Original Cindy parked her bike out side of Jam-pony Express' headquarters and headed inside, she and Max were supposed to meet to have lunch. She quickened her pace when she opened the front door and found a huddle of people gathered around someone on the floor, to see a fight at work would really be a change. She walked up behind Sketchy and looked over his shoulder.
"Hey, what's going on?"
Sketchy turned around to face her. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"What are you talking about?"
"Max, I didn't do anything to her. We were just talking and-"
Original Cindy didn't hear the rest of Sketchy's explanation because it was then that she saw Max. Max, huddled on her side in a fetal position, shaking uncontrollably and babbling a long string of numbers. Original Cindy shoved Sketchy out of her way and knelt down beside Max.
"Herbal, get me her bag. I gotta get her pills." Original Cindy ordered.
"Pills?" Normal had picked up on the word. "She came in here sick?"
"No, she's got some condition." Original Cindy fired back at him. "Herbal?"
Herbal went into Max's open locker and came back with the bag tossing it to Original Cindy.
"If she has a condition she should have told me when I hired her." Normal mumbled regretting the package he had just marked as hazardous due to Max's reaction after touching it. "It could effect her productivity."
"It never has before." Original Cindy shot back. "She didn't want anyone to know about it. Cut a girl a little slack."
She shook a handful of typtophan pills out and got Max to swallow them. After a few minuets when the pills had no effect Original Cindy started to panic, Max never got sick. Maybe it had something to do with her messed up genetics. She cradled Max's head on her lap and reached for her boo's pager. Maybe wheel boy would have an answer. She stood up making Herbal take her place as the crowd around Max started to break up and headed over to the payphone. She took a shot in the dark and dialed the only number that was in the memory, hoping it'd be the right number.
Wheel boy himself answered on the first ring. "Max?"
"Nah, Logan," She'd almost called him wheel boy to his face! "It's Original Cindy."
"Where's Max?" Logan was all business his voice taking on a tone of worry.
"That's what I called about, we've got a problem."
"Lydecker?"
"I'm not sure. . ."Original Cindy shook her head and then filled Logan in on the scene she had just walked in on.
"Shit." You could hear the confusion and concern in Logan's voice. "Bling and I will be there in a few minuets."
Logan spun away from the computer screen, hanging up the phone. "Bling?"
His physical trainer and close friend stuck his head out of the kitchen. "What is it Logan?"
"Max is sick. We've got to go pick her up at work." Bling could see the concern creasing Logan's brow.
"Just don't treat the Aztec like a hot rod and I'll help you, no problem." Bling smirked. He knew Logan drove recklessly when he was worried. Heck Logan drove recklessly most of the time, having put the weight of the world on his own shoulders.
"You can drive if it makes you happy; I just want to get down there." Logan headed for the door, and hit the button for the elevator before Bling had a moment to consider it.
"It is your car." Bling shrugged and closed the door to the penthouse locking it. If it hadn't been so obvious to Bling before that Logan had a thing for Max, it was plain as black and white now.
The Aztec screeched to a halt parked crooked in front of Jam-pony express. Logan and Bling had gotten there in record time. The moment Logan was through the door Normal started in on them, but was simply ignored. He went right to Original Cindy's side, his concern growing deeper to sadness she could see on his face.
"What happened?"
"It's like I told you, I came in from my last run before lunch and my home girl was laid out on the floor like this. Her pills didn't even do anything for her."
"How long?"
"Ten, fifteen minuets?" Original Cindy shrugged. "That was since I got here, Sketchy said it started right before I came in."
"I'm taking her back to my place." Logan was at a loss for the moment of anything else to do or say. Mr. Eyes only was helpless.
"I'm going with you." Original Cindy stood up after Bling took Max from her. "Normal Max and I need the rest of the day off."
For once Mr. know it all simply nodded, devoid of wise cracks, his eyes still on Max. "Take whatever you need."
Once they got Max back to the penthouse Logan had Bling sedate her, winching as he watched the needle pierce Max's skin. She settled down right after that. Logan poured through the data he had on Manticore along with some new things and came up frustrated and empty handed. He then resorted to calling Sebastian who came to the conclusion that it could have been a side effect from the probe, but couldn't offer him much other help except maybe the other could help her. Logan swore he knew Sabs was right, as much as he hated to admit it, he needed Zack's help on this one. Zack was his best bet, if anyone might know what was wrong with Max chances were it would be him.
Original Cindy was passing the room, every once in a while confronting Logan. "You find anything yet?"
Logan shook his head and looked over to Bling who was watching the clock a look of amazement on his face over how much of the sedative it had taken to knock Max out. Bling held up the serum bottle as proof. "We're almost out Logan."
Logan swore, and took off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose, thinking. Zack, Big Brother, the protector, the alpha male, always elusive, he had no way of getting in contact with him. The voice mail number Max had found was disconnected and left him, even with his skills, no way of tracing it to it's new number.
Logan looked up at Bling. "Give her what's left in there, we should be fine that way." He went into the draw of his desk and pulled out a stack of bills. "Take this and Original Cindy with you and go get more."
Bling took the money and then gave Max the rest of the sedative; still shocked she could handle it. Then he said something to Original Cindy who went to get the elevator. "Logan I should be back before it wears off. . . Why am I stuck babysitting?" He jerked his head to the door indicating Original Cindy.
Logan almost smiled, almost. "Well, Eyes Only can't find the help he needs with-"
Bling interrupted, nodding and smiling. "I get it. We'll be back quick, but not too quick."
"Thanks Bling." Logan smiled as he left and he'd meant it. Without Bling he'd have been in a mess of trouble more times then he cared to count. Logan moved back to his computer and set to work piecing together a message that only the X-5's would be able to pick up. He set it up on a high band frequency loop, where the message repeated every ten minuets. The message itself lasted only ten seconds with it's normal introduction included, then the images flew by accompanied by a sound that the normal human ear could not make sense of. Logan figured if they could all repeat a string of fourteen numbers on speed dial, they'd be able to pick up his message just fine.
Logan played back the hack before he sent it out, once at normal speed, then at the accelerated speed. It played back like this: Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly 60 seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped and it is the only free voice left in the city. That part was normal speed, and came across fine, then it was speed daemon time. The speed up message said: This hack goes out to the person whose name rhymes with that word. He is the one, the protector, and the leader. The solution to this problem is X5, but needs only the one. It starts where one plus one equals three. Three times three times two times nine divided by six plus zero divided by zero plus seven times three divided by four plus five times two, where X equals five. This person needs your help very badly. Get in contact with her when you see this. Any of you that can understand this can contact him if the one has not seen this. This mess age will repeat every ten minuets until contact has been established. Then there was the normal closing: This has been a streaming freedom bulletin, at normal speed.
Satisfied with the message he was going to send, he hacked into a satellite feed that would boost the message to cover all of the US, Canada and Mexico. This time Logan couldn't afford to take any chances, Max was developing a fever; her life was on the line. He knew the message sounded corny, but that way if Manticore did get a hold of the hack and managed to slow it down to normal speed, Logan figured they still would have a little time before Lydecker sent a squad to bang down his door. The strongest assurance being that no one knew as of yet who eyes only was. After Logan had sent out the message the first time Bling and Original Cindy returned just in time to put Max under again.
There was a commotion in the break room of the freight terminal where Zack worked. Zack stopped loading the skid he was working on out on the docking bay and was about to go in to see what it was about. One of the girls working there came up to Zack as he jumped out of the forklift he was driving.
"Hey Zack you have to come and see this. That Eyes Only guy's gone whack!" She grabbed him by the arm and led him into the break room. "And it just keeps happening."
Zack looked up at the television screen. What everyone else saw was the Eyes Only intro and then some static and then it was over. What Zack saw made him think for a split second, before his mouth dropped open. This girl Lyn, was the only person in the terminal that he made regular small talk with, but basically it was just because she wouldn't leave him alone. She'd pulled him into the room to make him see the truth without even knowing it, because as Zack watched she pulled everyone else on shift into the break room with him. Zack guessed she must have just been a big fan of Eyes Only. Zack swore and went over to the payphone in the break room. He dialed in Max's pager number then called in to his voice mail system to leave a message for all the others that he had seen the message and had things under control. All of Max and Zack's siblings had already called in.
The phone in the break room rang and Zack snatched it up before Lyn had a change to get to it. The cable hacks seemed to have stopped for the day and everyone slowly filtered back to work.
"Max?"
"No Zack, its Logan."
"Where's Max? What happened to her?" Zack asked curtly.
"Well Zack it's hard to say. . . Max is convulsing and all she seems to be able to say are her barcode numbers, no matter what you ask her."
"Shit!" Zack hit the wall next to the phone leaving a neat little hole. "I can be there in two hours."
Zack pulled his motorcycle up and into the lobby of Logan's building then told security that he was going up to the penthouse. When Logan answered the phone and security said a Zack Hanover was there to see him, he was surprised and had to suppress a laugh. Logan knew Zack used the alias
Two hours and ten minuets after Logan had gotten off of the phone with him Zack walked through the front door, which had moments before been locked. Logan shook his head and wondered why he even bothered to lock it with them around.
"The others all checked in with me," Zack said suddenly standing behind Logan who jumped and swore he could hear Zack snicker, he should have been more guarded.
"That's good." Logan nodded his head and spun around to face Zack.
"Where's Max?"
"In the bedroom." The moment the words were out of Logan's mouth Zack was off like a shot and at Max's side.
He ran a hand lightly over Max's cheek. "Maxie, what happened to you little sister?"
It looked like a gesture of love, but Zack was checking her vital signs, at least that's what he would have told anyone who asked. Zack took a moment to survey the room, an African American woman was passing relentlessly and a man kept looking from the clock to Max. Zack heard Logan pull up besides him and turned on him.
"What the hell happened to her? What did you do to her?" Zack yelled.
"Nothing but sedate her," Logan was hurt by the accusation but refused to let it show. "She should come out of it soon and then you'll see the problem for yourself."
Bling simply nodded to Logan confirming his statement.
Zack sat down in a chair next to the bed Max was in and watched her for a while. He sat with perfect posture; his face clad in the expressionless Manticore mask, and held her hand stiffly.
Original Cindy turned to Logan and motioned him away from Zack for the moment. "What's he doing here?"
"He's Max's adopted brother." Logan whispered despite the fact that he knew Zack could hear any little whisper he'd utter if he chose to listen.
"Logan do you think it's some side effect of the whole genetic manipulation?"
Logan winched; he didn't want Zack to see the girl as a threat. "It could be, but keep it quiet. Zack doesn't know about it, neither does Bling. Max though telling her adopted family would drive them away from her."
"Oh." Original Cindy nodded and went back to passing the room.
"She should have come out of it by now." Bling said looking at his watch and fearing that he'd given her too much of the sedative.
Zack stood up and quenched the urge he had to simply shake some sense into Max. He leaned over her and snapped his fingers in front of her face, the way Lydecker used to when he was trying to bring the out of anesthetic after one of the operations at Manticore. Max's eyes flew open and she grabbed hold of Zack's wrists raking her claw like nails along his skin as the seizures started again. Zack hissed and asked her softly without a trace of his usual harshness, "Maxie, talk to me."
"Three, three, two, nine, six, zero, zero, seven, three, four, five, two." Max's body shook, her words taking on emotions and connotations of true speech, but her designation seemed to be the only thing that she could get to come out of her mouth.
"Max," Zack said softly but forcefully, "come back to me." This time he shook her, hard.
"Three, three, two, nine, six?" Max answered her head lulling and jerking with the movements of Zack's hands on her shoulders.
"Shit!" Zack pried his hands free from Max's grip and tore away from him for a moment. "This is ridiculous!" He punched a whole into the nearest wall. Then her turned back interrupting her, yelling at the top of his lungs his face turning red. "I am Three, three, zero, four, one, seven, two, nine, one, five, nine, nine and you will remember me! That's an order solider."
"Zero, zero, seven, three, four, five, two. . . Three, threetwonine." The numbers flew out of her faster now.
"Maxie, it's okay." Zack tried but given the situation did not sound all that soothing. There was no change in Max and that worried Zack terribly. He'd seen her forget everything but her designation before; he'd seen her seize, but never together and never with a fever, unless it was Manticore experimenting. Right now he knew it wasn't, they had no way of 'infecting' Max with anything, and it didn't make sense.
"Dam it, I need to think." Zack turned to Bling, sheen of unshed tears momentarily clouding up his eyes. "Put her back under." Zack Sighed and ran his hands through his hair, lost in an intense moment of weakness. His head snapped up and he looked at Original Cindy. "You can leave now." Both his comments sounded like clipped orders.
Original Cindy stopped passing and turned to stare open mouth at Zack. "What?!"
Zack grimaced and at length produced feeble thanks. "Thank you for being there and bringing Max in. Did you see what triggered it?"
"No, Original Cindy had come in from a run to see her Boo out on the floor all twitchy." Original Cindy said truthfully then made a peace offering. "But I will find out what happened to my home girl and call Logan when I do."
Both men nodded and she walked out of the penthouse, on her way back to Jam-Pony Express to see what she could find out.
"Any ideas?" Logan turned to Zack.
"She's burning up and she shouldn't be seizing, as for her condition I don't know what triggered it, but I do know what it is. She fell back on her Manticore training to forget. Under extreme questioning or torture a person can force themselves to forget everything they know, so that they don't tell the enemy anything. I did it once or twice." He looked down at Logan; "something should be able to trigger her memory back. There are some things that even intense training can not make you forget. Max could never be brought to forget her barcode number, it was some kind of mental block she got from hating it so much, but she could forget it's meaning."
"Like what she's doing now, substituting it for everything?"
Zack nodded.
"I remember when you did that," Logan said with a nod, "When you gave yourself up to Lydecker to protect Max, just before you fled to Canada."
"Yes." Zack nodded, it was something like that. Zack had been saved by Max that night, and the power of love. He could never forget Max and there was a very good reason. Sure Max was his little sister, true she was his S. I. C., but it was more then that and only he knew it. Max was the first person Zack had ever kissed. Sure it was done under Lydecker's supervision, Max was under sedation, and it was done for scientific observation. They wanted to know if the X-5's were capable of feeling emotions and what exactly it did to them physically. Knowing that his love could not save her, and that it obviously was not reciprocated hurt. Seeing her like this hurt more, knowing he couldn't do anything about it was agonizing. Zack bolted up to his feet, knocking over the chair he had been in, in full panic mode.
"Logan, Bathroom?" A wild animal look in his eyes Zack fled into the room Logan had indicated.
Get a hold of yourself. Get it together soldier, he ordered himself. He was sweating and he felt almost physically sick. It wasn't natural, it made him uncomfortable, and it was all because of Max. Zack doused his face with handfuls of water and threw himself into a calming, meditative mind set. He took a deep breath and stalked back into the room where Max was. "Did Original Cindy call back yet?"
"Nope." Logan doubted she had even gotten back to Jam-pony yet. All of Logan's answers to Zack were curt, Zack was a threat and he no doubt saw Logan the same way. Besides he would probably respond to Logan better this way, instead of acting like he was inferior just because he wasn't a miracle, or monster, of Manticore technology. Bling had never taken his eyes off Max or the clock. He'd definitely needed a full explanation from Logan, and deserved one, but it would have to wait until the crisis was averted. He shook his head he was beginning to sound more and more like Zack and didn't like it.
Knowing that Max kept coming back to this miserable city, despite Lydecker's forces and the danger they posed to her just to be with Logan, Zack new he had a shot at the solution and it stung. He sighed and walked over to the window, heights had always been a relatively safe place, and therefore claming to all of the X-series. Zack looked out over the city so that he did not have to look at Logan, but more so that Logan couldn't see the weakness in his eyes. His voice cracked when he spoke. "Logan?"
"Yeah Zack?" Logan felt bad for all the stress Max was putting him under.
"That friend of yours, 'Eyes Only' tell him I appreciate him helping you contact me." Zack felt horrible, seeing Max like this was worse then some of the things that Lydecker used to do. Zack at least understood them.
"Consider it done." Logan smirked.
"I think I know how to bring her out of it." Zack said explosively. Suddenly he was all curtness and orders; being militant was always good for bottling up emotions. Emotions were useless anyway and always got in the way of your objective. "Logan Max has to know something about you that no one else does. Something that she would never forget, use that knowledge to bring her back to us."
Logan winched, the only thing Max knew about him that most others didn't was about 'Eyes Only'. Logan turn to Zack and rolled up beside him. "I trust anything said here will stay under wraps?"
"Yes." The clipped tone in Zack's voice almost demanded a 'sir' followed closely behind, but Logan didn't command that level of respect no matter how much Zack had his head in the game.
"Alright." Logan moved over to his computer turning up the volume and adjusting the microphone on the head set. Then he turned to Bling.
"Soon." Was all Logan's trusted friend said, watching the clock and moving back to Max's side.
The phone started to ring just then and Logan swore. He rolled over to the table and just stared down at the phone. The machine picked up and Logan herd his own voice.
"You've reached the number you dialed, leave a message." *Beep*
"Hey Logan what's up? It's Original Cindy, pick up the phone."
Logan picked up the phone and turned off the machine. "Hey."
"I've got the four-one-one on what set Max off." You could almost hear the proud smile that played on her face.
"Alright, go ahead."
"Normal gave her a package that's been quarantined, but I got it and I'm going to bring it over. Sketchy was asking about her tat, got all up in her shit about it, really bugging her. Max was reading over her run sheet and dropped to the floor. Easy as that, how's my Boo doing?"
With that question Max snapped out of her sedation again, thrashing like mad.
"Nothing's changed." Logan tensed.
Bling went to give her another shot and Logan winched.
"No." Zack was at Max's side holding her down. "I've got her, let her go." He turned to Logan with his eyes blazing. "End the communication, we've got to do this now!"
"All right Cindy, drop by but I've got to run." Logan hung up the phone.
"Come on Logan." Zack strained to hold Max down, even though their strength was normally matched.
Logan wheeled back over to his computer desk and had Bling slant the monitors into her plain of view. Then he spoke into the microphone. "This is an Eyes-Only streaming freedom bulletin for your ears only Maxine Guevara. Max Zack and I need you to come back to us. We need you to remember what you've forgotten; the threat is gone now. We're all very worried about you. We need you to snap out of this, Max please. . ." Logan stopped to look at her.
Max's eyes fluttered and her seizing slowed somewhat. Zack a look of surprise and self-disappointment at not figuring it out, motioned for Logan to keep talking.
"The number you are reciting belongs to you and you alone. You are special and the number should help you remember why. Max-"
"L-Logan?" Max croaked out softly a look of delirium glazing over her eyes as she grabbed on to Zack's arm, not recognizing him. "Logan?" Max sounded panicked.
Logan wheeled himself over to her bedside and snatched her hand from Zack. Max sat up and hugged Logan, almost pulling herself into his lap.
"Max, you need to rest. Lay down." She listened like a good little soldier and did what Logan told her to do.
Max snatching her hand away from Zack felt to him like a punch in the face. Max had hit Zack dozens of times and none of them stung like this non-existent strike. It resonated and made him feel empty. Max didn't remember him and it made his stomach hurt. Logan leaned over whispering softly to Max for a long time before her eyes cleared somewhat.
Max finally interrupted Logan and leaned back over to the middle of the bed. "Big brother?" She called Zack, who sat with his head hung, lost in his thoughts he didn't hear her. "Zack?" She yelled as loudly as he zapped strength aloud.
His head snapped up, tears brimming in his eyes that he quickly and efficiently blinked away. He moved back to her side. "Max?"
She nodded. "I'm back." She took his hand and noticed the scratch marks. She made a sour face. "I did that?"
Zack nodded simply and sniffled his nose giving away his moment of weakness.
Max playfully punched his arm, it felt like little more then a tap to Zack. "What's this? Mr. Military is getting himself all upset over me. It's just me."
Zack shrugged off the emotions. "You had us all really scared Max."
"I thought you didn't get scared Zack." She teased.
"Everyone does at some point it their life, let it go little sister." Zack felt a warmth rise into his cheek and he turned his head. Max always had him second guessing himself.
"Thank you Zack." Max said softly, "for figuring out how to get me back."
"You figured it out first." Zack shrugged again. "Do you know what triggered it?"
"Sure, I-"
There was a knock at the door and Bling went and answered it. Original Cindy walked into the room with a padded manila mailing envelope in her hand. "Here ya go Logan, one trigger." She handed it to him. "Max!" She flew across the penthouse to hug her best friend. "Good ta have ya back Boo."
Max just hugged her back, lightly.
"Sketchy's bugging hard. Home-boy thinks he did something ta mess ya up."
"He helped a bit, but tell him I'm fine and it's not his fault. I'll just kick his ass for it later."
Original Cindy laughed. "That's my girl." She hugged Max again and turned to leave. "Gotta run, you know how it is with work." They both rolled their eyes. "I'll see you at home."
Max turned and looked at the package in Logan's lap and shuttered.
"Max what is it?" Zack was up on his feet.
"Deck's messing with my head. Go take a look." She nodded towards the package.
Zack snatched it up out of Logan's lap. The return address was to a Deck Donaldson and it was addressed to a Don Lydecker, both at the same Seattle address. Inside it felt like there was a tape of sorts. Zack inspected and sniffed the package before he cautiously opened it, holding a video cassette in his hand.
Max turned to Logan and yawned. "Can I have a glass of milk?"
"Sure Max." He rolled off into the kitchen and returned with a tall frothy glass.
Max sat up and wrapped her hands tightly around the glass, finishing it in a few large gulps.
"Logan do you have a VCR?" Zack broke through the silence.
"Yeah over there." Logan pointed him the machine.
Zack turned back to Max. "I don't see why this got to you so bad; you didn't even watch the tape."
"No. Zack look at the envelope."
Zack looked down at the envelope in his hands, "Yeah I saw the address."
"Look at the postal code."
Zack looked down, he really was thrown off his game tonight, the postal code was Max's bare code number. "Ah," Zack nodded. "Between this and that guy asking you questions."
Max nodded.
"So let's see what's on the tape." Logan grabbed the remote control and Zack turned on the machine putting in the tape.
Across the screen flashed a set of all too familiar white numbers over a black background, Max's barcode numbers. Then it flashed pictures of her on a run, at a check point stop, then at crash, different times, over and over.
Zack breathed the words out "Max this is really bad."
Max didn't hear him or see what he was talking about she was fast asleep.