said Krit, saluting.

Logan ignored the gesture. "Well, we can't do much until Renfro wakes up. I'll start with my information gathering, see if there's any word on the net. Lydecker, make a list of all the locations where Zack could be. One of you two at least will need to stay and guard the prisoners; you can work it out between you." He turned away, pulling his laptop out of its case and plugging it into the nearest socket.

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Syl approached Logan after a few minutes with a cup of coffee.

"Hey. Thought you could use this." Logan glanced up, distracted.

"Oh. Thanks, Syl."

"From what I noticed, I didn't think you liked Zack."

"You spotted that?"

"Guess he didn't like Max sticking around you."

"Pretty much."

"So… I gotta ask. Why are you so bothered about trying to save him?"

"You do know what I do every day?"

"Well, yeah, but everyone knows Zack's always had a thing for Max…"

"Can't blame him for that. I may not like his methods, or his attitude, but all he's ever tried to do is keep her safe."

"Even from you?"

"He has every right. I've almost got her killed more than once."

"So what, you're going to save the guy who's trying to steal your girl for some kind of greater good?"

"Not like I haven't done similar things before," said Logan, distantly. "I do what I have to, for Max and the rest of the world."

"Why? Why do you have to?"

"Because no one else will."

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Max was reacquainting herself with all the things she'd been missing out on while trapped inside Manticore. She'd taken a long, hot bath, shaved her legs, and then succumbed to Cindy's ministrations. Her best friend had mixed up and applied a face pack to them both and was in the process of updating Max on all that had happened since she'd 'died' while she worked on her nails.

"I'm telling you, boo, Normal's been a different type of alien since you been away. He offered me a whole week off on full pay and asked about your funeral arrangements."

"You're kidding. Normal hated me; I was always being late, or playing hooky to help Logan out."

"Yeah; guess the man does have a heart under all that bipping. Who'da thunk?"

"Not me," chuckled Max.

"So, you gonna tell me what went down on your end of this bitch? It's ok if you don't…"

"No, I'll tell you. I got shot; medically speaking, I died, in Logan's arms."

"Damn. That has got to smart."

"Just a little. Anyway, Manticore found me in the woods and brought me back with a heart transplant. Then they started trying to brainwash me into being one of their children of the damned again. I managed to escape, but what they forgot to mention was that they were tracking me with the implant in my neck. I went straight to Logan's and they followed, the Director and two X5s. If Syl and Krit hadn't shown up to check on Logan they'dve dragged us right back there."

"Why would your black helicopter dudes be interested in Logan?"

"To get to me, mostly."

"One thing I noticed while you were away," said Cindy, her eyes narrowing a little. "The Eyes on the screen have been damn quiet. Not a single broadcast til a couple of days ago; and it was all on Manticore. There something you wanna tell me, boo?"

"Like what?" Asked Max.

"Like what Logan's been up to for the past three months on that fancy computer of his? And why you and him had to run all those little errands all the time? And why it was tonight, of all nights, that Eyes Only finally found Manticore and took it down?"

Max suddenly became very interested in the deep purple nail polish Cindy was applying to her short fingernails.

"Logan's Eyes Only, isn't he?"

"Oh, come on; Logan?" Asked Max, too heartily.

"Yeah. Actually, it makes a whole lotta sense. Who else but the most powerful man in the city could swing those pills of yours every month? Who else could have got the po-pos off your backs for protection money?"

"Ok, ok, maybe he is," confessed Max shyly. "But you can't tell anyone…"

"Hey, give Original Cindy some credit here, boo! I'm not gonna spill your man's big secret; done aiight keepin yours."

"I know, I know," said Max. "But… it's Logan…"

"And you could never let anythin happen to him," said Cindy gently.

"I'd die first," whispered Max vehemently.

"Technically, you already did," OC reminded her. "And it almost destroyed him too. Man was a mess; hardly left his apartment with you gone. Even Bling gave up on him after the fourth time Logan fired him."

"Logan fired Bling?"

"Mmm hmm. He's hung around, though. Tried to make me knock some sense into your boy before he got himself killed. I did my best, boo, but I can't kick ass as hard as you."

Max rolled her eyes. "Not even I could ever pry Logan away from one of his obsessions."

"It's in their genes; the three legged gender can't admit when they're wrong. But this time… looks like he was actually right. When I went over to chew him out, he admitted that he didn't believe you were dead. Said he could feel it, somehow. Almost had me belivin him for a while."

"But he watched me die; he saw it happen. How could he still think I was alive?"

"It's the 'L' word again, boo," said Cindy. "When I lost Diamond, I knew it. Like somethin inside of me died with her. Guess Logan just didn't feel that; he knew there was somethin goin on."

"I thought about him every minute of every day," said Max. "I always regretted I never got to tell him how much he means to me. Sometimes that was the only thing that got me through; I just told myself I had to keep fighting if I wanted to see Logan again; if I wanted to tell him how much I love him."

"I'm proud of you, boo. You finally admitted it to yourself. Now you just got to figure out how to tell him."

"I kinda already did," Max confessed, coyly.

"You go, girl!" Cindy held out her fist to be bumped; carefully, minding the still tacky nail polish. "You keep makin leaps like this, you won't even need a boo to help with your issues."

"Nah. I'll always need my boo," smiled Max. "For life, right?"

"No doubt, Max. No doubt." The two women hugged, each needing the other's presence.

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"Lydecker!" Logan called out. "You got that list for me yet?"

"Here, son," the colonel affirmed, handing it over.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that," said Logan absently, scanning the list.

"You did," Lydecker replied. "Do you think you can find Zack without Renfro?"

"Yes," said Logan, confidently. "But it'll take time, and I really don't think that's something we have in spadefulls. By the time I track him down he could easily have been moved, or escaped, and we'll be back at square one."

"Even if we do find Zack, there's no telling what the neuro psych specialists will have done to him. The mind is infinitely pliable; they may have convinced him his old life on the outside never existed, or worse."

"We have to take that chance," said Logan. "I, for one, am not leaving him in the hands of the sadists you people employ in the name of science."

"And if he's been turned against you? Against Max?"

"Well, that's where you come in, isn't it? I'm sure you know all their little tricks, or have contacts who do." Logan's cell rang and he picked up. "Hey."

"Asha, slow down; take a breath before you pass out. Ok. Now tell me, slowly. They did what? You're kidding. No, it's ok. No, Asha, listen, it'll be fine. I'll talk to Eyes Only and ask him to set the record straight for you first thing in the morning. Just get the others together and find a place to lay low overnight. Yes. Ok. I'll have to call you back tomorrow; I'm kind of in the middle of something. Yes. Ok. See you."

"Trouble?" Asked Lydecker.

"The powers that be are not only trying to claim the ruins of Manticore as a VA hospital, they're also putting the blame on burning it down on some friends of mine. It's nothing I can't handle."

"You think so? After this, the Committee will stop at nothing to track you down. If I were you, son, I'd find Zack, then take Max away on a permanent vacation."

Logan turned to look steadily up at the older man. "There's just one flaw in that scenario," he said. "I'm not you."

The two of them just stared at each other, blue eyes locked together.

"Logan?" Krit approached, making them both turn towards him. "Renfro's awake."

"I'll see what I can get out of her," said Lydecker.

"Good," replied Logan, his eyes dropping back to his computer screen. "Let me know when you've got something," he added, as the colonel walked away.

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Apologies for the lack of plot, guys. What did you think, a