In preparation for Hannah's arrival Logan had turned the guestroom into a smaller scale hospital room. He had gotten the equipment from generous people, doctors and technicians who were allies of the informant net. The atmosphere of the converted room was obviously wearing down on Zack's already frazzled nerves. He passed up and down the length of the hallway muttering to himself about Manticore and his distrust of doctors. He'd checked on Max a dozen times since he'd gotten off the call with Jace and nothing had changed except for the brief moment when Max had woken up panicked. For a few tense moments she didn't recognize any of them not even Zack or Logan. She was convinced without a doubt that she was back in the barracks at Manticore and that they were all the enemy. Zack brought up 'child-hood' memories until she recognized him and clung to him. Then Zack reminded her who Bling and Logan were and where she was but the machinery had her confused. Logan reminded her of all the time she had spent in the penthouse and brought in the Bast statue. Eventually Max remembered. Eventually she calmed down and drifted into another restless sleep.

The night before Hannah had confirmed with Logan that she would be arriving some time today. So they were all stuck waiting as Max had small fits of delirium and paranoia more frequently. At one point Bling had frantically called Zack back into the room.

"Zack!"

Zack rushed in too the room to find Max standing on the bed up against the wall with a knife in her hand.

"Stay away from me!" Max screamed holding Bling at bay with the knife.

"I woke her and tired to feed her and she panicked." Bling sounded helpless.

"Max." Zack said with authority.

"No. There's no rations. This could all be poison." Max held Zack at bay with the knife.

"Max do you know who I am?"

"Of course Zack why would you let them try and poison me?"

"I wasn't on watch outside the door when your meal came in." Zack answered snapping to attention. "I'm sorry soldier."

Max calmed a little but not enough to relinquish the knife.

"I'll rectify the situation." Zack clicked his heals together and turned to leave the room,

"See that you do." Max nodded eyeing Bling warily.

"Logan." Zack went into the kitchen. "I need a glass of water, a glass of milk, some vitamins or Tylenol any kind of pill will do really and a few granola bars. Can you do that for me?"

Logan nodded not asking any questions and gave everything to Zack. Zack set up the tray the way it would have been at Manticore and returned to the guestroom He stood outside the door balancing the tray in one hand in order to open the door with the other. "Permission to enter?"

"Granted."

Max put down the knife and sat down on the bed. She actually smiled eyeing the tray and then snatching it from Zack. She ate as Zack stood over her eyeing Bling the whole time. "Can't you dismiss him? He's making me nervous."

Zack nodded. "I need to get permission."

Zack clicked his heals together and closed the door behind himself. He walked into Logan's bedroom and had a loud fictitious conversation with Corneal Lydecker. Zack returned to the room and turned to Bling who sloppily snapped to attention.

"You are relieved soldier." Zack saluted Bling. "Dismissed."

"Sir yes sir." Bling saluted Zack and imitating him clicked hiss heals together and left the room shutting the door behind him.

Zack pulled up a chair and sat stiffly watching Max eat. Max turned to him her eyes sparkling. "What did you sneak me?"

Zack froze for a moment. He was nine and Max was only four it was one of the many times that even Krit and Jondy were asleep. Max, Syl, Brin and Zane had been denied rations that night at dinner. It was one of the many times Manticore had selectively tried to teach a few of the younger ones about discipline. The others were all asleep due to exhaustion and hunger except for Jondy who was knocked out due to subjection of experimentation during the day. Zack felt he needed to sneak off, it was times like these when he knew the thing truly being tested was his loyalty to the squad. While the others were all asleep Zack snuck off to do extra work to score the rations the others had been denied during the day. The moment he returned to the barracks Max sat up in bed.

"What did you sneak us Zack?" Her wide inquisitive eyes sparkled.

"Zack?" Max sat up in bed a grown up twenty-year-old woman. "Come on what did you sneak me?"

Zack produced a small piece of cake wrapped in a bandanna along with another granola bar. Of course Logan had set it all up for him because Zack had expected something like this to happen but Max was none the wiser and extremely happy by her CO's seemingly grand sacrifice.

"Thank you Zack." Max saluted him and then stuffed her face with the acceptable safe food.

"Sure Maxie you're welcome." Zack grinned.

Max scowled at the sound of Zack's nickname for her but because of the time she thought she was in saying anything fell under insubordination so she sucked it up and kept calm while he watched her eat.

Zack grinned as he watched Max try and bite back her normal sarcasm. He calmly watched her eat as a small trickle of blood traced its way from the tip of her nose down to her chin. Time froze as Sebastian's words echoed in his head. If her eyes start to bleed the probe has been reactivated.' What did a bloody nose mean? For Zack it meant panic as Max sat there oblivious to the blood eating as if nothing was wrong.

Zack stood up snapping to attention again. "X5-452 permission the leave your presence for a moment?"

Max nodded and continued to eat. You want to go brief Lydecker?"

Zack nodded checking his wristwatch. "I'm already late." He wanted nothing to do with Lydecker it was Logan he needed to apprise of the situation.

You'll come back when you're done?"

"Of course I will Maxie." Zack nodded.

"Zack why am I under such strict observation?" Max regarded him with wide-eyed awe.

"They made you sick Max and they want to see how quickly you will heal. I need to go and talk to Lydecker and I don't want to be reprimanded." Zack moved towards the door.

"I don't want to get you in trouble. Just don't be gone too long. I'm scared." Max said the last part very softly.

"Don't worry Maxie everything will be okay." Zack left the room hoping what he'd just said stayed true.

"Logan what do you know about this probe?" Zack snapped when he found the man sitting by his computer.

"What do you mean Zack?" Logan looked up from the computer monitor.

"Sebastian said that if Max's eyes start to bleed that the probe has been reactivated."

"That's true." Logan nodded a look of fear creeping its way into his facial features.

"Well do you know what a nose bleed means?"

"Max has a nosebleed?" Logan asked suddenly looking worried.

"Yes quite profusely." Zack nodded. "What does it mean?"

Bling spoke up, "It usually means a person is run down."

"I honestly don't know Zack but Sab's might." Logan set up a secure encrypted line so that he could talk to Sebastian. Logan laid out the problem to his trusted colleague.

"I'm not entirely sure Logan. It might mean that the probe has been reactivated or it might indicate that she's just run down. Is she hostile and easily provoked? More so then usual I mean more hyper or irate?"

"Not much more then usual." Zack spoke up.

"Then I honestly don't know." Sebastian replied.

"That's just great." Zack fumed. "So what do we do now?"

"Wait for Hannah." Sebastian answered bluntly.

Zack stood up and stormed out of the room completely fed up with the situation.

"Permission to enter?" Zack barked from outside the guestroom door.

"Permission granted." Max called out.

Zack stood just inside the door watching Max. She was done with her rations and the steady flow of blood from her nose had ebbed. Zack relaxed a little but not much, not enough to let his guard down. "Stand up Max."

Max stood and snapped to attention.

"At ease." Zack snapped as he slowly circled her inspecting her body. He stopped behind her and lifted up her hair. The spot where the bump had been above her barcode had not gotten any bigger but the area around it was slightly swollen and becoming black and blue. He reached out lightly to stroke the area and Max flinched away from his touch.

"Ouch!" Max flinched away from Zack's touch. "What are you doing big brother?"

"Trying to help you Max."

"Then why is there so much pain?"

"Pain is a-"

"Weakness, yeah I know." Max nodded.

"I'm just trying to help you Max."

"By hurting me Zack?"

"No, I-" Zack reached out again to lightly touch the spot.

"Just stop it. I'll fight you if I have to."

"No Maxie." Zack stepped back his hands in the surrender position.

"What's wrong with me Zack?"

"They're experimenting on you Maxie." Zack turned away with his vague answer.

"What did Lydecker have to say?"

"Briefings are confidential Max you know that."

"I'm your SIC you forget I'm usually included in these briefings. It was that bad huh?"

"No," Zack shook his head. "Hannah will be in soon to check on you."

Max nodded. "She's one of the good ones."

"She's nice to us." Zack offered.

"Pain is irrelevant." Max said softly. "Niceness is an emotion. Emotions are irrelevant."

"Even how you feel about me Maxie?"

"What of it Zack?" Max asked. "You're my big brother, the CO; your job is to protect me. We're breeding partners."

Zack was caught off guard for a moment before he responded. "I know that Maxie."

"Then don't leave me?"

"Never Maxie." Zack sat down on the foot of the bed.

Max crawled back under the covers. "Why am I in this bed?"

"They ran out of room in the infirmary wing Max you're in one of the officers quarters."

"Oh." Max relaxed a little. "I didn't think it was normal."

"Not exactly."

"So this is what Jondy was talking about when she said Lydecker lived in a place that wasn't like the barracks."

Zack just stared at Max so she felt that she had to clarify herself.

"Jondy wandered into his room one night by mistake."

"Yes I remember that." Zack nodded. Lydecker had caught Jondy in his quarters and had treated the girl differently from that night on.

"It wasn't too long ago." Max said reflectively.

Zack came to the realization of approximately when Max thought it was from that simple statement. She thought it was about 2006 pre-escape. Zack wondered if she was seeing him as the child he had been at that time or simply projecting that time on to how she saw him now without questioning it.

The door to the room opened and Logan rolled to a stop sticking his head in the door. "How's our favorite patient doing Zack?"

Max stared at Logan. "Zack, who-" She cut herself off and smiled. "Logan."

Logan smiled.

"What are you doing here?" The confusion was evident on Max's face before it disappeared behind the calm of her Manticore mask.

Logan looked at Zack unsure of how to answer the question and Zack shrugged.

"You're trespassing. They'll kill you if they catch you here." Max looked truly frightened.

"I'd better go then." Logan frowned and left the room.

The moment the door clicked shut Max turned back to Zack. "Sorry sir I was dreaming. On the outside there's this prince named Logan who's going to take me away from here someday. Tinga has a prince named Charlie, Jondy has Craig, Jace thinks it will be someone who works here, Syl thinks it'll be Krit, Brin is sure it will be you. Tinga says Krit and you can never be princes because you're too good at being soldiers, but she could be wrong."

Zack frowned and blinked away a vision of Max as an innocent six-year-old. Tinga and the girls had nights where they sat around talking about princes and castles on the outside of the fence.

"Lydecker came in here last night when he thought I was sleeping." Max confided in Zack.

Zack panicked for a moment before he realized that Max was mixing the present with the past thinking about the time she had almost died from a bad fever. Zack remembered this conversation. "Lydecker came in, what did he have to say?"

"It's classified." Max giggled. "Well he thought I was asleep so mainly he just rambled and apologized for hurting me. I think he was back on the bottle. He was a little too emotional for my taste." Max grimaced.

"Maxie what is it?" Zack jumped where he was sitting and took her hand.

"Nothing." Max lied. Everything hurt her at once. "Emotions are a useless waste of time. Why would Lydecker waste his time on me?"

The conversation was going differently then Zack had remembered it. "How are you holding up Maxie?"

"I'm tired." Max yawned.

Zack tired a new tactic. "I talked to Jace today."

"So." Max shrugged Zack would have seen all twenty-eight of the others through the course of his day.

It was as Zack thought, Max thought they were all still at Manticore. Zack had to try and shake her out of that premise since Logan's presence had failed to do so.

"Jace's baby is doing very well." Zack said.

"She's naming that baby after me." Max grinned proudly.

Zack was at a complete loss, if Max knew and remembered that then how could she still think they were in Manticore. It didn't make since to him at all.

"You know Jace is on the outside?" Zack asked.

"Yes. She defected when she found out about the baby. She was afraid for Hectors life and the safety of the child." Max said truthfully.

"Max where are we right now?" Zack asked.

"In the officers quarters of the barracks." Max yawned. "You just told me that."

"Yes but where is the barracks?" Zack pushed his line of questioning.

Max made a face. "Are you feeling alright Zack?

"Of course Max." Zack nodded. "Answer my question."

"Are you testing me?"

"Sort of." Zack nodded.

"The barracks is in the Manticore facility in Gillette Wyoming sir." Max yawned her eyes taking on a sleepy glint.

"What happened in 2009?" Zack asked her.

"The pulse hit." Max said though a yawn.

"Anything else?"

"Seizures killed Jack and Eva was terminated, Manticore upped our daily medication."

"Anything else?"

Max shook her head blinking hard. "No sir."

"Interesting." Zack murmured. "And what year is it?"

"2020." Max yawned and closed her eyes.

"Where are the others?" Zack asked.

"In their respective barracks's."

"Why?" Zack really did want to know what Max's brain had cooked up for her.

"They put us in separate barracks when the heat cycles hit you, the oldest of us and gave us breeding partners which our mission is to get to know and be comfortable with." Max answered in a sleep-laden voice her eyes still closed.

Zack was at a loss again Max was definitely delirious. She was projecting things that they were taught would have happened to them before the escape into the future. Zack admitted defeat in getting her to realize the truth for now. She would probably just come back at him with some comment on how he'd been taking story-telling lessons from Ben. It could have happened in Max's world of delirium where they were all at Manticore alive and safe and she wasn't torn between the two men she cared for most in the world, she was safe where she was. Her mind had become her protector for a time when it couldn't handle Zack fulfilling the role.

"Get some rest Max." Zack patted her leg and then got up leaving the room. He felt he had to tell Logan what was going on. Zack owed it to Logan for all he'd done for him and Max over the last year. He needed to talk to Logan mainly because Zack didn't want the man thinking that Max had truly forgotten about him. Zack knew forgetting Max was impossible but having Max forget him would have been unbearable. He didn't want his newfound friend to feel that pain. Zack talked about Max's mental sate to Logan and Bling killing time until Hannah came to hopefully save the day.

*

Hannah found Jace in her room after she had finished talking to Logan. "Jace I'm going to Seattle today. I've got a friend Lucas Alex Geer, he's a kid actually only eighteen, but he's one of the best doctors I've ever seen. I'll leave as soon as he gets here."

Jace made a face. "Hannah I'm still an X-5 even if I'm with child. I could still take a normal person down. You can leave me alone for a while and I will be alright. Go help Max. Just describe the kid to me so that I know it's safe to let him in."

"No Jace-"

"No. Hannah this is not up for discussion. You're leaving now. Just tell me what this kid looks like."

"He wears glasses and a long white lab coat that he swears is a trench coat. He's got green eyes and light blonde, ear length hair that he always wears in spikes. He's a good kid and an even better doctor. He's little; very small for his age, which makes him, look even younger then he is. His little brother gave him the nickname sneaker because his initials are L.A. Geer ask for him by that name, not many people know about that." Hannah said.

"Or the fact that he will be coming here to watch over me." Jace said her hands coming to rest on her swollen belly. "I doubt that anyone will try and impersonate him. Trust me Hannah and go help Max." Jace turnned her back on Hannah to look out the window. The conversation was over as far as the X5 was concerned.

Hannah gathered her things and left briefly hugging Jace and patting her on the back before she locked the door behind herself. Jace allowed her mind to wander as she watched Hannah exit the building and flag down a cab.

Jace had been pregnant for only about four months and she was still getting morning sickness. The child inside her was growing fast her swollen belly and her aching back were constant reminders of that. These were the only things troubling Hannah about Jace's condition and the real reason she was under constant observation. Jace rationalized it all in a simplistic way. The typical human gestation period was nine months. Jace was human but also part feline. The typical gestation period for a feline was anything between 58-70 days. Not knowing which she fell closer to Jace took each day minuet by minuet. She was deeply angered at Hannah's refusal to take her with her because this was a time when she needed her family the most. Zack was always a source of strength, Tinga had already gone through this and neither seemed eager to help her. Chances were high that Zack hadn't even told the others about her yet. Jace had been left behind the night of the escape and the escapees had left her alone again. It just wasn't fair. Jace leaned her forehead against the glass of the window and cried for everything she had missed during the past eleven years.