Dark Angel: Brother Reborn

by Quick-n-Popular

As Max's Life goes somewhere positive she is visited by many people from her past, Zack in particular. Zack has awoken, again. But he's not alone, with his crew he's determined to have Max see how much he loves her and have Logan Cale die for his betrayl.

This is my first Dark Angel Fanfic, so please don't be brutal (unless I really screwed up on this one)

Note: For those who don't understand some things that have happened in here, and have only watched the two seasons, I strongly recommend the Max Allen Collins Books: "Before the Dawn", "Skin Game", and "After The Dark". This story proceeds those.

I love reviews, good and bad, so please give them to me.

Disclaimer: I've never own Dark Angel nor do I now. (Although that'd be really cool if I did). The only characters I can take credit for are the ones I've created for this story.

Enjoy!

Dark Angel: "Brother Reborn"

The night is cold and dreary but to Jeff it is heaven. Scaling a building he makes his way up to the rooftop. His heart pounding to the extreme, he ignores the early warning signs of fatigue as he makes his way to a third story window. Opening the window he quickly slides in, making no sound as his feet touch the floor. Much to his surprise the lights in the room go on and he quickly takes cover behind a couch. He watches over the top as a woman comes into view. Tall, blonde, and very athletic, she brandished a steel baseball bat as she scanned the room.

He hears her give a heavy sigh.

"You know, Jeff, leaving the window open is a dead give-away."

Jeff emerges, grinning broadly.

"Well, Tess, we've been designed perfectly but still have our flaws."

Tess returns the smile and approaches him with open arms. The two embrace affectionately, planting several kisses upon each other.

"You X5s, I swear it," She smiled, "So full of yourselves, yet honest to the last."

Jeff threw his red hair back and laughed, "Well, we can't all be perfect like you now can we?"

The two sat down on the couch in the over-furnished apartment.

"So, you want to tell me how your night went?" Asked Tess.

"I've found him, Tess."

Tess gave him a hard look.

"Are you sure? I thought you said you hit a cold trail?"

Jeff grinned, "He's living with a rancher on a place in southern Idaho. I saw his barcode, it's him."

Tess stared at him in wonder, "How did you find him?"

"Well, it wasn't easy. Like you said I was almost hitting a dead end finding him. A doctor at the hospital saw him leave. Then I went to his previous residence in Spokane and got his new address from a next door neighbor."

Tess got up and started pacing, thinking intently.

"We've got to pick him up. How soon can we get there?"

Jeff stood up and put his hands into hers.

"We'll leave tomorrow, ok?"

Tess kissed him again.

"Awesome, we'll leave in the morning and then round up the others. Jeff, this is so great! We'll finally be able to find her and then find him!"

Sitting atop the Space Needle, Max Guevera looked upon the city she had claimed home for more than a decade. She wasn't alone. Next to her, with his arm around her, was Logan Cale. Her man, her lover, and on numerous occasions her guardian angel. Although, he said it was more likely the other way around. Their relationship was a tricky one, it had undergone various obstacles and yet here they are.

A grin spread across her face.

"What are you so happy about?" Logan asked, also grinning.

"For the first time in my life everything has turned for the better and right now I'm expecting to wake up."

Logan kissed her hand as she in turn kissed the top of his spiky-haired head.

"You should be happy, Max. For someone who had to fight for so long to gain an identity and a life to go with it, you, above all people, deserve the happiness this shattered, post-pulse, world can give."

She loved this man. He loved her. The virus that held them back was no more than showering gasoline on an open flame; it was never meant to go out. Then Logan reached into the breast pocket of his shirt and pulled out a small, red velvet, colored box, he handed it to her.

"Tell me what you think of this."

Max opened it to reveal a stunning blue diamond ring.

The girl inside her squealed at the beautiful thing, but her mentor, Moody's, teachings about value overlapped it.

"A fourteen-karat gold band with two obsidian stones, each one next to a pear-shaped diamond. Excellent clarity. I could probably fence this for about twenty thou'."

Logan smiled and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Well, it's yours but there's a catch."

Max smiled, "What, does it have a curse? Oh, I see. It belongs to some poor, besmirched, 'Eyes Only' insider on the verge of testifying against another one of humanities tyrants of the oppressed"

He smiled again, this time showing his white teeth in an almost perfect Cheshire cat grin.

"No on all accounts. It has a question."

Max looked at him questioningly, "What question?"

Logan then got to his feet and then on one knee. His exoskeleton part of him whirring as it came into place. Max blushed into such a scarlet color her face could have been described as the surface of an apple.

"Max…Ever since I met you that night we've had adventures people either dream or dread of. You've not only filled my life with intrigue; you've also been filling an empty void left to go on by itself. On numerous occasions you've saved my life through either various means or the people you've welcomed into your heart.

Now, I have something other than my life to offer…My heart."

He took the ring from the box and ungloved Max and put his hand on top of hers.

"The question this ring has Max is…"

Logan gulped as he said it. "Will you marry me?"

Max's lower lip quivered as she felt she was going to wake up from this beautiful dream at any moment. This felt like her dream where her, Zack, Krit, Syl, Lydecker, and even Logan himself accomplished taking down Manticore then they all headed back to Crash and chilled. Later in the dream she and Logan were in bed with all the love she was feeling right now. Max pinched herself to see if this was a dream, if she had been shot again and was under the same mild delirium she was the first time she experienced such a wonderful vision. But she wasn't. Manticore's gone, Renfro's gone, and that sadistic son-of-a-bitch Ames White is gone. Now Logan is giving her more than mere hope, more than a future, he's offering her a life.

Max closed her eyes, which were swelling up in tears.

"Yes, I will." She softly whispered.

Logan slid the ring onto her naked finger and interlaced his fingers with hers and clasped tightly.

"The stones are supposed to be your eyes and the diamond your soul…"

She then kissed him to shut him up.

In Eagle, Idaho peacefulness seems to be its middle name. Other than the traffic and the occasional petty drug bust, it rarely had any disturbance what so ever. Adam Thompson liked it for that. The evening seemed to be more tranquil as he slumped off to the house to go to bed. He was exhausted. After wrestling a heifer who got loose from it's pen back into it and then being kicked in the leg by a mare who was determined to not let anything get between her and her colt; Adam was determined to sleep the day away into memory. This night's dream extrusion was the same as the others: it confused the hell out of him.

Adam dreamed he was inside some compound with a man who was in his face. A man with the utmost serious looks.

"Where are they Zack?"

Zack? Why was he calling him, Zack?

"Where's Jondy? Where's Max?"

Max? Who's Max?

Adam tried to ask these questions but the man either didn't hear them or was ignoring the questions all together.

His dream changed.

He was riding a bicycle next to the very same woman he saw at the hospital the day Buddy picked him up. The woman, who he thought he knew who claimed she had never before met him.

She seemed preoccupied. Then the two of them stopped at a café. They were sitting opposite from each other with her looking behind at a nearby phone booth.

Who is she?

The thought whacked continuously at his brain.

The image changed again.

In this dream the woman and him were in a cave; Adam noted how extremely pale he looked in this dream sequence. The other shocking thing was that Adam was…choking the woman.

"Zack's it's me." She said gasping for air, all the while struggling with his grasp.

"What are you doing here?" Adam heard himself ask.

"You're hurting me." She cried.

Adam yelled at himself to let go, but he wasn't doing it.

"He sent you." He said.

The woman looked as though she was going to pass out at any minute, "What are you talking about? You called me."

"You're trying to trick me." He said.

"I'm not trying to trick you. Lydecker's men are all over the place. We've got to get out of here.

Lydecker? Who or what's a Lydecker?

"He sent you here to bring me back, but it's not going to work. You've been turned. You're a threat to others." He said.

I sound like I'm more a threat to others than she is.

The woman, still choking, closed her eyes, "Zack…"

She then flipped him over her left shoulder and pinned him down to the floor with her foot on his chest.

"Don't move." She said.

"I knew it. I knew you were one of them."

"If that were true this would be the part where I call in a TAC-team and turn you over to Lydecker. But it's not true. I'm here because you asked me to come." She bit back.

Then Adam watched as he broke down and cried.

I'm really a mess.

"Max…" He croaked.

"What did they do to you?" She asked as she turned him over and looked at his disheveled form.

"I didn't tell them anything, Max…about you or any of the others."

Others? What others?

Again, Adam's questions went unanswered. Then the dream ended and another one began. This one showed Adam walking up behind a man, who was standing next to a building; the man looked nervous.

Adam pulled out a gun and pointed it to the back of the man's head. "How much is Lydecker paying you to get a hold of Max, Vogelsang?"

Vogelsang shuddered and seem to have wet himself, as his left leg seemed to quiver as liquid went out the pant leg. "I…I don't know what you're talking about, mister."

"Let me put it in a way your brain can understand. Lydecker tracked her to you, he put the pressure on you, you cracked, and now you're using her barcode as a means to get money from her, which will inevitably lead Max to a trap. Did you get all that?"

Vogelsang nodded vigorously.

"I'm sorry, Vogelsang. But, you're weak. You put her barcode in the paper, exposing her to Lydecker."

A barcode. Adam had one too. He found that out when he picked up a gorgeous blonde at a local bar and, during the night they had together, she pointed it out to him. Buddy told him that it was something he got when he was a wild teen. Adam wondered if that was what they were referring to.

"You're leading Max to a trap and as her brother, I can't allow that." He continued.

Brother? I'm a brother? To who?"

Then he shot Vogelsang in the back of the head, and then disappeared into the night.

I shot him? Why…what? What do these dreams mean?

The dream changed again to a hospital where the woman was in bed with doctors surrounding her.

Adam was yelling.

"Max!"

She wasn't responding.

Then the dream ended.

Adam awoke with sweat coating his entire head.

A knock was heard from the door.

"Adam? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, Buddy, just having dreams again."

Adam rolled over to the side and sat up looking at the wall where a cowgirl pin-up lay, which wasn't at all on his mind.

These dreams…What do they mean?

He decided to ask Buddy that in the morning.

Meanwhile, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, A woman sat in a seat in the emergency room. Her features, while exotic as some might say, her forehead said other wise as a gash was being stitched up by a CNR.

"Nasty wreck, from what I heard." Said the nurse threading the wound.

The woman smiled despite herself. Then a doctor came up to her. He was dressed in surgical scrubs and had a look of absolute calm about him. To the woman this wasn't a good sign.

"How are they?" She asked.

The doctor held her gaze then dropped it. "We've lost the boy, I'm sorry."

The color from her face washed away. Tears cascading down her perfect cheeks.

"And my husband?" She choked out the words.

The doctor avoided the gaze again.

"He's lost a lot of blood and there's significant cardio damage. One of his ribs has punctured through an artery. He's most likely not going to make the night."

The woman bit on her lip and buried her face in her hands; losing whatever strength she had on herself previously and let out muffled cries of agony.

The nurse decided to leave her and joined the doctor on the way out.

"Poor thing. Swerving to miss a deer only to hit a semi dead-on." Said the doctor.

The nurse nodded.

"Although," The doctor continued, "Not to steer the situation in a different direction, but, doesn't she look familiar?"

The nurse nodded again, "Her name is Samantha Newell, doesn't ring a bell, but she does look familiar."

The doctor shook his head, "I know I've seen her somewhere before."

The two left talking between themselves on who this "Samantha Newell" might be or where they might've seen her.

Samantha still had her face buried in her hands, though her cries have subsided a little, she only surfaced when a voice talked to her.

"I overheard what happened, I'm sorry. Here."

Samantha turned her face to see a short blonde haired woman offer her a Kleenex.

"Holy shit! Max? What are you doing here in Canada?"

Samantha finally got herself put together enough to accept the tissue and honked on it loudly.

"I'm not Max. I'm Samantha or X5-453. I'm her sister or clone, in the technical sense; who are you?"

"I'm Asha, a member of the S1W liberation group."

"I remember that group. Why are you here in Calgary?"

Asha smiled, "Well, most of us are stuck here until the heat goes down in the States. We are on the FBI's ten most wanted terrorist groups. Pheh, as if we were terrorists. Anyways, I'm here visiting one of my comrades who's working on the hospitals' kitchen staff."

Asha gave Samantha another tissue, as she looked so disheveled.

Samantha thanked her again, "So, how do you know Max?"

Asha grinned, "Well, she along with Logan helped me and my 'merry men' out of a tight jam. I also helped Logan try to find Max when she was captured by Manticore."

"Who's Logan?"

"Logan Cale is her boyfriend and an assistant to 'Eyes Only', I'm sure you've heard of 'E.O.'."

Samantha nodded, then paused.

"Does 'Logan' have spiky hair and glasses?"

Asha nodded.

The memory hit Samantha. When that asshole Agent White came barging into her San Francisco home attacking her, her husband, and their son. He struck a deal with Samantha for the safety of her family in exchange of the capture and handover of her estranged twin/clone. Doing so only to have her "sister" and her boyfriend get the jump on Samantha and then turn around and take out White and make it so she and her family here out of reach of White and his men. Now she had no family. Well, except her "sister."

"How's Max doing?" She asked Asha.

"Great, Actually." Asha told Samantha everything from the evil virus Max had been inflicted with to the death of Agent Ames White and the liberation of the transgenics from the siege that gripped them.

"Also, Max and Logan are getting married." Asha ended with a less than enthusiastic tone.

Samantha caught it; "I take it your not happy about that."

Asha smiled again, "Let's say that Max isn't the only one to have the hots for that spiky haired nerd."

Samantha allowed herself to laugh for the first time this day.

So, her life was ending and now her sister's was beginning.

Life's ultimate paunch.

Asha's cell started ringing.

"Sorry." Asha said to Samantha in apology and answered the phone. A minute or two later she turned aback to Samantha.

"That was my friend Tony. I'm going to go to Vancouver then to Seattle. What a mess to travel these days."

The doctor came out of the O.R. and said something to the nurse. Samantha didn't need to use her expert hearing to know what had been said. She had lost them both. Her family was dead. Then again maybe not.

"Hey Asha, could I tag along?"

Crash was hopping more than ever as the entire Jam Pony team and a handful from Terminal City, all coming to celebrate the third year anniversary of the truce that was made for these two particular groups to be able to coincide peacefully. When Max finally told Alec, O.C., and Sketchy about her engagement to Logan, the first response came from Alec.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

Original Cindy slapped him upside the head; "You shut up, dumbass. Boo, this is a big step for ya sistah."

"Why's that?" Max asked.

"Because, it means Original Cindy's going to have to be seen in a white dress."

They all laughed.

Sketchy had a pad and pen out and was immediately writing.

"What'cha Sketchin Sketch?" Asked Cindy.

" ' Transgenic Marries Ordinary: The breakthrough from the racial gap-a-mundo'" Sketchy beamed.

Max took the pad and tossed it over her shoulder.

"As if I didn't already have enough exposure on my life as it is, thank you."

Alec got up and retrieved the book and handed it back to Sketchy, while Max looked at him incredulously.

"Look Max, think how this will better the still shaky relationship that's between Transgenics and Ordinaries. A marriage between the two is worth reporting. It won't be another "Transgenic gets killed in hate crime" or "Ordinary gets killed mysteriously, police question local Transgenic". This is a story that will brighten a look into the future as opposed to making it look hard. This will make it clearer that a future exists with both of these groups. Plus, you need more exposure if you want that board seat, that is if you want it."

Max sighed, "When did you become such a humanitarian? To think when a time when you were looking out for number one."

Alec smiled. "Well, I think my annoying sibling X5-452 had to do something with it. Besides, I find it better to have people at peace rather than looking over your shoulder all the time. I'm happy to be apart of this."

Max smiled to herself. Yes, this would do more good than evil but she still felt uncomfortable with herself having been in a magazine article way too many times before.

"And as you know only good can come when Jah brings people to better understanding."

Everyone, minus Alec, turned to see who was talking and standing in the entrance to the back room, where they were all seated, was the one and only Herbal Thought.

Such a roar of welcoming came at him from Max, O.C., and Sketchy.

Max quickly introduced him to Alec as she ordered another pitcher of beer.

"It's been a sad day in Babylon man, where've you been?" Asked Sketchy.

"Well, after my boy, Snuffy's death, I've been going on a journey to better understanding, so I went to Canada."

Sketchy grinned, "Gone to where the grass was greener, my friend?"

"Not to mention legal." Said Cindy.

Herbal shook his head, "No, mon, the path to righteousness is not found by the herb onto which he breathe, but more to the path of inner enlightenment by taking that glorious road Jah has for us."

The beers came as Sketchy was scratching his head over his friend's words of wisdom and just as Max was about to sip she suddenly put down her glass and rushed to the rest room.

Everyone else at the table looked at each other questioningly.

Soon, Gem came to the party accompanied by Normal and Eve, who he had in a baby sling in front of him.

"Hi everyone, who's this?" Asked Gem indicating to Herbal.

Normal introduced them.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss." Said Herbal who kissed her hand.

"Whoa there, 'Herb', hand shakes are good too." Said Alec.

"Why you buggin?" Asked Cindy.

Before he could answer, Gem asked, "Where's Max?"

"Oh, she's in the bathroom probably ralphing, I swear this is like the third week in a row, we definitely need a cook at Terminal City." Mused Alec.

"That's impossible. The only places she eats is at Logan's or at the Transgenic Café." Said Sketchy.

"How do you know that?" Asked Cindy.

Sketchy shrugged, "I asked her awhile ago what was the food was like at Terminal City when I was writing about the differences in tastes between Ordinaries and Transgenics, apparently there isn't. Anyways, that's when she told me."

Gem put her hand to her mouth, "Oh, my."

"What? You're poisoning her?" Alec grinned.

"No… Oh, no. You guys…I think Max is pregnant."

Everyone went dead quiet.

Normal was the first to speak, "Is that what the big news she wanted to tell us?"

Cindy shook her head, "No Normal, she was announcing her engagement to Logan."

"Is that why they're getting married?" Asked Sketchy.

Alec shook his head, "I don't think even Logan knows; does Max?"

"I don't think so…I'm not sure." Said Gem.

Everyone went quiet again.

Max finally returned from the bathroom. She sensed the air.

"What happened?"

They all turned and looked at her with each face displaying a different emotion.

Finally, Cindy spoke, "Boo, Original Cindy and Gem need to take a walk with you."

Max was puzzled but mouthed "ok" and walked with them outside.

Cindy put a hand against the outside wall of Crash and took a deep breath and said, "Max, when was the last time you got freaky with computer boy?"

Max was about to tell off Cindy telling her it was none of her business but reconsidered after remembering how Cindy made her realize the error of her judgment when she felt betrayed by Logan's secrecy of not telling her about his involvement with her brother Seth.

"About a month ago, why?" She asked, not looking at them but more at the curb.

Cindy looked at Gem.

"C'mon you guys, what?" Max was starting to feel a slight irritated.

Gem was about to say something but stopped and looked away.

"We'll tell you later, girl. Go back in and have fun."

Cindy looked at Gem incredulously.

Max turned and headed back in, leaving a hushed argument between Cindy and Gem, which she didn't catch.

Heading back towards the back it seemed not only Herbal but others from her past had emerged and joined the festivities: Kendra, Krit, Syl, and a teenage boy who looked familiar but she couldn't place.

"Hi Max, it's me Jude, remember?"

Her mouth fell open. The little boy whom she saved from the hands of an extremist terrorist, not to mention also Lydecker's, now a smiling thirteen yearold.

"Wow. This feels like the ghosts of Christmas' past, you guys. I wonder, should I find a crutch and say 'God bless us everyone'?"

Everyone laughed heartily and Max felt that this was another one of those beautiful dreams, and just to be sure she pinched herself, and joined back in on the party.

"The pills aren't working, Buddy. What the hell is happening to me?"

Adam was sitting at the kitchen table with Buddy Thompson, his uncle, rubbing his eyes out of the weariness of not getting enough sleep.

Buddy sighed, " I'll call Dr. Carr tomorrow and see about getting a stronger dosage."

Ever since leaving the hospital in Seattle, Adam had been having these dreams; Dr. Sam Carr had prescribed him the needs to suppress them so they wouldn't wreck his sleep.

Adam looked hard at the table counter out of exhaustion.

"Adam, why don't you take this weekend off and I'll get Phil to cover for you." Buddy said resting a hand on Adam's.

"No, I'll be fine, besides, Phil's too sloppy."

"It wasn't a question, Adam."

Adam looked at Buddy hard, "Are you sure, Buddy? We're already behind as it is."

Buddy waived a dismissive hand; "It'll be fine. Go relax, go to a movie, or something."

Adam smiled; he really enjoyed how good Buddy Thompson was.

There was a knock at the door. Buddy got up walked across the room and answered it. A man with spiked red hair accompanied by a beautiful blonde woman was standing in front of the threshold.

"Is Zack here?" Asked the red haired man.

Adam stared at them.

Zack? Did he say Zack?

Buddy shook his head, "Nope, no one here by that name, maybe you try next door?" Buddy was just about to close the door when the red-haired man put his hand on it preventing Buddy from anything further.

The red haired man smiled.

"I hate being lied to." He said.

Then, without warning, he knee'd Buddy in the gut and then slammed his head into the wall creating a crater as Buddy's body limped down to the ground.

Adam ran out of the kitchen to the side door leading out to his blue Ford. Two people were waiting for him there, one an Asian woman, the other a bald man wearing sunglasses.

The Asian woman stepped forward.

"Good to see you again, Zack."

Adam shook his head, "No, you must have me confused with someone else. I'm Adam Thompson."

"You're wrong, we do have the right guy." The red-haired man came out of the house with the blonde woman trailing in his wake. "You are X5-599 also known as "Zack."

Then, each of them turned and showed their barcodes to Adam. The blonde woman was the only one who didn't.

"You can read these." Said the Asian woman.

Adam squinted against the sunlight and then let out a gasp, he felt like a very bright light blinded him. As if someone turned on a TV set in his head and started "surfing" as various images appeared. A place called "Manticore", him and eleven others escaping, him hiding out at a 'Boys and Girls Club', meeting Max, Lydecker catching Brin, Renfro killing Tinga, Max getting shot, and then Zack shooting himself in the head and landing on a near-death'd Max.

No longer Adam Thompson, Zack looked around the people that were around him. He looked at the red-haired man and grinned, "Nice to see you again, Jeff."

Jeff grinned back, "You too, bub."

The bald man smiled and took off his glasses.

"Don't tell me you don't remember me?"

Zack laughed, "I'm trying to Pete."

Zack then turned to the Asian woman and frowned, "What is she doing here?"

Jeff came between them and placed a hand in front of Zack, who looked like he was about to charge. "Whoa, Zack, Brin is off the Manticore payroll, she's cool."

Zack still didn't seem convinced; "She could be a spy for that Renfro bitch."

The blonde woman standing next to Jeff quivered when she heard him say this.

Jeff shook his head, "Not likely. You're behind the times my friend. Renfro's dead, Manticore burnt to the ground, and all done by X5-452."

"Max." Zack breathed.

Jeff nodded.

"She did it. She completed the mission." Zack paced around, feeling dazed. He stopped.

"Where is she?" He asked.

"In Seattle, about to get married." Chirped Brin.

Zack turned stone faced as his memories came back at him. A flurry of them flew in his mind and they all were of him and Max together, passionately. But, then there were others…Of Max and another man. A man with spiky hair and glasses.

"To whom?" He asked, coldly.

Pete answered, "To some guy named 'Logan Cale.'"

Zack turned and marched off to the direction of his truck.

"Wait! Stop! We need your help!" Said the blonde rushing after him.

Zack turned and looked at her, realizing he forgot she was with them.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Tessa Consuela Renfro."

"Renfro? You're related to that bitch?"

"Yes, but, you don't understand Ames White was getting my mother into horrible things and then he locked away my brother C.J." She looked like she was going to cry if she kept going.

Jeff hugged her and said, "You see Zack, Renfro's dead. The one thing that she had of absolute value, though, is a secret that's vital to all us X units."

Zack was getting tired of this. "And what was that?"

Jeff looked at Zack hard, "The location of Patrick Sandeman, the scientist/father of all of us."

Zack sighed deeply, "Jeff, what has that got to do with me? All I care about right now is Max and how to get to her. Besides, it might be another trap by Lydecker to reunite him with all of his hopeful soldiers."

"You didn't think I thought of that? Look Zack, I realize right now you're concerned about Max, but, we're your old team mates, and we could really use your help."

Zack shook his head, "Ok, I'll bite. Where do we start?"

Jeff grinned, "Now here's the good part. According to an ex-guard I met, he was in the same room with Renfro and Max before she bit the big one but wasn't there long enough to hear the entirety of their conversation. The thing is, though, the name "Sandeman" came up. Zack, don't you get it? Renfro told Max where Sandeman is located."

Max, Kendra, Cindy, Gem, and Syl were at a wedding boutique arguing the "reasonable" price for a veil with the cashier. He finally gave way out of desperation. They then started to look for dresses for four other bride's maid's dresses.

"So, how do you want us to dress?" Asked Kendra.

Max smiled, "Well, to be honest, if I had my way I'd have Alec and Mole as my 'Maids of honor.'"

They all laughed except for Gem who looked away.

"But," Max continued, "Since Alec's being Best Man for Logan and Mole's doing security work with Joshua, I'm thinking…Biker girls from hell."

This time Gem joined in on the laughter.

Max could not be happier than she was right now. Just her and her friends, laughing, and enjoying the moment.

"I still don't know if I want to do this." Said Syl, looking at a very fringe dress, "It's way too girly."

"Original Cindy's on board with that, this dress up shit is not on the level."

Max was about to make a remark when she saw Logan from the corner of her eye tapping on the window outside. She turned and waived at him. He, in turn, motioned her out with his finger. Max cocked her head to one side, trying to read the expression on his face. He didn't look worried, but he did look thoughtful.

Oh, god. She thought. He's probably got another 'Eyes Only' job for me. Shit.

She decided to go outside and meet him and soon both Max and her posse were right out of the store to see him. Him and…Asha.

Asha's face was a different matter she both looked happy, in a polite sort of way, and thoughtful to when she met Max.

"Hi Max, congratulations."

"Thank you." Said Max, though, in her head was thinking of ways to brag about her triumph.

Logan interrupted it immediately, "So, I got her out here. What did you want to tell us?"

Asha went to the car parked across the street and tapped on the passenger-side glass and came back up with another person.

This "person" made everyone in Max's tow gasp.

"Hi Max, Logan, congratulations."

It was Samantha, X5-453.

It went quiet for too long. Max finally spoke.

"I thought you were in Canada?"

Samantha smiled, "Boy, sis, your eyesight has gotten poor. Everyone else here can see I'm here."

But what about your husband and son?"

As if saying the magic words, Samantha broke down into tears.

Uh oh. Thought Max.

Max also noted to herself that her twin had a scar, a rather large one at that, above her right eye.

Asha patted Samantha on the back and gave Max and Logan the "I'll tell you later" look.

Samantha quickly got herself back together, wiped away a tear and, to Max's surprise, came over and hugged her.

"So, I hear you're getting married."

"That's the rumor." Smiled Logan.

Samantha turned and looked at him in mock seriousness.

"You and I need to have a little chat. You know, to see if your intentions are good."

Logan smiled in return.

At a truck stop, fueling up, Zack and company waited around while Jeff and Tess were getting provisions.

"Pete, what has Max been up to while I've been away?" Asked Zack.

Pete took off his glasses and wiped sweat off his bald head; sighing, "Well, from what I heard, she has totally revolutionized the once ill-defined 'Terminal City' to be a safe haven for all us Transgenics. From X-1's on up, well that is, with the exceptions of X2s because there aren't any. Now, because of her, all Transgenics are considered citizens of the Seattle area."

Zack shook his head in wonderment. He remembered her being so damn stubborn about staying in Seattle when he first met her, refusing to budge when Lydecker was getting closer to nabbing her. Now, not only had she still remained, she was being considered the welcoming beacon for any Transgenic. God, how he loved her for her impulsiveness and kind-heartedness. Now, she was getting married to Logan. Her only failing, her continuing failing was not seeing that guy for who he really was. A saboteur, a two-faced son of a bitch, a traitor, and many more names that gave birth into Zack. Now he was going to correct that. In no way was he going to let events repeat as they had in the past. He will NOT fail Max again. He will NOT let Logan Cale ruin her life as he has before.

Inside the store, Jeff and Tess are pulling self-heating meals and cold sodas into a small basket. Tess looks out the window seeing Zack and Pete talking with each other. Tess sighs heavily.

"What?" Asked Jeff, who was grabbing a large package of marshmallows.

"I don't know, Jeff. This guy, "Zack", seems more interested in '452' than helping us track down my father."

Jeff put twelve bottles of Tryptophan into the basket and shrugged, "So what, he's a little preoccupied right now, The results are going to end up the same, we'll still find her and get the info that we need. Why are you upset?"

Tess glared at him, "Excuse me, I'm not 'upset'. I just wish he was more focused on what we're trying to achieve here rather than worry about an old crush of his."

Jeff put a handful of gum in the basket as he brought it up to the counter.

"One thing you're going to have to understand, Tess, is that telling Zack to not to think to worry so much about Max is impossible. It would be like telling a priest not to worry about what God thinks of him after he looks too long at a woman with an open blouse that's coming in for Morning Prayer. Back at Manticore, Zack was our leader, he was insistent on being 'big brother' to the lot of us. Max was a different story, though. A lot of us expected he was more concerned about her than he was about his entire unit. Seeing his reaction back at that farm, I think, confirms it."

"See, my point exactly," Tess poked Jeff on the chest, repeatedly, " How can we be sure he'll pull through for us?"

Jeff smiled, "That day, that glorious day when they escaped. All of us, even those of us, who stuck behind, were amazed that Zack was the one who was pulling this off. You have to understand, Tess, that Zack was considered the 'Transgenic poster child'. You can imagine how stunned everyone was to see his or her leader do this. Bottom line, Tess, when Zack's given a goal he'll do what ever it takes to make the goal. When he gets what ever he needs from Max, he'll be with us to the end."

Tess grudgingly accepted this. As they headed back out to the truck, she couldn't help but worry that something was going to happen that contradicted what Jeff said about Zack.

Late that night at her crib, Max and her clone/twin Samantha sat down with coffee in their hands. Max watched her look absent-mindedly out the window, behind her.

"Got a lot on your mind, Samantha?" Max asked.

Samantha smiled, "Call me 'Sam', please."

Max smiled, "Ok, Sam."

Sam smiled, "To answer your previous question, Yeah, I do. I never knew a life alone like this for a very long time."

Sam took another sip of her coffee, then setting it aside, reached into her pocket and fished out a cigarette and a lighter.

Max laughed, "You know, this is the part where you say, 'Mind if I smoke in here?'"

Sam had already lit her cigarette and took a huge drag. "I'm sorry, what?"

Max shook her head, "Never mind. So tell me what made you want to come and see me. I thought you were determined to hate me till Judgment Day?"

Sam laughed, "Well, that was the idea. Until…"

She took a deep breath, "…Until Gary and Loren died. Gary and I were having an argument about my past, about being born in a laboratory, until a deer came in front of us. I swerved and missed it only to meet a truck dead-on that was coming around a street corner."

Max held her breath and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Sam nodded, "I was so content on blaming the whole damn thing on you. It was easy. My twin ruined my life. You had, always had, the high road, and me, the low road. Then, at the hospital, Asha came and thought I was you. On our trip to Seattle she told me everything that had come your way: avoiding Lydecker countless times while saving your brothers and sisters. Getting shot and then escaping death; breaking out of Manticore again; inflicting the love of your life a terminal virus, getting rid of the bitch virus; and then uniting all freed transgenics. You then made us recognized as non-hazards to your way of life to the entire world."

Max nodded.

"You see, Max? You've been completely unselfish and divine. I, however, remained a complete gutter bitch and blamed my twin for everything that went wrong in my life. Look how I've turned out!"

Max blushed, "Sam, you got the better part. You haven't been hiding for almost twelve years, you had found a man you could love that you didn't have to conceal your thoughts from or have poisoned with your genetic code. You had a little boy, you didn't have…my life."

Sam put her hand on Max's arm.

"Max, you have it all wrong. I've spent my whole life, up to this point, blaming you for everything that went wrong. What kind of life is that? Asha told me you dropped everything about you on Logan when you first met him; I spent three years not telling Gary or Loren anything about me until the day you and I reconnected. No, Sis, you've made the right decisions in life. I haven't."

Max looked down at her cup, not knowing how to respond to this.

"But, why did you come back?" She asked.

Sam smiled, "I just lost my husband and son. Now's not the time to start grieving about what I lost. I'm liking the idea more of what I could gain here by being with my sister. Its time to stop whining and start living."

The next day, Max suddenly felt ill. In her mind, this had to be the fifth week she had spent her time in the bathroom with her head in the toilet. Cindy had gone to stay the night at a friend's house, so Max and Sam had the apartment to themselves.

"Are you ok?" Asked Sam.

Max turned her head and saw Sam standing in the doorway.

" 'What goes in must come out' must be the pre-pulse expression."

"I guess." Said Sam, looking totally grossed out by the situation. "I think you should stop drinking for a very long time."

Max wiped her mouth as she got up, "Yeah, I think you're right.

Later, as soon they got fixed up, the two rode on Max's Ninja to Jam Pony Express. Max's old job since she arrived to Seattle from Los Angeles.

Upon entering, Sam asked, "So, you worked here?"

"Yup. Best job there is to get around the city."

They went up to the front desk where, in his crew-cut hair and horn-rimmed glasses, stood Reagan Ronald a.k.a. "Normal".

His back as to them, so, Max cleared her throat.

Normal spun around and almost lost his balance as he stared at the two of them.

"Holy God in Heaven, there are two of you."

Max grinned, "That's right Normal. This is my twin sister, Sam. Can she work here?"

Normal rubbed his eyes, "Now how the 'fire truck' am I going to tell the difference between you two?"

Max hadn't thought about it.

Sam did. She lifted up her arm and drew back the sleeve to reveal an iron cross tattoo. "I also smoke." She added.

"Well not in here, missy; on your own time. Now, Cindy can show you your locker and I think we have an extra bike around here. In a couple of minutes I'll have a package ready so hurry. Bip, bip, bip!"

Max and Sam left to go find Cindy.

" 'Missy'? 'Bip, bip, bip'? What the hell is he?" Sam asked.

"I've never found out to this day." Max sighed.

Cindy was over by the locker ratting on Sketchy.

Max whistled at her, both Cindy and Sketchy came bounding over.

Sketchy stopped dead in his tracks, when seeing her and Sam.

"Uh, Max, care to explain why I'm seeing two of you and I'm not even drunk?"

"Well, you being an idiot aside, this is my twin, Sam."

Sam shook Sketchy's hand, having met Cindy already.

"She's going to work here, so, show her the ropes."

Cindy grabbed Max's arm, "Wait, Boo, you're not staying?"

Max shook her head, "No, I've made an appointment with Dr. Carr to find out why I've been so sick lately, but I'll chill with guys at Crash later."

As Max left, Sam pulled out a cigarette and started puffing.

"Hey, Hey! What did I tell you?" Chirped Normal.

Sam gave him a side look, "I'm on my break, get over it."

"…This cable hack will last up to sixty seconds, it cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it's the last free voice left in this city. Roman Devilin, who you all believe to be a patron saint of charitable work, is actually an embezzler to the gang called "The White Circle". Millions upon millions that should have been spent on medical supplies for VA hospitals, now goes to this group, which is responsible for supplying the weapons to the very enemies that put those soldiers in the hospitals…"

Having finished the "Eyes Only" broadcast; Logan sat back in his chair and sighed.

Once married, would he have time for this?

His cell rang.

"This is Logan." He answered.

"Mr. Cale? This is Jennifer Whitrock, Head Residential Nurse, at St. Alphonses Hospital. One of our patients asked us to call you, sir."

"I'm sorry, 'one of your patients'?" Logan asked.

"Yes sir. He was brought to the ER last night. His name is Buddy Thompson."

Logan almost dropped the phone, "Buddy? Is he ok? What happened?"

"Well, we're confused by that, Mr. Cale. According to him, a horse kicked him, but looking at his x-rays and the heavily induced bruising on his stomach I'd have to disagree with him. It looks more likely that he was beaten severely by someone."

Logan stared at the floor, his mind racing.

Jennifer continued, "He has a message for you, Mr. Cale. This message, I think, confirms what I believe about his injuries. His message is: 'Zack's coming home and he's not alone.'"

Dr. Samuel Carr thought of himself as a no nonsense person, that anything beyond what he was taught at med school was just a joke. Of course, all that changed when a spinal trauma patient of his introduced him to a Max Guevera. Suddenly, everything he was taught was either laughed at or was ignored by this woman's genetic structure. Her super abilities, to which he had noted on a separate occasion, really made him flustered over what more he had to learn now. The same woman in question was waiting for him in the examining room. Sitting on the patient bed, reading a movie magazine while humming harmoniously to herself.

"Hey Max, haven't seen you in a while, what's up?" Dr. Carr said as he came into the room.

Max put down the magazine, "Well, for starters, I've been throwing up in the mourning, a lot, for the past five weeks."

Dr. Carr nodded as he was writing everything verbatim on his clipboard.

"Any other symptoms?" He asked.

Max shrugged, "Stress, but, I'm not really concerned about that because I think it's due to what's been happening lately. The only other thing I can think about is that lately…" She paused.

"Lately, what?" Dr. Carr asked.

Max looked down to the floor and then slowly up back to the Doctor. Her appearance made her look as if she was a teenager admitting to another one that she had a crush on him.

"Doc, do my…breasts look bigger to you, than when we last met?" Max blushed.

Dr. Carr smiled in surprise. Not because of the question but how Max asked it.

"To be honest, Max, 'looking' has been more of a rarer occurrence for me." Although he did admit to himself that when he had met Max, she struck him as a very beautiful and voluptuous woman. "I take it they seem bigger to you?"

Max nodded.

"Is it just the size or are there other things?" He asked.

Max inhaled deeply, "They've become very…sensitive. Last night, I could barely change out of my clothes…it was difficult."

Dr. Carr stopped writing.

"Max, when was the last time you had your period?"

"I don't get them." She shrugged.

"You mean you've stopped?"

"No. I don't have a menstrual cycle. Remember, Doc, I was made to be an 'all that you can be' soldier. To them having a 'monthly cycle' is considered a weakness. So, in the science lab they fixed that. Why do you ask?"

Dr. Carr paused. He turned his back to her then turned back around again.

"No reason, just checking. So, why don't we hook you up with a small dosage of ibuprofen and maybe some 'pepto' for the stomach. In the mean time, in regards to the stress, take sometime off. You've certainly earned with all that you've done."

Max nodded. Getting off the table she grabbed the prescription, that he held out, muttering "thanks" as she left.

Dr. Samuel Carr stood in the, now, empty room with his thoughts. Why didn't he tell her what he suspected? In the many years of his profession he had told countless number of people that they were pregnant; hell, he's told that same amount of people that they were going to die! So, why was it impossible to tell Max Guevera that she might be pregnant?

The medical student in him chirped: Because, she's not normal. She's a Transgenic. She might have a different physical and reproductive structure than us "Ordinaries". Dr. Carr smiled to himself. One of these days he would love to write up a thesis about the health and well being of a Transgenic.

Sitting at the Transgenic Café, Alec, also known as X5-494, conversed across the table to Gem, another X5.

The bell above the entrance chimed as Logan came in. He wildly looked around until he spotted Alec.

"Alec, have you seen Max?" Logan was sweating quite profusely and looked extremely pale.

Alec shook his head, "Sorry, no. You look like hell, Logan."

Gem got up and offered him her seat; "I'll brew you up a cup."

Logan thanked her and immediately sat down. As Gem brought Logan the cup she sat down next to Alec, they watched as, the usually calm, Logan Cale shakily drank.

Alec put a hand on Logan's wrist, "Logan, calm down. What's wrong?"

Logan stared at his cup and said slowly, "Zack…he's come back…and he's on his way back here to Seattle."

Gem watched as the two exchanged worried glances.

"Who's Zack? Why is his coming back a great concern for you two?" She asked.

Logan and Alec explained about Zack from when he first arrived in Seattle, to where he sacrificed his life in order to save Max's, finally to when he was resurrected and was brain-washed to believe that Logan was a target for termination.

"…So, I placed him with an 'Eyes Only' correspondent and had him set on a new life. It was all good until I got a phone call today telling me he reawakened and apparently is not alone in his homecoming." Logan continued to drink his coffee.

Alec looked out the window, "Should we really tell her?"

Logan stared at him, "What?"

"I mean, she's already on a lot right now: running for district office, the marriage preparations, reunited with her twin, Sam, and…"

Gem gave Alec a "Don't-you-dare" look.

Logan looked between them, confused, "And…what?"

Alec waived a hand in the air, "Nothing. The point I'm trying to make is does she really have to know? Can't we manage this by ourselves?"

Logan shook his head, "I don't know. This is Zack we're talking about; it goes deep to the bone with her. Not to mention I almost screwed up big time when I didn't mention my involvement with Seth to her; how well do you think she'd take this?"

Alec didn't have a response to this.

Gem did, "Well, yeah, that was a big personal issue for the two of you. This is different though, right? Zack believes you to be a threat and regards Max as something that needs to be saved; Seth wasn't like that. Can't you just sit him down and try to distinguish what's real and what's a fabricated illusion to him?"

Logan shook his head, "Not that I know of. Manticore really did its job on him and it may be irreversible. Look, I appreciate your thoughts on this but I'd rather just tell Max. We already have had a difficult time being together; I don't want to ruin it."

With that being said, Logan muttered "Good-bye" then headed out the door.

Gem looked to Alec, "What do you think?"

Alec shrugged, "He's right, I guess. Max is too damn single minded when it comes to her "brothers and sisters"."

Gem nodded.

"But," Alec continued, "It wouldn't hurt to have Joshua and Mole to be given the heads up on this; hell, since Zack has a posse coming, might as well inform all of Terminal City."

Zack was getting tired. His eyes dazily looked at a passing sign saying "Seattle 165 miles". Going about ninety down a seventy-five mile per hour highway at one thirty in the morning, Zack was using every measure to stay awake.

"You look bushed, want to change?" Brin was sitting opposite him, more livid than the sleeping trio in the back.

"Sure," He gave in, "Hold on a sec." Zack pulled over and they exchanged places. Brin immediately went back to the same speed.

Zack watched her curiously. She appeared different than the one he and Max saved from dying from a genetic anomaly.

"Brin, I've got to ask, did you ever blame me or Max for handing you back to Lydecker?"

Watching the road and speeding to pass two semis', Brin looked Zack in the eye.

"Never." She answered.

Zack closed his eyes in relief but soon as he did another image pitched in, that of Tinga exchanging herself for the cure to her ailing son by Lydecker.

"One more question; why did Renfro kill Tinga?"

Brin stared at him hard, "What do you mean?"

Zack swallowed what he was about to say hardly believing it himself considering where it came from, "Lydecker told me, Max, Syl, and Krit that Renfro was responsible for Tinga's death."

Brin shook her head, "No. Lydecker was lying. It was him who killed her. She was undergoing treatment for an anomaly in her genetic sequence, then Lydecker destroyed the tank she was in, cutting her off from life and vital support."

This time Zack shook his head, "No. Max did, trying to free her."

Brin slowed down as she gaped, open mouthed, at Zack.

"Max? Max did? But then why…" She looked back at Tess who was snuggled next to Jeff.

She remained quiet for the next ten minutes until she sighed deeply.

Zack, who was about to drift off, jumped.

"Sorry." Brin apologized.

Zack stretched as he repositioned himself in his seat.

Brin took another sigh, much quieter this time.

"Why Max, Zack?" She asked, not looking at him.

"What?" He replied.

"Why Max? What is it about her that's making you so damn obsessive?"

This time it was Zack's turn to sigh as he looked at Brin then back to the road.

"She was the only one who understood life outside Manticore better than me. I guess Manticore never really left me when I got out; I was still acting out as a soldier than as a human being. That and…her compassion. When we had first met she really didn't know who I was, nor did I know who she was until some time. When she did find out she held me in such a way that I felt like I was regaining some sort of humanity that was lost from me, for some reason. Then, when Lydecker captured me, she risked her very freedom and anonymity by coming to rescue me on the outskirts of Manticore. Even then when I blew it by exposing my knowledge of the other X5s and where they were she helped me warn them. I'm still not sure how I've survived after putting a bullet into my skull, but I'm pretty sure she helped. I love Max because she's done so much for me; ME, the one who's supposed to after everyone else; and she's never asked for anything in return except for me to be there when she needed me. I love her, and I know she loves me."

Brin closed her eyes as if trying to hold something back, what it was Zack wasn't sure.

"So, what's your plan? Kill King Arthur and rescue Gwenivere?" She asked.

Zack caught the sarcasm, but ignored it; "Logan Cale is the worst thing that has happened to her. I'll expose him for what he is…and then I'm going to kill him."

After telling Joshua and Mole the whole "Zack" story, Alec stood back and waited for the reaction.

Joshua didn't fully understand.

"Why does little-fella's brother want to kill Logan?"

Mole rolled his eyes, "Because, Manticore brain washed him."

Joshua scratched his head; "Brain washed?"

Alec rubbed his eyes; he couldn't believe he was using his time for this, "In other words, Joshua, he's been 'tricked'."

Joshua nodded, finally grasping the concept.

Mole asked, "So, what's the assignment?"

Alec shrugged, "Shadow game. Protect her but make sure she doesn't see you."

Mole lit up another cigar. "Gotcha." He replied and sat down next to his dog-faced comrade and started laying out how they should go about it.

"What's going on?"

Alec spun around so fast that he thought he was going to lose his balance. Coming inside was Max accompanied by Sketchy.

"Uh, nothing, just hanging with the boys. Oh, Logan's looking for you, Max."

'Max' then put a cigarette in her mouth; she grinned, "Guess again."

Alec looked down and laughed, "Whoa, when did you get back, X5-453?"

"A couple of nights ago, and stop calling me by my goddamn designation, its 'Sam', remember?"

Alec's memory vividly went back to when he was looking for Joshua and found him in Terminal City, that's where he met Luke and Dix who had a video monitoring system which led to saving Max and Max's twin's family from Ames White.

"Ah, shit!" She said loudly; she turned to Mole. "Hey, lizard-boy, got a light?"

Mole hated being referred to as a lizard, or any reptile for that matter, but he set that aside as he welcomed the idea of another smoker here. He handed her his lighter.

After lighting up, and taking a huge drag, Sam turned to Alec.

"So, what's up? What's this about a guy who's coming after soon to be "Mr. 452"?"

Alec laughed then told her everything he told Mole and Joshua, while Sam just continued to puff away on her cigarette. When he finished, she turned to Mole and Joshua.

"What're you guys packin'?"

Mole grinned, "Old stuff, mostly: a Winchester, an old Uzi, and a semi-automatic grenade launcher." Mole pointed his thumb at Joshua, "This boy don't need fire power, but does fine with his .45."

Joshua blushed a deep crimson.

Alec watched as Sam finished her cigarette and then put it out on her bicycle.

"I'm in." she said, "So that makes three to protect the king and queen?"

"Make that four." Alec didn't know why he was doing it.

The two of them sat down next to Mole and Joshua and started planning.

After picking up her prescriptions, Max went home to her apartment and was surprised to see her former roommate Kendra there waiting for her. Kendra was looking around the apartment in awe.

"Wow," She said, "Since Original Cindy moved in it's hard to see where MY tracks were."

Max smiled as the two sat down.

When they did, Kendra went on how everything with Eastep was: how he lost a ton of weight and how he was leaving the force to go and take language classes with her. Max smiled more as Kendra went on, feeling a little nostalgic since this airhead had moved out and into the home of an idiot who shook them for change in the past. Kendra then went on how surprised she was hearing that Max was a Transgenic and how she didn't think ill of her after hearing the fact. Later she talked about how she ran into Jude who's foster dad died of a heart attack and then how she and Eastep adopted him.

When she finished, Max really had to pee. Before getting to the bathroom, though, Kendra stopped her.

"Listen, honey, I'll listen some more after I've lighten my load." Max said, squirming.

Kendra smiled, "It's not that." She went into the kitchen and grabbed a bag off the counter, reaching into it she extracted a small rectangular shaped box.

"Here." She said, giving the box to Max.

Max read the cover, "First Sign: Pregnancy Test."

"What's this for?" She asked, pushing the box back to Kendra.

Kendra pushed it back, "Just try it, ok?"

Max laughed, "Kendra, I'm not pregnant. I've just been sick, lately; that's all, girl."

Kendra gave her an unconvinced look. "Oh, really? What are your symptoms?"

"Well…feeling sick in the morning for one, stress, and for some reason my boobs seem bigger. Like I said, I'm just sick."

Kendra shook her head, "Max, what you just described is what Jacinda went through when she was carrying Omar."

Max stared at Kendra; "You're serious?"

Kendra nodded, "Yup, had to hold her hair back too."

Max thought about this.

Could it be?

Then her thoughts raced to when she was outside of Crash where Cindy and Gem had asked her when she had sex with Logan to Dr. Carr's office with him asking when her last period was.

"Has everyone known but me?" She asked Kendra.

Kendra nodded, "We all guessed but weren't sure how to tell you."

Max closed her eyes and sat down. Then her bladder reminded her of her previous urgency.

She picked up the box and looked at Kendra, "So, how does this bitch work?"

"You take out the stick and you pee on the metal end."

Max looked at her, awkwardly, "You what?"

Kendra giggled, as a child would've whom a parent had tickled. "You heard me." She said.

Max, still confused by it all, went to the bathroom.

Three minutes later she emerged with the stick in front of her. She still looked confused.

"Well?" Asked Kendra.

Max looked down at the stick then back at Kendra.

"What does a plus sign mean?"

Kendra looked as though she was on the verge of tears.

"Oh no." Said Max, looking down at the stick, "It's bad isn't it?"

Kendra walked up to Max and threw the stick into a nearby trash bucket.

"Max," She breathed, "You and Logan are going to be mother and father to someone."

As if someone had hit her with twenty tazars, Max fell to her knees on the barley-carpeted floor. Kendra sat down next to her. Hugging Max gently, she rocked her back and forth, with Max still feeling as though the ground was still falling from beneath them.

The moment was postponed when there was a knock at the door.

"Max?"

Logan. Max thought.

"We're in here, c'mon in." Called Kendra.

Logan came in, looking extremely worn out, but he noticed Max looking pretty much the same.

"You alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She lied. She gave Kendra the "Don't tell him, let me" look, which Kendra picked up.

Logan sat down next to Max and tried to regain his breath.

Max noticed he was extremely pale and seat had flattened his, usually, spiky hair.

"Logan, you ok? What happened, you're a mess!" Max said.

Logan nodded, "I've been trying to find you all over town for two days. When will you learn to stay in one place?"

Max smiled, "I'm sorry. I've been kind of all over. A lot of people have wanted me over since the news of my engagement. I spent the night over at Syl's last night. Sorry."

Logan rolled his eyes out of bewilderment.

Max focused back at what was at hand, "Logan, why were you searching for me?"

Logan seemed to have gotten enough air, as he leaned forward and took Max's hands into his.

"We have a problem," He said, looking at her with those dead-serious blue eyes of his, "Zack is back. In mind and soon in town."

Zack stepped into the Seattle afternoon; stretching the trip from his body, he watched, as his companions did like wise.

Jeff walked up to Zack and put his hand on Zack's shoulder.

"Well, Bud, we're here. Where do we start?"

Zack looked in every direction, trying to regain his barring and know where he was. He saw a corner street market nearby called "Ramone's Market." The light switched on.

"Well, Terminal City is four blocks northeast from here, her old job 'Jam Pony Express' is in sector two to the went, and her apartment is two blocks away from us."

"What about Logan Cale? Where does he crash?" Asked Brin.

Zack's eyes narrowed at the name, "He's in sector two, also."

Jeff nodded, "Ok, let's see if we can hit place-by-place." He pulled out five walkie-talkies. "Give a holler if you spot her or the aforementioned: Logan, Krit, Syl, Lydecker, Sketchy, or Original Cindy; You've all been briefed about their appearances. If any one of these people have been sighted you are to question only. Do not, I repeat, do not kill any of them."

They all nodded in an agreement.

Logan's a different matter, though. Thought Zack.

Pete went north to terminal City, while Jeff and Tess went to Max's apartment, leaving Brin with Zack.

Zack turned to Brin, "I've been meaning to ask you, the twelve of us that escaped that night, yourself included, how many did Lydecker and Renfro recapture?"

Brin thought about it. "Let's see…Well, Pete was one, they caught him about six years ago, only to have him escape again. Seth died. Ben died. Nix got captured before Manticore burnt down…That's about it."

Zack shuddered. Seth and Ben were dead. If he ever got hold of Lydecker…

"So, where're are you going?" Brin interrupted his vindictive thoughts.

"I'll go to 'Jam Pony', call if you see her."

Brin nodded and headed south.

As Zack left, a camera above the corner market whirred. Unbeknownst to the five who left their whole activity and conversation had just been viewed and heard.

Back at Terminal City, in front of a dozen screens, Luke and Dix were looking at the one that had shown the current event.

"Better call Mole and Clare, Dix." Dix nodded and left. Luke sat back in his char, slowly rocking back and forth.

"Huh, and just to think, we thought this day was going to be boring and tedious." Said Luke, grinning.

Pete, X5-746, had never liked Seattle; too many fucking people, in his mind. Marching up and across the streets the crowds were becoming denser. He stopped in front of the gate that read: "Bio-hazard: Do not enter." A sign, crudely written, underneath it said: "Unless a Transgenic". Pete leaped over the fence and hid behind a ruined Buick. Looking around no one seemed to be outside.

What the hell. He thought. They're not expecting me; might as well act as a stray and mix in with the other mongrels.

Pete then put his hoodie over his bald features and hunched himself to look homeless. He walked closer to the main building until he could hear voices; he then put more into the act as he started to swagger. A female, possibly X5 or X6 came running up to him.

"Are you ok? Welcome to Terminal City, are you a Transgenic?" She asked.

Pete nodded.

"Well, walk this way then. I'm Clare, X5-282. Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Pete looked at her and grinned, "Wow, Clare. Don't you look pretty."

She dropped him, "Pete, you're such an asshole! You could've told me it was you instead of putting on such a damn act!"

Pete got up and dusted himself off, he smiled at Clare, and said, "Now, this is the kind of welcoming I remember from you; thrown to the dirt and being bitched at. God, how I've missed it."

Clare's smile dropped, "Well, I'm afraid its going to stop…for awhile, at least."

Before Pete could inquire what she meant by that, five guys pinned him down from behind and handcuffed his wrists to his ankles.

"Sorry Pete, but we're not letting you guys any where near Max or Logan." Clare said stiffly.

Jeff and Tess made their way up the stairs to the third floor. Tess stopped at the landing to catch her breath; she tried to apologize while trying to breathe. Jeff helped her up and kissed he forehead lovingly.

Tess smiled as she thought of the time when both were young and this "soldier" brought her wild flowers every time he went out on a fake mission. The night the rest had escaped, he remained to be close to her. Love at nine years old. Before Manticore burnt, Jeff had persuaded Renfro to let him escort her daughter to her car, not knowing that he was stowing away in it. The two have been together since. This mission of theirs has been too. Ever since she was young, Tess had longed to see her father again. Her mother seemed more interested in her work than to help persue this, so she told Jeff about her secret desire. What made her fall more in love with him was how willing he was to help her out with this and how he once told her that 'he would never sleep until they were joined back together'.

Going into the room, Jeff smiled.

"What is it?" Asked Tess.

Jeff stroked the Ninja motorcycle and smiled broader. "I can't believe our babysister has been here for so long." He then laughed, "She was always so damn head strong and self assured."

The one thing Tess envied most was Jeff's love of his siblings.

"Max, ya home, Boo?" Came a voice from another room.

Jeff motioned Tess and she took her place on one side of the doorway while Jeff took the other.

Tess reached around to the side of her waist and extracted a nine-inch stiletto knife and poised it out in front of her.

The black woman yawned, sleepily, as she stepped out.

Tess grabbed hold of one of the woman's arms and pressed it against her back as she drove the woman to the wall. She then put her knife between her teeth as she used her other hand and did likewise with the woman's other arm. She then held the two arms, forcefully, together as she took the knife back into her other hand and placed in front of the woman's throat.

"Well, well, Original Cindy, isn't it? My name is Jeff and this wonderful little number is Tess; Isn't she cute?"

Cindy tried to retort something nasty back but Tess applied more pressure against Cindy's throat.

"Now," Jeff said as sat down in the only chair in the room, "Let's talk. Where's Max, Cindy?"

Cindy's mind raced and then she answered, "Crash. She hangin' at Crash."

The signal from Jeff let Tess loosen her grip a little and the blade moved away from Cindy's neck about an inch and a quarter.

That's all Original Cindy needed. Tapping back into her Army training, she jerked her head forward so the throat met the knife again, she then lunged her head back and hit Tess full on the face, knocking her backwards. Then in the same quick motion, Cindy placed her feet behind Tess' and the two fell like dominos. Tess still had the knife and she raised it high.

Then a soft 'whish' sound came and a dart hit Tess in the back of the neck. She toppled over to the side. A second one flew right by Cindy and hit Jeff in the chest. He was about a foot away, coming over to stop the fight between them. He too toppled over.

Cindy looked over her shoulder to see Mole chomping on a cigar.

"Hey Mole, baby, how's it hangin'?" Cindy greeted.

"Hard and south. You alright?" He asked as he entered the room.

She nodded, "This one was a bitch, though." She slightly kicked away the knife Tess still had in her hand.

Mole bent over and picked up Jeff, "Well, get her up, cause we need to bring them over to Terminal City where they can be watched."

Walking through the 'Jam Pony' entrance, Zack was immediately spotted by Normal.

"Well, well, well; we meet again. I hate to tell this to ya pal but I don't have any jobs lined up for deadbeats like you, anymore. Sorry, to say, it went to some other shmoe."

Zack immediately found his name in his head.

"Yeah, sorry Normal; have you seen Max?"

Normal shook his head, "Not lately." Normal then left to attack a young "slacker" with a flurry of "Bip, bip, bips."

Scanning the room, only when did Zack see Sketchy did he then see Max. He felt like his breath had been taken away. Her olive complexion had tanned to a glorious bronze color and those cat-like, black, limpid pools, eyes of hers seemed ever more exotic. Last, but not least, to which he found to be utter torment, the bee-stung lips of hers still gave a welcoming presence, like that of a pillow on a bed. Zack moved closer to close the gap between them.

Sketchy casually looked over Sam's shoulder.

"He's coming, Sam." He said quietly.

Sam nodded, "You know what to do, right?"

Sketchy gave a salute then said loudly, "Catch you later at Crash, Max."

Sam watched as Sketchy left and then, out of the corner of her eye, watched as Zack moved closer. She quickly noted his physique: well built, blonde hair, full pouty lips, like hers, and, she mused, a great ass. Sam picked up a package and started heading towards the door, pretending she hadn't seen him yet.

"Max?"

Sam turned around and did her very best to look shocked.

"Zack? Is it really you? Oh, my God, are you ok?"

She dropped the package and hugged him.

Zack felt so happy right now, as if the world had been lifted off his shoulders. Embracing her fully, he used one hand to gently stroke her head, her hair cascading between his fingers.

"I missed you so much." He said into her ear.

Sam looked up at him, "Me, too. I'm so happy to see you. Back at Manticore they had told me that you had died; I can't tell you how much it means to me that those were lies. So much has happened since you've been away, 'big brother'."

Zack smiled, "Pete told me what you've done here in Seattle; I'm really proud of you, Max."

Sam smiled to herself. Other than having a screw loose, Zack was a big sweet heart, a gorgeous man, breaking his heart was going to be nerve-wracking, she could already see.

"There's more." She continued, still smiling. "Logan and I are getting married, isn't that great!"

Zack's expression dropped like a stone. He tightened his grip on her shoulders.

Bingo, Sam thought.

"Max, you can't marry Logan Cale."

Sam pushed him away and looked severely at him.

"Why?"

"Max, when you, me, Krit, and Syl went in that night to destroy Manticore, Logan and Lydecker betrayed us, I'm sure of it."

Alec and Logan briefed her on what actually happened that night and how Zack got hot-wired into hating Logan and wanting to kill him.

Sam looked over Zack's shoulder to Sketchy who nodded and tapped Normal on the shoulder. He then went to the entrance and shut the metal gate down.

"Alright people, monthly locker check, get to your locker and prepare to show what you have. Reminder, any 'Mary-gee-wanna' or other illegal substances and you're without a job, capice?" Normal said.

The employees muttered anything but 'yes sir'.

Sam grabbed Zack by the sleeve and led him upstairs, "C'mon, let's go some place quiet."

Sitting in Logan's recent pad, Max looked to the door as if expecting it to breakdown. Logan looked out the heavily boarded up window.

"Was I right to tell you?" He asked.

Max looked up at him, "Of course, Logan; why wouldn't I?"

Logan shrugged and continued to look out the window.

A knock was heard at the door. Max signaled Logan to hide as she flung the door open.

Outside stood a very surprised Mole.

"I can see when I'm not welcomed." Said Mole, chomping on his cigar.

Max smiled, "That's alright. Logan, you can come out. So, Mole, are these people that Zack brought with him?"

"Two, probably three, X5s and an ordinary with some military training."

Max stared at him, "X5s? Are you sure?"

Mole continued to chomp away, "Yup. Clare identified one as being 'Pete' and the other as 'Jeff'."

Max's mind raced as memories of these names and the people associated with them came into place. The one of Pete came into full view as a boy, who never grown hair, joked about being an anomaly. He was so good at being humorous that occasionally he got one of the guards to laugh. Jeff…a boy who loved competing against both Zack and Seth on who was the better soldier. Always, for reasons unknown to the unit, brought back wild flowers from training exercises. He was one of the few who remained when the twelve of them escaped.

"What about the other X5?" Asked Logan.

Mole shrugged, "From what we can tell she's Asian. Kind of rare with the X5s."

Max looked up, in alarm, at Mole. "Brin? Brin's with them?"

So, Brin was here too. She thought.

"What about Zack?" Asked Logan.

"Alec and Sam have him down at 'Jam Pony', they'll bring him up here soon enough." Mole lit up another cigar.

Alec waited in the shadows of the top floor of the 'Jam Pony'

Building, feeling incredibly bored at the moment. Sitting there, aloft, he remembered the events that had transpired here not to long ago. Ames White, along with his Snake Guild entourage, stormed 'Jam Pony' in hopes of wiping out the five transgenics inside. Little did he know that Alec was inside as well, or that Joshua had a berzerker mode. Nor did he realize that a Transgenic was giving birth, either.

Gem…

Alec's thoughts were interrupted as the door in the far corner opened and Alec watched as Sam and Zack came through it.

Zack grabbed Sam's arm, "Max, I'm not going to let Logan ruin you again!"

Sam sighed deeply, "Zach…do you remember exactly what happened that night?"

"Clearly."

"Then, do you remember when the X7s that attacked us or the fact that I hurried back in after Brin when both Lydecker and Logan told me not to?" Sam looked into Zack's piercing blue eyes, hoping to see some kind of revelation, but no. Renfro had hardwired his memory well.

"Logan-betrayed-us-Max! When will you get it?" His eyes were lit with all kinds of emotion.

Sam knew Zack was likely to punch a whole through the wall if they kept this up, so much for reasoning with him. She guessed plan B was the only thing to do right now.

Zack walked up to her.

"Max, I love you. Be fore I murder that son of a bitch, I…" He then grabbed Sam and kissed her with such force, Sam thought he was trying to suffocate her.

"Easy there, lover-boy."

Zack turned as Alec emerged from the shadows. He immediately turned back to Sam.

"You're not Max."

Sam gave him a mischievous grin. "How do you know?"

"Max doesn't smoke. You taste like an ash tray and…" He lifted up her left hand, "Max has never been married before."

An indentation to where her wedding ring was before shone visibly; Sam cursed under her breath.

Zack's attention went back to Alec, "You. You're an X5 aren't you?"

Alec smiled, "Why yes, 'brother Zack', I am. Now, are we going to be a good 'brother' and realize that Renfro turned the switch from sane to lovey-dovey psycho or are we going to get complicated?"

Zack's eyes hardened on Alec, "You two are hiding Max…and Logan. Why, and who the hell are you?" He looked directly at Sam.

"Now, now, is that anyway to talk to her twin sister? You're not going to score any points with Max by behaving like this." Sam said grinning.

"Twin sister?" Zack's eyes were wide.
"Clone, in the more technical sense. I happen to be one of Ben." Alec said.

Zack looked at Alec in alarm, "B…Ben? You're a clone of Ben's? Why…" Zack shook his head, "No, not at this time. Where's Max!"

Alec shook his head, "Zack, if you're not going to listen to reason…" He winked once.

Before Zack knew what was happening, Sam gave him a hard left hook across the face sending his world spinning into darkness.

Colonel Donald Lydecker, having had frequent visits by Dr. Samuel Carr, was musing at his surroundings as he has from time to time. After Max, or X5-452, as he still liked to refer to her as, had freed him from the Breeding Cult's asylum he had to go to the hospital for various surgeries from being the cult's "guest". Broken bones, cracked ribs, numerous lacerations, welts from torture, were just a few on the long list of things he had indured while being there. Their "routines" never broke him, though. Being born into a military family, the first thing he was taught, after his 'ABC's', was that fear, fatigue, and co-dependence were all avoidable luxuries no one needed. So, just about when he was about to give into these; the cult brought in Logan Cale. Lydecker identified him immediately. Having worked with the man to bring down Manticore's genetic store house, along with four other X5s and then later to rescue X5-452. Logan, he knew, was attached to X5-452. Lydecker knew then that it would be a matter of time before she came to his rescue. Lydecker's skill for prediction didn't let him down and fortune granted him to be rescued along with him, with a little help of bargaining, though. He then came here, Terminal City, and was with his children. Due to the toxic atmosphere that surrounded the area, he had to be given a quarantined tent to save him from the poisonous inhalation. Most of the residents stayed away from him, particularly because of past hatred, though, he had been fortunate to have visits from few who liked to reminisce about their training and those who wished he was there to complete their training with them before he got exiled from Manticore.

Lydecker turned his eyes away from the book he was reading when he heard footsteps approach his tent.

"Come in."

In stepped Logan Cale, to Lydecker's surprise.

"We need to talk." He said.

Lydecker set down his book and glasses onto his nightstand that was next to the bed he was in.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Cale?" He asked politely.

Logan sat down in the chair next to Lydecker's bed; his exoskeleton whirring as it adjusted to his sitting. Logan placed rested his chin on thumb and index finger, mimicking almost perfectly, Michaelangelo's "the thinker".

"Zach's come back and he's after me. He thinks I'm somehow a threat to Max and wants me dead because of it."

Lydecker nodded. Attending discussions with Zach and a councilor, although Lydecker was never there, a habit that he made frequently, he recalled in those previous talks with Zack that Zack often talked about disturbing dreams that Max was dying somewhere and, try as he could, he couldn't reach her. Being at this age, Zack didn't realize he was fixated on Max. Lydecker thought he did his best to remind Zack he was the unit commander and needed to be mindful of everyone in his unit. That bitch, Renfro, probably got hold of those tapped sessions then used them to form an alone assassin. But why Logan Cale?

"Why is he after you? Did Renfro find out about your relationship?" He asked.

"At the time when Max was captured, Renfro knew she had an attachment to 'Eyes Only', she just didn't know who I was. Then when you and I went to that informant of yours and had that little fiasco, I got shot across the arm which left some blood at the scene, to which Renfro's men collected and gave an analysis of it back to her; then she knew who I was. She then put that damn virus into Max in order to annihilate me." Said Logan.

Lydecker nodded, "I'm guessing she had her doubts as to whether or not the virus was actually going to work. Zack was probably a last resort to her. She probably knew how he felt about her too, given how he sacrificed himself to save her. So, why do you need to talk to me, Mr. Cale? I'm sure a well-resourced man, such as yourself, would've had no trouble getting these meager facts by yourself."

Logan looked down at the ground, "When Zack turned himself in, so you would stop the bounty that was placed on Max's head." Logan paused. Trying to ask what he dreaded was tough for him. "I know Manticore used various techniques to try to get Zack to reveal the whereabouts of the other X5s. Max doesn't know I'm here, mind you, but I'd like to ask you…what procedures you used to 'correct' the mind of a defective X5?" The last part Logan barely got out.

Lydecker smiled, "I see that this is both troubling for you to know and to ask. Well, there are various methods. One is to put a soldier into a classroom and flash visions of commanding words in front of them, but, unfortunately, this only works with young soldiers. The second procedure is to inject fifteen milligrams of Trigdaphan and shine a red diode into their eye which causes an 'obedient' attendance with the subconscience, then the visuals come back into play."

Logan nodded and the continued on the discussion.

Sitting in Logan's place, Max couldn't help but smile. Why she did, she didn't know, this really wasn't the best time for it; but it felt good all the same. Sitting on Logan's puny bed, she hugged herself and rocked back and forth. So much has happened to her and nothing to which she could take credit for.

She was marrying Logan.

Her twin, Sam, forgave her.

So many people from her past had came back into her life.

Max remembered a time when she thought she was driving people away, always being on the run, never sure how close to get to some people or close to let some people get to her.

Now, the moments she used to be alone seemed to be fewer and fewer. There always was someone there, whether it be Original Cindy, Sketchy, Alec, Logan, or even Mole.

Logan…

The one guy, whom, since they've first met, has never failed to be there when she had needed him. The one guy to whom she confided all about her past; even though he had guessed most of it. With all the complications that had risen with them trying to become a couple, then to remain a couple, it's amazing how well they've gotten through it. Even with surviving Zack.

Zack…

Zack had always been there for her, as well. Max remembered how it had seem so necessary to have him in her life and how disappointed she was when learning what he had become outside of Manticore, which was practically the same person. Then, as time progressed, she became aware of how he wasn't exactly fond of being just her brother, but wanting more. She ignored the early warning signs and Zack seemed to cool off, as her relationship with Logan was becoming more apparent. Then came that moment. The moment to where Renfro revealed, the once beautiful, Zack laid out on a surgical slab like an eerie "Operations" game. Then later to when he was back and with the Steelheads. Recovering him was easy, bringing back the memory…heartbreaking. Zack's mind damaged from the bullet he put in it, intent on the fact that Max and him where two reunited lovers and that Logan was a person who need not exist. That moment to having to choose between Zack being in her life and Logan not, and vice versa. Max didn't think anyone could describe the agony and torture that was in her heart, the moment she had to make that decision.

Max hugged herself tighter.

Now, I'm going to have to do it again. She thought. A single tear cascaded down her cheek.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door.

Upon answering it, Max smiled. It was Joshua.

"Hey, little fella; I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

Max smiled, again. "No, big fella. You're not." Max got herself up.

Joshua took her hand and patted it with his massive one.

"Alec wants to see you." He then led her out.

"Where was she when you found her?" Alec asked as he helped drag an unconscience Brin inside the building.

"On top of Logan's old building. Luke informed me when he spotted her on camera." Said Mole.

The two placed her on a chair inside a small, windowless, room that had three other occupants all of who were strapped to chairs. The chairs themselves were welded to the floor. Like the others, Brin was handcuffed to the chair.

"I still don't see why this is necessary, we only wanted a 'Q and A' with Max, not to start a killing spree." Pete was the only one who was conscience.

"It's 'Pete', isn't it? Well, Pete, we're a cautious group; and seeing how your 'Blondie' acts and throwing in our history with Zack, we'd like to chaperone this session." Said Alec.

The door opened again and in stepped Max, accompanied by Joshua.

Max scanned the occupants, "Where's Zack?" She asked Alec.

"Krit and Syl are watching over him in another room." Said Alec, "I hate to say this, Max, but I don't think 'brother Zack' will be coming to his senses anytime soon."

Max sadly nodded.

"Max?"

Max turned to face the guy in the chair farthest from her, who appeared to be the only one awake.

Seeing his bald feature, Max recognized him instantly.

"Hi, Pete. How've you been?"

Pete smiled and looked down at his handcuffs, "Well, I've been great but am feeling a little held back at the moment."

Max allowed herself to laugh; she heard Alec chuckle too.

"You know, Max, none of us had any intention to harm you or Logan. All we wanted to do was ask some questions on what went down at Manticore before it blew." Pete said, trying desperately to wipe sweat from his head.

"Well, from what 'G.I. Jane' here tried to do to Original Cindy, and my histories with Zack and Brin, you really didn't pick the best people to have come chat with me, Pete." Said Max.

Pete shrugged, "You can choose the people you fight, but not the people you fight with."

Max eyed the other 'guests' and stopped on Jeff. It then clicked in her head. The day Joshua and Alec helped her escape Manticore for the second time. Looking over her back as she was about to clear the perimeter fence, a person with red hair, buzzed of course, watching her from a window in the top of the building and then…winking. It was Jeff. At the time she smiled at him, but now, Max was troubled by that look he gave. It was like a hawk beckoning its prey to run.

"Pete, was it all of you, or just one person who wanted to talk to me?"

Pete smirked, "Shouldn't we wait till the rest of my 'merry' gang awakens?"

Max shook her head, "Nope, just you Pete."

Pete pointed at the handcuffed female with blonde hair, " 'G.I. Jane' or Tessa Renfro, which ever you like."

Alec stood up, "Tessa Renfro? Renfro? She's not related to that bitch, is she?"

Pete nodded, "I'm afraid she is. But, don't judge her too quickly; she's really a sweet gal."

Max scoffed, "Yeah, 'sweet'. What exactly does she want to ask me, Pete?"

"Only what was said between you and Renfro, before she got shot." Pete managed to raise his cuffs enough so he could wipe the sweat off his head and onto his arm.

Max stared at him, "Pete, why would the three of you care about that?"

"Well, we all have our reasons for coming here; me, I've just been wanting to be with old chums, again. I'm guessing you already know what Zack's is. As for Brin, I really can't speak for her. It's Tessa and Jeff who are mostly interested. Tessa, more than Jeff. Jeff's just in it just because he loves her. Tessa was hoping you might shed some light about the whereabouts of Patrick Sandeman, the father of all us miscreants."

Max looked to Alec, who was staring at Pete.

"Pete, why would she want to know where he is? I mean, what could she benefit from?" Asked Alec.

Pete sighed, "Well, for starters, he's her father. Biologically speaking."

"He's what!" Max exclaimed.

"I thought Ames White and C.J. were his only 'real' kids; where does she fit in?" Asked Alec.

Pete cocked an eyebrow, "Ames White? He's related to C.J.? Shit, that sucks. Well, she hasn't mentioned him being related to her. Personally, I think Sandeman remarried and Renfro and him had her."

A light clicked on in Max's head. Renfro's last words: "You're the one we're looking for…go find Sandeman."

So, Renfro was connected to Sandeman. She thought.

"Did somebody say my name?"

Max and Alec turned to see C.J. standing in the doorway along with his pet snake friend, 'George'.

Once rescued from the asylum and brought back to Terminal City, C.J. was delighted that George was alive and the two haven't separated since.

"C.J., do you know this woman?" Asked Alec, indicating towards Tessa.

C.J.'s eyes lit up, "Look, George, its Tess! Wow, we haven't seen her in ages."

"Well, I guess that validates that." Said Alec.

Max still felt uneasy about what was going on here.

"C.J., Tess thinks I know where Sandeman is. I don't, do you?"

C.J. continued to stroke his slithery companion, "George, she's asking us the question, again. What do we tell her?" He then held up the snake's face to his ear, as if awaiting instructions.

Pete stared at him. "Is he serious?"

Max sighed, "I'm afraid so." No one could ever get a clear answer, or for that matter a real answer, out of C.J.

"C.J.?"

Everyone looked to see who spoke. It was Tess, she had awaken.

Zack's eyes opened and he looked around at his surroundings. He was in a small old hospital room that had one door and no windows. Looking, to where he was situated, Zack noticed he was on a bed gurney, covered in a warm hand-woven blanket. He was hand cuffed to the railings, which really didn't surprise him. Zack sat back and sighed.

Will I ever see Max?

There were voices by the door.

Zack stood up again as the door opened and in stepped Krit and Syl.

"Hey, big brother." Said Syl.

"Hey, little sister." Replied Zack.

Krit pulled up two chairs that were beside the bed, "Sorry to keep you like this, Zack. But, you're not exactly yourself lately and we want to take precautions."

Zack glared at him, "What do you mean 'not exactly yourself lately'?"

Zack, you haven't been yourself since you've resurrected." Said Krit.

"The thing is, Zack, you weren't this concerned about Max when the four of us decided to stop running and take down Manticore." Said Syl.

Zack shook his head; "Lydecker must have 'cleaned' you two up good. To have you believe that bullshit."

Krit sighed, "Zack. Do you remember what you told me when I was seventeen and on one of your 'check-ups' with me, you found me living with my girlfriend, Lynn?"

Zack turned his face to the wall.

"Well," continued Krit, "After you sent her packing, you sat down with me and said, "Krit, we're soldiers, we're constantly on the move through enemy territory; we don't have time for girlfriends, love, or friends." Don't you remember?"

Zack nodded, still looking at the wall.

Syl put her hand on Zack's, "Zack. You've got to stop. This isn't you."

Zack stood up, or, actually, what he could, being restrained.

"Then you tell me, both of you. Why did Logan and Lydecker betray us when we went into Manticore? Why did Max get shot? Why did that mission fail?"

Krit sighed, "Zack, the X7s…"

"You sound like those damn clones!" Yelled Zack.

"What clones?" Asked Syl.

"Max and Ben's clones, the fake X5s, you two sound just like them." Zack sat back down.

Syl and Krit both sighed deeply out of frustration.

"Am I interrupting?" Said a voice.

Through all of his yelling, Zack didn't hear the door open and close again. There standing in the doorway was Logan Cale.

"Good to see you again, Zack." Logan said politely.

Zack's face went from mere annoyance to white-hot rage.

"You." Zack said in a low growl.

Logan nodded to Krit, who then got up and went to the side of Zack's bed. In the corner were some medical supplies: an I.V., a couple of plasma bags, heart paddles, and a respirator. Krit grabbed the I.V. stand and inserted the tubing that had a needle attached at the end into Zack's right arm.

Zack ignored all of this, his entire attention was on Logan.

Logan nodded to the pair again and the two of them left, leaving just the two alone. Zack's eyes narrowed at Logan.

"Traitor." He said in a low whisper.

Logan continued looking at him.

"To think, there was actually a time when I considered you an ally. But no, you're just like Lydecker: two-faced, murderous, and a coward." Zack said.

"How am I a coward, Zack?" Asked Logan.

"You two sent the four of us in there while the whole mission went wrong. Funny, isn't it? And now you're going to marry the very woman you betrayed."

Logan shook his head; "You seem to have it all worked out, then." Logan then opened a small plastic bag that he was carrying which held a small bottle and a syringe.

Zack watched as Logan put it into the bottle and extracted the liquid.

I'll murder that son of a bitch. Thought Zack.

Zack then looked at what was holding him back. Leather straps; solid but old. With one huge, forced, jerk, Zack broke it. With one freed hand he undid the other one on the other hand.

Logan looked up and watched as Zack hopped out of the bed and faced him.

Logan wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"Zack, before you do anything answer me these questions: What could I gain by betraying Max? Why would she, if she loves you, not track you down after she sent you to live with Buddy Thompson? And, finally, hasn't it ever crossed your mind that the reason people are contradicting your beliefs about me and Max are because Manticore implanted them into you? Like the time they tried to convince you that Max was trying to help you escape Manticore when really it was another woman and they were trying to extract the whereabouts of the other X5s?"

Zack didn't answer any of these. Instead, he charged, full force, at Logan.

Max and Alec looked to Tessa, who had finally awakened.

"How've you been C.J.?" Asked Tess to her brother.
C.J. grinned and waved at her.

Tess looked around and noticed that she and the others were tied up. She then noticed Pete was the only one conscience.

"Pete, where are we?"

Pete nodded toward Max, "Tess, let me introduce you to Max Guevera, or X5-452."

Tess looked wide-eyed at Max.

"You're Max?" She asked.

Max nodded.

"Then you must know where my father is! Patrick Sandeman; Can you please tell me where he is?"

Max shook her head, "I'm sorry to tell you this Tess, but, I don't know where your father is."

"That's not true. Jeff told me that my mother told you where he was." Tess nodded towards, the still unconscience, Jeff.

"Tess, you want to know what your mother told me before she died? She told me: " You're the one we're looking for; go find Sandeman." That's all she said, she never told me anything on his whereabouts. I'm sorry."

Tess bent her head low, looking at the floor.

"Don't worry, Sis, father's alright." Said C.J.

Everyone turned to look at C.J.

"Do you know where he is C.J.?" Tess asked hopefully.

C.J. again looked to his scaly companion.

Max in turn looked to Alec, "What now?"

Alec shrugged, "I don't know. I'm going to check up on Logan and Zack. Will you be okay here?"

Max nodded. "Joshua's nearby, I doubt it will get bad."

Alec nodded and then left.

"Hey, little sister."

Max turned and noticed that Jeff had finally got back up.

"Hi, Jeff." Max said.

Jeff looked at her in a way that made Max cringe. His eyes were like that when she had escaped Manticore for the second time, both menacing and playful.

Brin still had her head down, but her other companions were awake. Max felt really uneasy about the whole situation.

"Jeff, Max said that my mother never told her anything about my father." Tess said, her eyes had a sad look upon them.

Jeff shrugged, "I guess he lied to me, don't worry I'll pay him back for it. Max, why don't you untie us? We're not here to do anything bad."

Pete shook his head, "Don't try it Jeff, I already have. She's not exactly happy that we brought Zack and Brin into this."

Jeff shrugged again, "Well…"

Jeff then brought his arm up with such force that the snap-ties that were holding his hands together, behind him, broke. A few speckles of blood came protruding down his wrists.

Max was going to yell for Joshua but didn't. She decided to see what was going to happen next.

Jeff undid his legs and then wiped his forehead.

"You know Max, it's really hard to plan these reunion meetings when you are not being a very good hostess."

Both Pete and Tess looked up at Jeff in amazement.

"What now, Jeff?" Asked Max, "I've already told you that I don't know where Sandeman is; what else do you want?"

Jeff barked out a laughter that sent shivers down Max's spine.

Jeff shook his head, "I hate to tell you this Max, but, that's not my mission."

Max stared at him. She hadn't heard anyone say that phrase in a long time. It was all the more unsettling that she was hearing this from Jeff.

"What do you mean, Jeff? Why the hell are we here then?" Asked Pete.

Tess stayed there staring at Jeff, silent.

Jeff threw off his trench coat and stretched, various joints cracking in the process.

"My objective was to succeed where X5-494 failed. Renfro was never sure how well the virus would work and if 'Zacky-boy' would function either. If you were unwilling to come back to Manticore and should X5-494 should fail in bringing you back It was my duty to do his job. She knew that you, along with your computer geek boyfriend, were planning to expose Manticore, thus humiliating her in front of the board members. So I, Jeff, X5-381, had been assigned to terminate you."

The room was silent, until Pete spoke again. "Jeff, you're nuts, Manticore's gone and Renfro's dead; what the hell are you thinking?"

Jeff shrugged, "My orders are still standing until I've carried them out, which I intend to do."

Always the perfect soldier. Jeff had competed with Seth and Zack for the title, and right now was upholding it.

Max took a deep breath, cocked her head to one side, and then got into fighting stance.

"Bring it."

Before Logan knew it Zack was right up in his face and threw a heavy punch to Logan's gut. Zack slammed Logan to the wall and gave way to a flurry of punches and kicks. Logan's glasses flew off of him and were smashed when Zack's foot had come down.

"How can she love somebody as weak as you!" Yelled Zack through his beatings.

Logan didn't answer but desperately tried to shield and repel Zack's attacks on him.

"I died for her! Yet, she goes to you! Why! Why!"

Logan felt he had enough and tried to regain some ground through some of his own advances which proved very poorly on Zack's military trained defenses.

Zack slammed Logan's head to the back of the wall and everything was spinning, then turning black in some areas.

Just then, Logan felt the weight of Zack's beating lifted and Logan managed to gain some vision back.

Alec had come inside and grabbed Zack off of Logan and in turn was now fighting with him.

Logan sat back and breathed hard as he watched the two fight.

"Let me guess, you're the one who killed Ben, huh? Or was it Lydecker?" Said Zack amidst their attacking each other.

Alec didn't say anything, but concentrated on trying to wear Zack out.

Logan managed to get himself up and his muscles were

Screaming. He looked over to where the bag and syringe were. They were destroyed, glass and liquid all over the floor.

Damn it. Logan thought. He then watched as Zack delivered a heavy kick to Alec's torso sending him a few feet across the room. Zack then reached down and broke off a rusting metal pipe that was connected to a space heater, and slowly walked to Alec.

Spitting out some blood that came from a broken tooth, Zack looked down at Alec who was trying to gain some air back.

"I'll ask you for the last time. Where's Max?"

Alec didn't have to say anything. Zack turned as Logan came up and delivered a sharp kick that sent Zack flying to the other end of the room. Zack tried to get up again but Logan stepped hard on Zack's leg causing a very loud cracking sound.

Zack gave out a muffled cry and fell back down to the ground.

Logan helped Alec up. "I guess you didn't need me after all, 'Mr. Bionic Man.'" Alec Mused.

"How's Max doing with the four?" Asked Logan who was still looking down at the form that was Zack.

"Well, Max gave Tessa her answer, and that's it. It doesn't look like that they were really here to do much of anything else. Other than glory boy here." Said Alec, breathing hard.

Logan shook his head, "One thing I've learned about Max's "family" is that nothing is really what it seems. Better go check up on her, all the same, while I have a little talk with Zack, here."

As Alec left, Logan pulled up a chair two feet away from Zack.

"I…have…nothing…to say…to you." Gasped Zack, still clutching his broken leg.

Logan's face, pretty bruised up as it was, still tried it's best to raise it's eyebrows. "Oh, I think you do, Zack."

Zack looked down the floor, still breathing hard.

"Let's start off with your first question, 'why me and not you'. That kind of goes along with what I asked you before on why didn't Max come to see you in Spokane?"

"Eagle, Idaho, we moved." Corrected Zack.

Logan nodded. "So?"

Zack looked up at him and then peered at the floor, "I suppose you were holding her back. I told her many times to get out of Seattle when Lydecker was in the area, but she wouldn't. You were always the reason she never left."

Logan sighed, rubbing his injured face, "Zack do you remember when Lydecker was framing Max for your killing Vogelsang?"

Zack nodded.

"Then you and I went out to rescue her, brought her to my log cabin?"

Zack nodded again, "I do. Where are you going with this?"

Logan sighed and looked at Zack directly in the eyes, "You know what I told her? 'Go, just leave, and don't look back.' I gave her up to you."

Zack shook his head, "All the good it did. She still left and went back to you. Again, what's your point?"

"My point is this, Zack, she left you and went back to me, why? I thought you were convinced that she only loved you."

Zack opened his mouth but then closed it. He closed his eyes and started remembering the events that had taken place on that particular day. It came back in a flash. The two of them did go and rescue Max from Lydecker's trap and then Logan did drop them off and went his own way. That night that they had spent together, Zack dropped everything personal about himself to Max. Something he swore he would never do to another person. But, again, Max wasn't just another person. He then remembered, the next day, she had called on the house phone and sounded both scared and worried. She then went out of the house and Zack had run up to stop her. After a few seconds of arguing, Zack had physically tried to stop her, which didn't work out the right way. As she was leaving Zack again tried in vain to tell her she was going into a trap. She didn't listen but proceeded on her way. Later, Zack remembered turning himself into authorities. Upon leaving the police station, hand cuffed, Zack remembered looking over his shoulder, seeing Max, and thinking "I'd do anything for you Max, even let Lydecker grab me. I hope Logan treats you well." And then the men put him inside the helicopter and flew off.

Remembering this, those exact words he spoke, Zack put down his head…and cried.

Jeff was bigger than she was, in muscles that is, but they were equally the same height. Max threw her fist out and managed to catch him across the face. Blood trickled down Jeff's nose but it didn't distract him. He, in turn, tripped Max then sent her up in the air threw a hard kick he delivered to her stomach. Max lay on the floor coughing.

Damn it. She thought. Why am I so weak, right now?

The answer came to her as she delivered another blow to Jeff's leg than hitting him in the chest.

Because, you're pregnant, idiot.

Jeff did a roundhouse kick that sent her back to the floor.

Meanwhile across the room, C.J. ran over to the seated people and cut Pete and Tess' bindings. He inquired whether or not cut Brin's.

Pete shook his head; "She wouldn't understand the situation."

Tessa ran over to Jeff and put herself in front of him.

"Jeff! Please, stop!" She cried.

"Get out of the way, Tess! I need to complete my mission." Jeff said, still walking towards Max, even though Tess was in front of him.

Tess put her hands on the sides of Jeff's face and kissed him deeply, both of them closed their eyes when doing this. Tess opened hers; her eyes were flowing with tears.

"Please, baby…stop."

Jeff took a deep breath and then opened his eyes; he put his hands on her face as they were on his.

"I'm sorry Tess…" Then in one quick motion, Jeff broke Tess' neck with a sickening crack. "We can't all be perfect like you, now can we?"

Jeff laid Tess' life-less body to the floor, all in front of a room full of people whose expressions were mixed with horror, shock, and rage.

"How…how could you, Jeff" Said Pete who looked as though his jaw was going to drop off his mouth. "She loved you, man."

Jeff turned to Pete and gave him a smirk; "She outlasted her usefulness. I mean sure, I did love her. But when it comes to getting to the objective, my mark, I can't let anyone stand in my way. Not even Tess."

Jeff then kicked, severely, at Pete's head sending him to the floor.

"Not even you, Pete." Said Jeff.

Jeff turned his attention back to Max.

Max didn't know what to think. Worst of all she was getting dizzy. She called out to Joshua.

"J…Josh…ua." She said and then found the floor coming to her face as the whole room went black.

Lucky for Max, Joshua was coming in to check up on her. Running, he caught her fainted form in one quick scoop of his paw-like hand. Holding her, he turned to face her attacker.

"Why you want to hurt Max?" Asked Joshua, his voice having a low menacing growl to it.

Jeff slowly walked up, "That's not for you to know. Now, back off, mutt, I have some business with her."

"We don't take to that kind of rudeness, especially when it comes to Max." Alec reappeared in the room.

Jeff looked at him. "Your Ben's clone, aren't you? X5-494, also known around here as 'Alec'."

Alec nodded, "What do you want from Max, Jeff?"

Jeff sighed, "All the questions. I'm doing your job 494; I'm finishing what you failed to do. I'm going to kill 452."

Alec shrugged, "Well, if that's what you have your heart set on, I must warn you. Joshua, here, is very protective of Max. He's not going to make it easy for you."

Alec was physically exhausted from his little match with Zack and was in no means pressing his luck with Jeff, whom Renfro used to refer to as the "Perfect soldier".

Jeff looked to Joshua, "Show me what you got, big guy."

Joshua, after setting down Max, walked up about three steps, grabbed Jeff quickly by the throat and, while running, slammed his face into the cemented wall. Growling furiously, he grabbed Jeff's leg and threw him at the bolted chairs. Jeff got up and leaned to one side, while holding. Probably, suggested that he had broken a rib. His entire face covered with blood, he grinned all the same.

"Not bad."

Joshua wasn't done yet. Walking back up to Jeff, he grabbed him by the jaw and lifted him up in the air. Jeff kicked at Joshua's arm, making him release. Jeff then ran and tackled Joshua to the floor and raised his fist. Joshua dodged the punch, grabbed Jeff's arm and brought it so far back, Alec thought he was intending on ripping it right out of the socket. But no, Jeff didn't allow him to; instead he got up off the floor and threw his body backwards putting him right on top of Joshua. Jeff drew his other arm forward and delivered his elbow hard to Joshua's face. Blood sprayed as Joshua's nose was broken.

Alec wondered if he should step in and play his part, but his muscles told him to forget it.

Joshua, still holding Jeff's arm behind Jeff's back, threw him toward the window. Jeff's head went through the glass. When reemerging, the glass had done plenty to his face. Jeff panted heavily and still grinned.

"It…takes…more…than that…to stop…me." Blood was coming out of every part of Jeff's face. Jeff stumbled forward. Joshua, even with all his energy, was leaning forward onto his knees, breathing hard.

Jeff took a deep breath and then his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell backwards.

A broken pipe that probably was once connected to a dishwasher, which came out of the floor, was where the back of Jeff's head met when he fell backwards. Eerily, making Jeff's forehead look like an alien's mouth was trying to eat its way out. Jeff's legs kicked a little then stopped.

Joshua got himself back up and pickup up the still undisturbed Max and both he and Alec walked out of the room.

Lying on a couch in Logan's apartment, Max awoke very suddenly and looked all around the room.

Logan came up to her, "Whoa, take it easy, you shouldn't over exert yourself."

Max looked at him in shock, "Logan what happened with Jeff? What happened to your face?"

Logan smiled, "Getting your brother's approval of us being together is one hell of a fight."

Logan then told her everything that happened with talking with Zack.

Max sat back down.

Thank God. It's over.

She sat up again, "What about Jeff."

"Dead." Logan said to her.

Max sighed again out of relief. "That son of a bitch. He used Tess to get to me and then he killed her because she 'had fulfilled her purpose'. But, he did prove one thing. He was Manticore's best soldier, through and through."

Logan nodded.

"How's Pete and Brin doing?" Asked Max.

"Pete's recuperating from that head injury that Jeff gave him, Clare's watching over him. Brin is with Zack also in the same place. Joshua's right now being looked over by Dr. Carr. Alec is ok but Gem is taking care of him. Did you know they were a couple?"

Max shook her head.

"Anyways," Logan continued, "Sam and Original Cindy say if you aren't off your ass and at Crash at the end of this day, your in for a world of hurt from them."

Max smiled at this.

Logan sat down next to Max and brushed a stray hair away from her face, "By the way Max…I know."

Max looked at him, questioningly, "Know what?"

Logan shrugged and grinned, "Let's just say I hope it's a girl, at least then she'll be strong, but she'll also have my good looks."

The two hugged each other and planted some deep kisses.

Max then sat back and groaned, "What a week!"

Logan nodded, "Yeah."

Max turned and looked at Logan and smiled, "Most people try to get along with their families, me, I try to survive them."

Logan smiled and nodded. "Your family picnics, I think, I'd like to avoid."

Max gave him a mischievous grin, "Why? Aren't you having fun, yet?"

The both of them laughed.

Max smiled to herself.

I have Zack back, I have Logan, my twin sister's back, my friends are here for me, and soon I'll have a baby. What more can a girl ask for?

Max and Logan hugged each other. Max spotted her Ninja resting by Logan's door.

Oh, hell yeah!

The End.