8:00 pm

Thank God, she is alive. Thank God.

Max somehow managed to get through the Manticore dragnet and get Zack out. They returned here together. Sometimes it seems that this apartment is the only secure place Max and Zack have in this world. But they showed no sense of security when they walked in here, there was only fear and worry in their eyes. They were experiencing the same desperation that had been so evident when they lost Brin.

Lydecker let Zack escape. He designed the escape so that Zack would reveal the positions of the other X5s, and he succeeded. Max and Zack were desperate to warn the X5s, but Zack couldn’t remember their contact details. I could hear the panic in his voice as he tried to dredge up any small piece of information that might help. I could also hear it in Max’s voice as she struggled to coax something out of him. She couldn’t stop pushing him, but the memories just weren’t there.

The fear and worry that I felt this morning were still fresh in my mind. I couldn’t let Max go through this without doing something. I couldn’t allow five of her brothers and sisters to be captured. So I did the only thing that I could do. I made a broadcast. Eyes Only has now allied himself with the X5s, and has made himself a target like never before. I jokingly told Max that things were getting too quiet around here, but I understand the consequences of what I have done. I’ve made an enemy that has the resources to find me. This will come back someday. I don’t know when, but it will.

At least the broadcast worked. Zane, Syl and Krit have checked in and are on the move. They will be okay. Only Tinga and Jondy remain. Now all we can do is sit and wait for them to report.

That’s probably a good thing because I’m not sure how much else I will be able to do tonight. The muscle spasms that I experienced this morning really scared me. Since then, I haven’t been able to shake the fatigue from my legs. It reminds me of the muscle aches I get when I work out too intensely, but this time it feels much deeper. I probably shouldn’t be surprised after I spent last night pacing in front of the window worrying about Max. The spasm lasted only thirty seconds, but it left me feeling shaky and unstable. It was definitely a sign that I needed to slow down. I was reluctant to pick up the cane again, but under the circumstances, I didn’t really have a choice. Now I’m glad I did. I don’t quite have the freedom of movement that I enjoyed yesterday, but with the cane, I seem to be doing okay. It has given me the additional stability that I seem to need right now. I suppose I can accept having the cane in my life for a few more days.