Part 32

She's gonna do what she's gonna do

Someone up there certainly hated her, Max mused. The past year had been a total mess and things seemed to just refuse to lighten up. Being caught by Manticore, Zack's "transformation", the virus, White and his cult cronies, the Alec lie, the exposure, Logan... gone, the transgenics hunted down, Lydecker pursuing an unknown agenda and now... she had been robbed. By a scrawny kid no less. What in the Blue Lady's name was going on with her! To top it all, the former Manticore soldier found herself way too emotional and whiny for her own good. Could things get any worse ?

Her inner demon wasted no time in retorting: "Were they ever better?"

Max frowned. Yeah, things had been better. She found herself wishing for the days she had been playing hide and seek with Manticore, finding occasional shelter with Logan. There was no more playing now and no more shelter. And she wasn't whining, she was just... bitter. Right, she snorted at herself and entered the four story building ahead of her.

A normal person would have groped in the darkness, trying to find her way by touching the part musty - part peeled walls while carefully climbing the stairs. Not so Max. Besides, she remembered being told that she'd never be a normal anything. Indeed.

Still, the long hallway was dark and there was enough debris scattered around for Max to have to be careful what she stepped on. The last thing she wanted was to alert the squatters one floor below that they had company. They tended to be pretty possessive as she had discovered in the past. There was also the small matter of convincing Zack to go along with her plan of returning to Seattle.

Lydecker had forced a "break" on her, but she had unfinished business in Seattle. Word was, transgenics had been dropping like flies. Plus, by now she thought she knew why they said that revenge was a dish best served cold. She had to see what Bling had come up with and kick the bastards out of this universe. Maybe then, Eyes Only.... But no, it was all wishful thinking, right now she had to stick with the immediate task, Zack.

Finally at her destination, Max entered the three bedroom apartment she was sharing with Zack and frowned at the loud squeak of the door closing behind her. Noises like that could give them away. The place was in good shape though. Judging by the yellowed pictures she had found on the wobbly nightstand, it had once belonged to a nice old lady and her family. Now, the only occupant of the threadbare purple recliner was Zack, who was perusing what seemed to be a rather recent newspaper.

Max had a hard time holding a chuckle back at the sight of her stern brother surrounded by purple. Zack heard her and lowered the paper, fixing her with a brotherly glare. It was amazing how quickly they had found back to their old routines. This time, Max grinned widely, her head cocked a bit, hands on her hips.

„Anything useful in that rag?"By the looks of it, it was the government approved news flyer. Not that they didn't all need to be approved, but this one was the worst.

„Nah,"he mumbled. „Just the inevitable: Corruption, death, taxes."

President meets with the council to decide on the energy reallocation program. Households will not be affected if they pay the energy tax in time.

More like energy cuts for all but the rich.

„We'll leave in the morning,"she announced casually, eager to get the confrontation out of the way.

Journalists die in separate accidents.

Max was too distracted by the front page headline to heed Zack's frown. Those deaths sounded like something Eyes Only would have investigated. „Hey, give me that paper for a sec."

„No, Max."

„What do you mean, no?"

„Just that, Max, no. We won't leave. I need you to stay."

And out the window went her plan. Again. Now Zack had her undivided attention. „After all that time trying to get me to come with you, you suddenly don't want me to?"

„I want you to be safe, Max. I want all of us, the few of us left, to be safe. That's why I'm going back to Seattle. And that's why you're staying here."His voice had been soft, almost brotherly in the beginning, the harshness of his tone increasing gradually. By now he had risen to his full height and stepped toward Max.

Max sighed. Deja vu all over again. Some men seemed to have selective amnesia.

„I'm not staying, Zack! I left Seattle only to come look for you and now I'm returning, just like it was planned."

There was nothing brotherly left in Zack's voice now. In fact, he reminded Max so much of Lydecker's snare that she almost flinched at his words. „You came looking for me? How convenient! You left me on a farm, Max! I had no intel and no backup in case of an ambush. Don't tell me they taught that back at Manticore while I was being... refitted." There had been only the slightest hesitation as the word rolled off his lips.

Max defended herself in a slightly annoyed tone. „Zack, I made a choice. The right one. The moment I thought there was danger ahead, I came for you."

„You were late. Why is that, Max ? I'll tell you why! Because your unit is always last on your priority list."

„That's not true, Zack and you know it. I came for you in the woods. And when we went for Tinga..."

„You were too late there, too,"Zack interrupted, his tone calm and yet razor sharp.

For a moment, Max was speechless. Remembering Tinga and Brin and Ben... she bit her lip.

Zack used the moment to approach her, eyes ablaze with anger. „Look at yourself, X5-452. Your CO is spelling it out for you. You're a liability to us. Your head is not in the game. Once you get your emotional chaos straightened out, you're welcome to join us. Until then, you're better off exorcising your ghosts."

For a few moments, silence swelled between them. Then Zack's features softened as he added quietly, „Max, you're on the wanted list in Seattle, you said so yourself."

„Good to know I'm wanted somewhere."

She almost left, slamming the partially unhinged door behind her. But she didn't. She stopped with the door knob in her hand, gripping it tightly. There was too much at stake here.

Instead, Max pursed her lips and brushed past the fuming Zack only to settle comfortably in the purple recliner.

At one time she would have fought her brother to set him straight. Two years ago she had fought him. Why was she backing down now, she wondered, stubbornly locking eyes with Zack.

Zack frowned, surprised by her sudden move to take his place in the recliner.

To Max, the staredown that followed seemed almost childish. Was Zack really just the same pain in the ass brother, or would he do anything to keep her out of Seattle, at least for a while?

Know your enemy, Lydecker had kept saying. Zack kept his features carefully in check, but Max had no trouble noticing the twitching muscle in his jaw or the slightly curved up lips. She decided he'd say whatever he needed to say to keep her safe. That made things so much easier for her.

Oh, how she wished to be able to talk and plan with someone who listened to her instead of labeling her as emotional and grounding her to safety like a small kid. And he had called her by her designation, too. Damn, it hurt. Too bad that trying to kick Zack's ass in their small quarters wouldn't be of any help.

She was no fool, she knew exactly what the chances were for the transgenics. Hounded by White, loathed by the population, scattered in all winds, there was no way for more than a few very lucky ones to survive. And even then, they'd be repeating what she and her siblings had gone through. The same mistake, over again, until someone, somewhere, at some time, would recognize them for what they were, unceremoniously ending it.

That was unacceptable. The transgenics needed to get organized and fight back. At the same time, she needed to find Bling, meet Sung and pay back the sons of bitches who... She sighed. All of it needed to be done preferably before she met her final fate at the hands of White, Lydecker or an angry mob. But Zack couldn't know that. Obviously he had remembered much more than she had initially thought. Enough to want to leave her out, in San Francisco of all places, while Seattle fought for its freedom. Right...

Feeling she had cooled off enough to avoid getting in a physical fight, Max wiggled in the recliner, leaned back more and made herself comfortable, a provocative half-smile on her lips. The image of a seething Zack looming high over her did not disturb her anymore.

"Max..." he attempted to entreat her, frustration visible on his face.

"Yes, Zack?" Zack's surprise at her attitude was evident. He hadn't expected her to be so calm and was probably wondering what she was scheming. She had kicked Zack's ass before, she would do it again if she had to. Whatever it took for him to understand that nobody ever told her what to do. Not since they had fled Manticore. Max wondered if she had to spell it out for him again.

That was not the case, however. Zack took one look at her faintly mocking smile and came up with an offer.

„Give me 48 hours to scout ahead and I'll call for you to come, Max. In the meantime, you can look up some journalists, see if they're willing to bring our story from our point of view."

"It would be much easier for me to reach journalists in Seattle. I have contacts there." Max thought of Sebastian, whom she hadn't heard from in over a year. Logan's contacts, she mentally added. But there was no need to provoke Zack now.

Zack nodded toward the paper at Max' feet. "I doubt that journalists in Seattle are very talkative right now, with all the murders. They're probably hiding anyway. Plus, we need to get support from all over the country, not just in Seattle. What good will Seattle journalists do us if it comes to a showdown? We need to make people aware of what's happening."

Max sighed. Eyes Only could have come in handy right now. But Zack was right. Seattle could remain isolated, locked down, at any time. They needed help all over the country.

"I could start with the San Francisco newspapers in the morning," Max nodded. "But don't think you got rid of me. Once that is taken care of, I'll follow you so we can enter Seattle together."

"Let me call you first, Max. I need to get a safe place and assess the situation."

Max frowned. Damn him, she hated it when he was right. Still, she couldn't help but worry.

"I'll give you a list of contacts and potential safe houses. I hate to refer you to Alec, but he's probably well informed. You'll also need to find Matt Sung, he's a cop who can help." What Zack didn't know, wouldn't get him riled up. Once he was in Seattle, there was no way for him to keep her away.

Zack nodded curtly, a faint surprise in his eyes. Once they had settled down to talk, it had been almost painless and the plan had taken shape quite nicely. Max wondered if he still thought of her as immature and emotional.

The detached, cold blooded soldier in him had recognized her turmoil and asked her to regroup. Then why was she feeling the slightest twinge of regret that she hadn't kicked his ass?