Summary: AJBAC went very differently. Max and a few of her siblings went to avenge Tinga. Only this time she's up for losing a lot more than another sister…

Rating: PG-13

Code: Short (but it could become a monster.. not sure where it's going yet)

Author's Note: This started with one paragraph from Fee (dafans.proboards9.com), I turned it into a couple more… ;)

So lifeless. So cold. "No." His heartbeat was agonizingly slow, a few weak thumps a minute, and decelerating. "NO!" Frantically, helplessly ripping his shirt open, massaging his heart. The crack of a broken rib, or three. No improvement. "No, no, no, noooo." Dejectedly kissing his hair, his face, his cold lips. No more pulse, a moment later no heartbeat. He was dead.

"Here Max, take it." Zack thrust the weapon into her arms and turned back to the trunk of the van. He was pulling out a few other items and slinging them over his shoulder. "Alright let's move out." He slammed the trunk shut and trudged around to the sliding door. Lydecker pulled it across from the inside.

"You know what to do?" he queried. He held a map in one hand and adjusted his headset with the other. "We'll be out of radio contact for five minutes when you go over the perimeter. Once you reach the compound, Logan will have hacked the surveillance and set our video feed in place. We'll break radio silence then. Keep radio contact minimal, we don't want them tracing us."

The X5s nodded in unison and Max stayed back for a moment, after the rest of them headed for the hill. Logan had climbed out of the van and stood waiting for her to go.

"Promise me you'll be back Max. I'll be right here." Before she could walk away he pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her fiercely, eventually releasing her with great reluctance.

Max reached up and touched his lips with her index finger. Cupping his rough cheek with her hand, before kissing him quickly once more. "I'll be back Logan, that's a promise."

He watched her retreating back with a sense of foreboding. Something didn't feel right, in fact everything about this mission felt incredibly wrong. Sure, he wanted Manticore to go down in a blazing inferno, but at what cost? He would rather they spend life on the run together, than a life alone without Max. No, he wasn't going to think like that. He would have constant radio contact with her in less than five minutes, five minutes and he would hear her every breath. Climbing back into the van, he looked at the clock and started counting down. At the same instance, he went to work overriding Manticore's surveillance system.

They broke into the facility in ample time, splitting up, Krit and Syl went to take on the barracks problem, while Zack and Max headed for the DNA lab to set the charges.

Everything went according to plan until the X7s started breaking out of their confinement, and then it all went to hell. Brin, sent out by Renfro caught up with Max just as she was setting the last charge. Logan could see everything from this video feed, it took all his control not to grab his gun and charge in there after her. On screen, they fought and it ended with Max handcuffing Brin, hand and foot, to the wall. He sighed audibly in relief but his satisfaction was short lived. His hack was overridden and the feed was cut. The moment before he lost all visual he saw Max heading down the corridor, followed by a drone of X7s. Where in the hell was Zack?

Lydecker held the detonator in his hand and he still hadn't pushed the trigger. He was looking numbly at the crackling monitor, he's thumb poised but unmoving. Logan stared at him in disbelief. Max had put her trust in him, followed his direction, thinking that he would follow through.

Without a seconds hesitation, Logan picked up his gun and aimed it at Lydecker's head. "Detonate now." The man reluctantly but forcefully pushed the button.

The bombs exploded and the lab erupted in flames, debris and smoke launched high into the night sky. From inside the facility, originating from her office, Renfro's furious scream could be heard echoing down the halls.

"Time to break now." Zack hollered, he could hear Max's boots approaching and she couldn't be far behind. Kicking open the back exit, he burst through the door. In his communicator, he could hear Krit and Syl.

"Approaching perimeter. Home free big brother."

"Covering Syl, meet at designated point." Krit advised.

They were on the way out, what about Max? Where was she? The sounds he'd picked up earlier had faded. Others had replaced her familiar steps, many others. Zack ducked for cover as shots pierced the cold air, riddling the tree truck above his head. He jumped to his feet and ran quickly through the trees. Figures, nothing more than shadows, shimmered around him. He knew he was outnumbered and perhaps out manoeuvred but he had to avoid leading them back to the others.

"Max, where are you?" It was Logan's voice in his ear now. Zack swore a blue streak and bit his tongue, the guy sounded too close to panic and that was the last thing they needed. Max hadn't responded, he couldn't even hear her breathing. A seed of concern started to form in his gut, maybe she lost her comm.-link. It was possible. More shots flew harmlessly by and he knew he had to get out of the dead zone. Where he was, he was a sitting duck.

Logan threw down his pack and pulled out his second gun. It was a fourteen round clip and it was a heavier piece. Looking up at Lydecker, he dared the man to stop him.

"It's your call son, but those kids can handle themselves. It's what they were trained to do."

Logan scowled. "Thanks for the advice but I've been raised to know that you're supposed to help your friends. I'm not gonna sit here and wait for her to get killed." With that, he threw open the van door and steeped out into the darkness. It was almost as if he felt her inside, he knew instinctively where to go. Getting past the perimeter he heard the shots and spotted Krit and Syl on the way up.

"Logan?" Syl whispered harshly. "We're moving out, the place is swarming with X6s and X7s."

"I have to find Max, she's in trouble."

They all looked at each other a moment longer before Krit spoke up, "Blow it, let's cream the place. I'm going after the big shot. Syl, you're cover. Logan, find Max." After Logan hurried down the slope, Krit spoke again. "Got that big bro?"

"Got it." Zack bit out, grinding his teeth in the process.

Krit grimaced and shifted the weight of his rifle. He didn't sound too happy with the latest developments but Max was missing in action and you never left your family behind.

Logan entered a small clearing, he felt her presence so strong that a shiver crept up his spine. "Max?" A shadow emerged from the trees and he found himself face to face with a nine-year-old Max. A clone. He stared, immobile, at the child before him. In her hand, she held a gun and it was pointed directly at his chest.

A single shot rang out.

Zack turned to the sound, all the shadows that were among the trees seemed to dissipate and he quickly hurried in the direction of the sound.

Krit and Syl had thundered down the corridors, straight for Renfro's office and they'd just bagged her when they picked up the faint gunshot. Only with their superiors hearing was it even audible.

Max flew at the X6 and knocked her to the ground. Clubbed her with a swift right to the temple and the put the girl out cold. Scrambling past the limb body, she huddled over Logan's still form. "Logan, talk to me. Logan?"

He weakly reached for her face. "I'm so sorry Max…" he whispered softly, gently brushing her cheek with the last of his strength. His eyes closed and his hand dropped limp to the earth.

"No!" she screamed. Tearing open his shirt, she searched for the wound, blood trickled from the hole in his chest and she gently swabbed the blood with the sleeve of her shirt. "No, no, no…" she sobbed over and over.