After lunch, a group of kids from the neighborhood came over and asked for Stephanie. They accepted Max into the
group and they all went off to a nearby field/forest area to play. One from the group suggested 'Capture the Flag'.

All the kids seemed to agree and begin to set up teams. Max perked up, that 'game' was something familiar to her. She
found herself eager to play and do something she knew.
Though, none of them realized that the unmarked car had followed them. The two guys in the car, keeping a close watch
on Max.

Soon teams had been assembled, with Max (being the new kid) and Randy (being the oldest kid) as captains. And the
two captains took their teams to different sections of the forest to set up base.

At Max's base, she began to teach them some of the hand signals. She stuck to the easy to use and understand ones.
After that she laid out a strategy and immediately moved her team out. Everyone was armed with six water balloons,
with an extra supply back at the base.

Randy had played this game so many times, that he developed a talent for it. His team had always won against the
other. He was an all-around player. Randy was able to play offensively and defensively, and he could also do without
being the captain. He let others have a turn at being captain.

Randy decided to play an even game, being both offense and defense. He split his team in half, and decided to send his
offense section out, remaining behind with the defense section.

Randy sat, guarding his flag, while bouncing the water balloon in his palm. He chuckled to himself. Before the game
started, he offered Max to have her team use walkie-talkies, but she refused. He shook his head....this was going to be
easy.

Max and her teammates remained in eye contact of each other. Suddenly she stopped, signaling for the others to do as
well. She motioned for them to get down. Max knelt and stared to the area in front of her.

Her ears had picked up the sound of talkie static. She turned to the left of her and pointed with two fingers to the two
kids next to her to ready their weapons. She turned to the right and made the same motion.

Suddenly, just as Max knew beforehand, three from Randy's team appeared. Max held up three fingers and slashed
them forward. Three kids from Max's team threw their balloons toward their opponents, striking them before they knew
what happened. Max nodded-three down seven to go.

Stephanie walked up to Max suggesting that they should capture their opponents. Max nodded, signaling two of her
teammates to take their opponents back to base and lock them up. Max then signaled the rest of her offensive team,
eight kids, to push forward.

About 10% from the enemies' base, Max's team got ambushed. Max's teammates quickly took cover and fired back. With
each member of both teams distracted by the battle, Max used this time to sneak around and enter the opponents' base
from the back.

At the battle scene, casulties occurred. Suddenly Stephanie noticed victory. She jumped up out into the open, "Hey,
Randy! Turn around!!"

Everyone stopped throwing their ammo and turned around.

Randy slammed his balloon to the ground, "Holy cow!!!" There Max stood with the enemy flag in her hands.

Max's team jumped up and cheered, "YAY!"

Max jumped down from the hill and joined the crowd.

Randy turned to her, "You're pretty good at this game."

Suddenly one kid shouted, "Hey, there goes your winning streak, Randy!"

He shrugged and Stephanie spoke, grabbing Max's hand, "Hey, we gotta get home! Catch ya later Randy. See ya guys!"

Soon the group of kids dispersed, taking off and heading for home.
 
 

Halfway home, Max and Stephanie get stopped by a group of men looking to kidnap two little girls walking home alone.
The somber one-way dialogue from the men to the girls soon turned into a scuffle.

Two of the men rushed forward to snatch the girls and drag them to the car. But Max intervened getting her and
Stephanie freed. Stephanie managed to get away, and she took off toward home to get help.

The lead guy spoke, "Aww, let her go, this one'll do!"

The group of men surrounded Max, who was used to situations like this. Her training kept her calm and clear-minded.
She stood there, unfazed by their words. One guy reached for her, but she moved back, then ducked and darted
through the other guys, suddenly standing right next to the leader.

She gripped his arm, twisted it, and threw him over her shoulder.

The others in the group cringed when their leader smacked the pavement and one spoke, "Shit! Did you see that!" And
they all stepped back away from Max.

Max turned her gaze to the group and took one step toward them. They freaked out and scrambled to the car. Two
braved it, and retrieved their leader and hauled him to the car and drove away.

Meanwhile, the unmarked car was across the street. The two guys inside saw the whole thing and placed a call back to
their chief to report. When they finished telling all the details, a van pulled up.

Richard and Darlene jumped out and ran over to Max. Stephanie watched from the window of the car. Max shrieked
away from the concerning hands of Darlene and Richard. She pulled away and walked to the van she recognized and got
in.

Darlene and Richard stood there in shock, then they looked at each other. Both walked over to the van and climbed in.
They both looked at Max, then to each other and nodded. It was time for Max to come clean.
 
 
 

Halfway between Gillette, Wyoming and Billings, Montana...was Lydecker. He commanded the driver to pull into a rest
stop when his pager went off.

He walked to a payphone and dialed the number that was on the screen of his pager. The phone rang twice before it
was answered, "This better be good!" He spoke sternly into the receiver.

Chief Rawson spoke, "Just reporting in, Sir!"

Lydecker sighed, "Then report!!"

"Well, the girl.....apparently interacted with kids from her nieghborhood....my men said that she used hand gestures and
didn't utter a single word."

Lydecker leaned against the phone pole, A girl. Hand signals and no talking..it could be Max. He thought to himself.

Chief Rawson continued, "She also single handedly took out group of men....around their thirties. Nearly killed one of
them."

Lydecker had heard enough and hung up on Rawson. He walked back to his hummer, "It's one of ours!" He spoke into
the talkie that connected him with his men. He motioned to the driver, and soon was headed to Billings.

Your time is up. Lydecker thought as he stared at head shots of all those that escaped.