TITLE: FINDING THE LOST

AUTHOR: SARGE

E-MAIL: sarge2525@hotmail.com

SUMMARY: Max is going back to Seattle to salvage what she can of her former life, but is it a mistake?

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DARK ANGEL. JAMES CAMRON, CHARLESS EGLESSE AND FOX HOWEVER HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS. I GUESS YOU COULD
SAY ALL THE SIBLINGS ARE MINE BECAUSE THE ONLY THEY'VE CONFIRMED IS ZACH BUT IF THEY WANT THE REST OF THEM THEY CAN HAVE THEM.

Max jumped into the car, pulling Jordan with her. She had to get back to the house, get her motorcycle, and get back on the road before anyone could stop her. Not to mention that she
had to keep Jordan from telling everyone else what was going on. She had a feeling that it would have been easier to make the sun change directions. 

"Jordan, I'm leaving for awhile." Max told him as she drove. She was breaking quite a few driving laws all at once.

"Maxie, are you crazy?" Jordan asked. "What the heck happened back there? I've never seen that cell phone ring. Now it does and all the sudden and you're leaving."

"Look, I'm from Seattle," Max told him. "I have stuff I have to go back and take care of." 

"You mean people. I have good hearing, Max. I know that was a guy on the other end of the line," Jordan said, his eyes hardening. "What is Michael going to say?" Max kept driving
out of sheer need to get back and get going before she could be stopped. 

"I don't care what Michael has to say about what I'm doing," Max snapped as she made the turn-off. "I do what I want to do. Don't you dare try to stop me, Jordan."

"I'm your brother, Max. And I heard him say that Lydecker was put in charge. I don't think Zach is going to be happy to know this."

"Zach can be as unhappy as he wants to be. I'm not going to be stopped," Max told Jordan. "You know me. All of you do. Are you really going to try?" 

"Max, we love you. We have to at least try," Jordan told her. He knew it would be hopeless though. When Max set out to do something either the mark fell, or she wasn't coming
back. Lydecker wasn't behind this, but even she didn't stand for tyranny.

When they got back Max bolted up the stairs. Michael, who had been wondering where in hell his girl had gone off to, followed hot on her heels. When she slammed the door in his face
he had quite a lot to say about it.

"Max, you open this door! I don't care what Dawn says. I'll break it down!" Michael yelled. "Where the hell did you go? It's dangerous out there alone, Max. You're too important to
lose, especially from carelessness." 

Max listened to him rant while she packed. She answered everything he said under her breath.

"Yeah, I'm so important. Because of me, the next time someone wants the post office to deliver a bomb they might mistakenly drop it at the abandoned house next door," Max
muttered. "Dare I forget the fact that I'm Zach's second in command even though Selina should be. Well, actually Brad would do a better job than either of us. He's better at balancing the
personal stuff against the greater good." 

Max finished packing and jumped out her window without any further hesitation. It wasn't that she didn't need to say goodbye, but if she did they'd stop her. If they stopped her Michael
might do something very similar to what Logan had done when he had found out she was leaving. If that happened she would be in big trouble. Very big trouble. Zach however wasn't
field commander because he happened to look good in the uniform. He was field commander because he knew his stuff. When you've got one agent pounding on another agent's door
something is up. Watch the windows.

"Max, what are you doing?" Zach asked calmly, looking at her bag. 

"I'm leaving for a little while," Max answered. "I have to go do something. I'll be back as soon as I can, Zach, but I have to do this."

"You don't have to do anything," Zach replied. "Michael told me something was off with you lately. When you took off with Jordan I should have suspected something. What happened
in town?" 

Jordan chose that moment to come outside. He walked up behind Max and put his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"Her cell phone rang," Jordan answered him. "Let her go, Zach. The news did something to her." 

"So, you just want us to watch her leave again, not knowing if she's coming back? Maybe let her walk right into Lydecker's hands?" Michael asked as he walked over to Jordan and
Max. "I'd rather have all of the West Coast blown up."

Max paled at the thought. Michael almost seemed to be stalking her now. Determined not to let her go. Almost anticipating closing her off from any other influence but his. And maybe
Zach's. 

"Michael, I am my own person," Max said firmly. "And I can't condone the way I left my other friends. I won't just sit by and watch Lydecker kill them like animals. I won't do it
because that's what we were to him. Animals. He had no respect for us except that we were dangerous. We kill things. We are genetically engineered killing machines to him, and
heaven forbid we ever have anything else on our agenda. Now I am going to help my friends, and so help me, Michael, I will not let you get in my way."

"Will you come back?" Zach asked her.

"I only promised to help them. I didn't promise to stay with them," Max answered. "I'll only stay as long as it takes to solve the problem."

"What if it's out of your league?" Michael asked. "You're to important to risk. Give Dawn your friends' address and she'll go help them." 

"So what? Now I'm more important than Dawn?" Max demanded, astonished by his irrational arguments. "I don't think so, Michael. In case you haven't noticed, and I would believe it
if you hadn't, but all people are supposedly equal. Hence the notion that Dawn can't be less important to us than I am." 

"If you promise to come back," Zach stated firmly. "And to contact us to send help if you get in trouble, then I will condone your going."

"Maxie, I'd agree with him if I were you," Jordan said, holding on to her more firmly. "You may be one of the stronger one's, but I don't think you can get past all of us." 

"I'm going to solve this problem," Max told them. "I will come back Zach. Only death could keep me away."

"Your death isn't a price we are willing to pay. Not for the lives of people that have no impact on ours," Michael said, closing in on her. "I am not willing to watch you die, Max. And I
don't want to see it all over the news the next day. I care about you."

"I care about all of you too, but I care about my friends as well. Who do you think found Zach for me? You think a poor street girl with no clue where any of you had gone did it? No.
They did. I owe them for that," Max told them. 

In truth, Max didn't blame them for being surprised at her. They were not supposed to care. Sure they cared about each other, but they were a very small group. They were like family,
or very close friends. They didn't understand why she still cared about her past. She realized that if she hadn't met Logan she might have been like them. Before she met Logan Seattle
had just been another stopping point until she could find the others. However, fate had intervened and Logan had found her. His stubborn belief that the world could be a better place been
strong enough to make even Max care. 

I am going to help them with our without your complete approval," she said. "We always wanted to be human, but we don't want to show human emotions. These people have a
chance to live normal lives. I am not going to let Lydecker take over."

"Go ahead, Max." Zach told her. "Just please come back to us." 

"I will," Max answered. "So can we stop being repetitive and move on?" 

Zach nodded slowly. Max quickly hugged the rest of her sibs who had just come out to see what everyone was upset about. 

"Maxie, be careful." Jordan said, hugging her back. "And remember the speed limit. I don't want you to get killed for driving in some stupid way." 

"Hey, enough with the motorcycle comments. I'm sick of them already, okay?" Max snapped. She stuck her stuff into the storage bin and jumped onto her motorcycle. "Gotta jet," she
said as she took off. Much to everyone's surprise she didn't look back. 

"We are never going to see her again," Michael spat at Zach angrily. "Lydecker will kill her." 

"Yeah, well I don't think she'd give him the chance," Zach answered. "If she doesn't come back it won't be because of Lydecker." 

"Sure, that's what you say," Michael answered. "I liked her Zach. She's like me. She's closed off too."

"Sorry, Michael, but I don't think Maxie liked you very much lately," Jordan said. "She needs the time away and so do you." 

Max had to work hard to drive the speed limit and keep anyone from noticing her. She knew that the sector police were going to be tight around Seattle. Tighter than usual if Lydecker
was in charge. He may have a huge goal to capture all of the former Manticore escapees, but he didn't stand a chance in hell of ever catching all of them. He did, however, have a
very good chance of catching the people that had done this to Seattle. He wouldn't care what happened to the people who had nearly died though. Max intended to save those had been
hurt and keep the military from getting any farther out of line. 

When Max got to Seattle it was little more then child's play to get inside the city. She blended in easily and looked like she belonged. The first thing she did was pull out a cell phone and
dial Logan's number.

"Hello?" came Logan's confused voice. "Who has this number?" 

"It's me," Max answered calmly. "I'm back. What do you want me to do?" 

Logan was in shock. Max was back. She had really come back. He thought that was what she had just said. The more he thought about it, though, he couldn't find a reason for Max to
leave her family. Well, he thought that he had given her a reason before she left, but that had been six months. It hadn't stopped her from leaving and he hadn't heard a single thing from
her since. Not so much as a hint... except for a messed up software order... with a two-word note that had said "I'm sorry". 

"Hello? Logan?" Max asked softly. "Are you there?" 

"Max?" Logan questioned. "Is it really you?" 

"Yeah. The bitch is back," Max answered. 


***