Okay, back on. Sorry for the delay again but RL sucks at the moment.

Hm, over 600 hits and 14 reviews. Don't get me wrong, I love the reviews I get (I would just love to get more *gg*). No seriously, even a 'nice', 'good', or 'crap' would brighten my day :) You know it, reviews are life!

But here they area again, my two most loyal readers. Thanks a lot to the two of you!!

Alan Grey: Well, sorry, I'm into cliffhangers. Yes, I know they can be cruel, but there's nothing I can do about:)

About Doc Carr: You're right, I know he was always willing to help but at the beginning he was also curious and a little bit suspicious. About him working early in the morning, well, he's a doctor, he just had bad luck and got the night shift.

Ah, good old Det. Sung. No, of course I haven't forgot him, as a matter of fact he will make his appearance in the next chapter.

And yes, Lydecker is here, too. Not in this chapter but in the ones to come. 'The talk' you mentioned will take place but not right now, or at least not all of it. Well, just read and find out.

Thanks to you again!

tylee17: Thanks to you, too. Yes, it was part of my thinking when I wrote the scene with Carr. I know it is perhaps not perfectly correct but well, too late, it's already posted :)

I will see about the rushing-thing if I can, I know that sometimes I take it a little bit too fast. Feel free to throw in your two cents anytime you feel like it!

"Logan?" Max finally called out without her eyes leaving 301, "stay out!"

The female X5 – Kyla – looked more than angry, she actually looked very pissed and although she was alone Max knew she was more than capable of dealing with her and Logan at the moment. At least one of them would die if he entered the room now. Any other time Max would have waited for her chance and then attacked but right now there was nothing she could do, not if she wanted Logan make it out alive.

"What do you mean, stay out?" Logan's voice came through the door, "What's happening in there?"

"It's the other X5, she's here. Don't come in!"

"What…" Logan began but was cut off by 301.

"Just shut the fuck up and do as she tells you or neither of you will see the next sunrise, got it?" 301 finally lost her temper; this didn't happen often and it just reminded her how much it had frightened her to see 451 get shot. After this Logan was quiet and Max hoped he wouldn't try something stupid. 301 seemed to listen if the man next door was moving but she couldn't hear anything and nodded. "Drop the knife and turn around, 452!"

Max obeyed. The knife made a strange metallic sound when it hit the floor. When she turned around she was frantically thinking about a way to take out the female X5 behind her without endangering Logan. 451 saw the look on her face and shook his head.

"Don't" he warned her weakly, "she will kill you. Don't worry, we will not hurt your friend, he's not on our list."

"How can you be so sure about that? She doesn't look like she's very reasonable at the moment."

"Because I'm following orders, 452", 301 hissed through clenched teeth while stepping closer to Max, "That's something you'll learn to do again soon."

Max snorted. "Never! I will n…"

Those were her last words before 301 hit her against the back of her head with the butt of her gun and her world sank into darkness. It was not the most effective and secure way to take out an X5 but Kyla wasn't about to be kind at the moment.

Nevertheless the female X5 was quick to stop her target's fall and lay her down on the floor almost gently after she had checked the rogue X5 was really unconscious. She quickly handcuffed her and brought her in a recovery position. It was her order to bring X5-452 back alive. And she always – always – followed her orders.

When she was sure Max wouldn't be a problem for the moment and she couldn't hear anything from the other room she turned her attention to her partner. He looked pale and she could see that he was very weak. She knelt down at his side and caressed his cheek. It didn't matter to her that this might be strange to him; she just felt a great sensation of relief to have found him alive. She also felt something else, something she didn't know but she quickly pushed it aside; this wasn't the time for pondering.

"How are you?" she asked gently.

"Hurt" was his only reply but she could see that spark in his eyes she had missed during the last hours. She smiled.

"I'll bring you back, you're gonna be okay", she promised him, "Just have to deal with the other one."

"Don't kill him" her partner warned her, "We don't have orders to do so."

She nodded and got up again, gun pointed at the door.

"Logan Cale! Open the door and enter, slowly. I want to see your hands all the time! Now!"

The first thing Max felt when she woke up was a terrible headache. She groaned in pain and tried to move but found out that she couldn't. That was when the memories of the last hours' events came back to her mind. She opened her eyes and tried frantically to free her hands but there was no use; apparently she had been handcuffed. She felt the panic rise inside her and looked around for something to get free.

"Stop moving or I knock you out again!" said a gruff voice from the darkest corner in the room. Max immediately lay still and turned her head towards the person who had spoken. It was 301. She had been standing at the window but now turned around. She still wore the same black clothes. For some seconds she just looked at Max. There was no kindness in her eyes, Max decided, but at least the anger was gone. The X5 had become a soldier again, cold, perhaps a little bit worried but all in control. "Sorry about your head, it should be okay in a couple of days."

Even her voice was all professional again; it made the apology sound almost like nothing.

Max just nodded and looked around. She wasn't in Logan's safe house anymore; instead she lay on a bed in what seemed to be a very cheap motel room. To her left in a second bed was 451. He was awake and looked at her with a strange curiosity but he didn't move. She could see that he was a little bit better, less pale and his breathing was constant and strong. Nevertheless he wouldn't be a problem after she had dealt with the other one. If only she could get off those goddamned handcuffs!

"Don't even bother trying, 452" 301 said with a small laugh. The sound alone let Max look up at her with surprise; the female X5 really seemed to be amused by her attempts to free herself. "It's not the first time I'm doing something like that."

"It's the first time you're trying it with me" Max growled but stopped moving again. This X5 confused her. One moment she was the perfect little Manticore soldier and the other one she was smiling and making fun of her.

"Whatever." 301 shrugged and turned towards the window again.

"What did you do to Logan?" The question was out of her mouth before she could think about it.

"The man that was with you? Don't worry, he's okay." 301 smirked at Max. "Although his head might hurt a little. Look on the bright side, 452: A problem shared is a problem halved."

"Shut up!" She was relieved they hadn't hurt Logan, at least no permanently, but this X5's attitude was getting on her nerves. She reminded herself not to ask questions about him or her other friends anymore. The last thing she needed now was that the X5 started thinking about them as possible targets. After a moment she continued: "What are we waiting for anyway? If you're waiting for the room service I'm afraid you are in the wrong place. Can't Deck afford giving you appropriate quarters anymore?"

"We're waiting for the rescue team. I called command sometime ago; it won't take them long anymore. And just for your information, 452, the colonel is looking after us just fine."

There she was again, the cold and emotionless soldier. Apparently insulting Lydecker in front of these X5s wasn't a good idea. She could not imagine how or why but apparently they respected her personal nemesis and the looks on both of their faces told her that it would be better not to bring up that topic again.

For the next minutes she lay still and thought about how she could escape from this situation. She had been so stupid! She had been sure nobody was following them before they got to the safe house, but these were X5s, the most trained soldiers in existence. She of all people should have known what they were capable of but apparently she had gotten lazy. If Lydecker could hear her thoughts now. She was already berating herself for not being the perfect little soldier he could be so proud of!

"What will happen now?" She needed to distract them, to let them think she had given up.

To her surprise it was 451 who spoke: "The rescue team will bring us back to Gilette. There you will go through re-indoctrination."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" She had rolled over a little bit and looked sternly at him.

"PsyOps." It was only a word, one she had heard before, in another life, but she could see how her brother tensed and even without seeing it she felt that 301 straightened up a little bit and she could have sworn she heard her gritting her teeth.

"What does that mean exactly", she repeated while trying not to show her uneasiness at the sudden change in their behavior.

"You'll survive it", 451 answered reluctantly. After a few seconds he added: "We all did."

Confused by his answer Max looked over to 301 but the female X5 was staring out of the window with her hands behind her back clenched into fists. Apparently she had triggered some not so happy memories there.

"You could always let me go?" she suggested halfheartedly.

"Don't think so."

"You did it once already", she reminded him. To her surprise he smiled and 301 didn't look surprised when she turned around to face Max again.

"I did this when I was a child." He tried to explain his behavior all those years back. "I was young and inexperienced; I'm neither the one nor the other anymore, 452."

"My name is Max", she repeated once again, shouting. "And your name is Wolf. I gave it to you the night you let me escape. And your name" she turned her head at 301 "is Kyla! I heard it, you call each other by those names, don't deny it. You even breached protocol and followed us after Wolf got shot before you contacted command because you didn't want to lose your team member, Kyla. You two are doing the same things my unit did a decade ago, so don't tell me you like it at Lydecker's personal horror camp!"

"Three things, 452", Kyla began after Max had finished. Her voice was calm but dead serious while she was staring down at her captive. "First; why 451 let you escape that night is none of your business. I know about it and that's it. Second; what we are doing and why is none of your business, too. And third; if you insult the colonel again I will make sure you won't be able to speak a word anymore for the time I have to watch you, because as a matter of fact, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."

Max wanted to answer but in this moment 301's phone started ringing.

"X5-301 reporting, sir" she answered it in her best military manner. After a few seconds she continued: "Yes, sir, we're still at the same location."

Then she listened and nodded. "Understood, ETA 10 minutes, 301 out."

Ten minutes. Under normal circumstances this would have been more than enough time for her to escape but this was far from normal. Even with Wolf wounded Max knew there was no chance she would get past Kyla. Odd, she had even started to really think of them with their names.

"I will not go back" she said defiantly glaring first at Wolf, then at Kyla who had resumed her guarding post at the window.

"You will." Wolf spoke in a way that reminded her of Zack back then when he had been her CO. Suddenly his eyes softened a little bit. "PsyOps is hard but you'll survive it. And for the rest: Manticore has changed. You will see."

She didn't answer and instead just glared at him for what seemed to be hours. Her mind was racing. She was afraid of going back into that personal hell of hers. She had been very young when she had escaped but she still remembered how it had been; the medical experiments, the drill, the constant yelling and most of all the permanent danger of failure, punishment and even death. No, she would do anything, now and if necessary in the days and weeks to come to get back her freedom. Kyla's voice interrupted her pondering.

"They're coming."

Moments later Max could hear the sound of cars arriving outside, doors being opened and slammed shut again and a voice barking commands. Oh hell, he even had to come himself to make sure his pet soldier was coming home. A few seconds later she heard steps approaching the room. Kyla quickly smiled at Wolf, a gesture he returned. It wasn't a proud smile of a soldiers who had just accomplished their mission, it was something else, but Max wasn't given the time to think about it.

A man in a brown leather jacket opened the door and stepped into the room followed by two black clad soldiers with guns in their hands. He looked at her with a mixture of relief, pride and frustration. Then he finally spoke.

"Welcome back, 452."

Max just glared at him with pure hatred in her eyes. She was Max Guevera, she never ever would allow herself to show that bastard that she was afraid. Never again would she allow herself to follow this man's command, never!

"So glad you could make it" she spat at him. "Now just go back to hell, Deck!"

Yes, I know, probably not what you expected. And yes, I like cliffhangers.

Anyway, you know it, reviews are life! :)