The next morning Max packed a simple bag and strapped it onto her motorcycle. She told Kendra that she'd be back in a
week; if she wasn't then Kendra was to tell Logan that she was very sorry, but she had gotten caught or done
something stupid, and that it wasn't his fault.




"Max, I don't think a sudden vacation is going to help you with anything," Kendra said as she followed Max down
the stairs. "Especially not if you're leaving me messages to let people know that if you get killed it's not their
fault." 




"I wouldn't be going if Logan hadn't found my family," Max answered calmly. "If I get killed on the way I just don't
want him to blame himself. Who knows what the guy would do." 




Max actually had a pretty good idea of what Logan would do, and it didn't strike her as something that would
make his life expectancy very long. He'd go off on an Eyes Only fit, which would just create havoc with the
Military, and that wouldn't be a good thing. The Manticore project had done it and look where it got them hunted.
What a wonderful way to live.




"So you promise to be home in a week?" Kendra asked. "I mean within a week."




"I promise to be home within a week, and if I'm not you get to give the messages to people," Max told her, giving
her a quick hug. "Logan will most likely stop by at work. I warned Original because you don't work there, but he
might show up here too."




"You are starting to worry too much, girl," Kendra told her smiling. "Just go before you take off in the middle of a
sentence or something." 




Max didn't need to be told twice and before Kendra could get in another word Max was speeding off toward
Logan's. If Kendra had known that she wouldn't have been happy about it. Max had left her all these messages,
and she couldn't have just told him herself? 




When Max walked in Logan was waiting for her with a small bag. He calmly handed it to her and watched as she
smiled and turned. Just before she walked out the door she turned back. 




"Don't get into trouble while I'm gone," Max warned. " Who knows what kinda mess Zach and I'll get into while I'm
gone."




"How does this affect me?" Logan asked her. "Well, if you're in trouble and I'm in trouble then we're both in trouble
and can't get each other out of it."




"I knew there was a reason I liked you," Logan told her. "Have fun, Max." 




"Fun?" Max asked with a grin. 'What's that?" 




Max headed out of Seattle glad that she now had Sector passes to get past the Sector Police. This way she
didn't have to worry about getting her motorcycle scratched trying to break through their check points. Logan
could be so thoughtful sometimes.




Max spent an interesting day on the road to Montana and didn't really stop much except to get a drink or two.
Finally she pulled into the small Montana town where Zach was supposed to be living and found a room for the
night. She would start looking for him in the morning. It wasn't like she didn't have the energy to look for him right
away, but it was 9:00 at night and the police frowned upon young women out in the streets after dark. She didn't
want to attract unnecessary attention to herself. 




When she did manage to get out of the hotel the next morning it was 10:00. The patroness was a very motherly
type person. She had watched Max eat a three-course breakfast and then had her do some light exercise,
stressing the need to stay fit. Max had been very hard pressed not to say anything, very hard pressed. It wasn't
her nature to be sweet and non-offending, but everyone has to make exceptions. 




Max walked into a restaurant and surveyed the people. She had no idea how to find Zach seeing as she didn't
even have a current picture. She walked up to the apparent owner of the store and hoped she could make him
believe the story she had just thought up. 




"Can I help you?" the owner asked politely. 




"I'm looking for my cousin," Max said. "I know he lives here, but I just don't know where. I'm only 17 and my
parents just died. I'm looking for him to let him know and to see if he knows someone I can stay with."




"It would help if you told me his name," the owner said to her. 




Max was honestly hoping that Zach had kept his name, or at least something resembling it.




"I think his name is Zach," she said softly. "We were pretty little the last time we saw each other. He wouldn't be
that much older than me. Somewhere under 22."




"Your in quite a fix, little lady," the owner said, turning back to his work. "I'm afraid I don't know anyone named
Zach." 




Max bristled at being called "little lady" but didn't think it would make a good impression if she tried to give the
man a concussion. Not that anyone in the store would notice, she thought. However, there was a girl in the back
with flaming red hair. She was noticeably shy, staying as far away from Max as she could as Max walked toward
the door. Still, something about her felt familiar. She did look sort of like one of the twelve that Max hadn't known
very well - Selina. But as far as she knew Selina hadn't been shy. Still, Max couldn't risk the girl being Selina and
being able to tell Zach that she was here. As Max turned she swung her head so that she flashed the bar code at
the girl and then headed out the door. 




Max spent the next four hours looking for someone called "Zach" and didn't get anything. Some people wouldn't
even answer her questions. She caught a glimpse of the girl once more but didn't see her again after that. Max
headed back to the hotel, which surprisingly did have a pool, and spent the rest of the day swimming laps in it.
She had to do something. She really didn't want this to be a dead end. She was so close, and Logan had been so
sure. It couldn't be the end.




Before she headed back to her room she decided to call Logan. The least she could do was see if he knew
something more. She dug her cell phone out of her bag and sat down in a deck chair to dial his number. Logan
answered the phone with calmness. The fact that it was from Montana didn't have anything to do with the fact
that his stomach was now on Mars somewhere.




"Hello?"




"Logan, this is Max. I've been here a whole day and talked to people for a whole day and no one, let me repeat
that, NO one seems to know Zach."




"Max, you don't even know if he's going by that name."




"That's the problem. He could be right here, and I wouldn't know it unless I see him. Unless I talk to him no one
will tell him."




"Max, calm down," Logan suggested. "He has to be in Montana somewhere."




"You do remember that the Pulse made our bank accounts smaller, not our country," Max reminded him. "Telling me
'He's in Montana' isn't all that helpful." 




"Let me put it this way. I traced him to that town. If he's not in it, then he's not there and the link is dead."




"So, Montana right?" Max asked suddenly, thinking that spending extensive time searching the town tomorrow was
in order. "Sounds better than 'the world'."




"I would say so," Logan agreed. "So, still coming back?" 




"If I can't find him, yeah," Max answered. "And even if I do and he wants me to stay I have to come back and tell
Kendra and stuff."




Max hung up the phone after a few minutes when Logan confirmed that he didn't have anything else that could be
helpful to her. When Max returned to her room she went on instant alert. She could feel someone else was in her
room. 




"I know someone's in here, and you won't get the drop on me so you might as well come out now."




A blonde male around Max's age walked out of the shadows and looked at her. 




"She was right. You are here. Welcome back, Max."




"Zach," Max breathed in surprise.




* * * end part three