Summary: A little while after Manticore starts the X5 project they find
that a lot of the surrogate mothers ended up conceiving twins instead of
just one child. After finding this out they decide to freeze one emybro out
of each set of twins to save them for later use. But they ended up thawing
them out earlier than expected because of the escape of several X5's. After
that escape Manticore swore they would never let it happen again. But
little do they know that this promise will be broken.
Disclaimer: All characters (except for: Joe, Joey, Tori, Ryan, Christi,
Jake, Riley, Matt, Mary, Robbie, which are owned by me) are owned by James
Cameron, Charles Eglee, and Fox Productions. Please don't sue me because
all you will get is some pocket lent.
Young Fugitives
By: Brittany Danielle Thompson
I was born here. At Manticore. I had a twin named Max, or X-5452 as most of the people here call her. She was one of the few X-5's that escaped with their lives in 2009. But the weird thing about us being twins was that she was five years older than I was. Before we were born I was taken out of my mother's womb and frozen. I'm not really sure how they did it but I found all of this out when I decided I would hack into Manticore's Mainframe one night.
I had snuck out of our barracks once the guards and Lydecker left. I slowly and stealthily walked down the hall checking every corner to make sure I wasn't followed by any of the X-9's, who were always trying to gain honor in Manticore's eyes. I slowly crept up to the door of Lydecker's office opening the door slowly, entering and slowly closing the door behind me. I had figured earlier I would not have a chance to read them all in his office so I had brought some hard disks with me. After I had downloaded enough information to fill all of the disks I went back to the barracks to sleep. After doing this for about 3 years I had everything on the Manticore system on disk. All I had to do was go every night in Lydecker's office and download that day's information. Finally I decided I had enough information. I took a big metal ammunitions case and placed the disks in it. The night after that I snuck outside and buried it. I had the location of it burned into my memory also with that the memory that I had a sister we all had brothers and sisters. From that point on I had decided we were going to get out of this hellhole and meet up with our siblings.
I had started the hacking when I was eight and had finished by the time I was ten. From the time I was ten, my troops and I started staying up and talking about how we were going to make our escape. We were going to need some help and we all knew it. That's when Tori met a group of X-8's who were willing to help us. The only problem that they were only three years old. After talking it over we decided that two of the X- 8's were going to come with us out of Manticore and the rest were going to stay until we could get back and rescue them. The two who were coming with us were named Joseph, Joe as I called him, and Mary. I liked Joe a lot and he looked at me as his big sister. I had decided that if I had to die to get him safely free then that is what I would have to do. Especially since I had found out that Joe was made from me, or at least from my genetics. So he was sort of like a mix between my son and brother. Finally by the time I had turned fourteen we were ready to leave.
It was the night and we couldn't believe it. My troops stood in a line and I took role. We were all there and X-8's were all in position. I made the signal and we were off. On the way through the forest we dug up the box and kept going. That's when I heard it. The sound of small footsteps in the snow. I knew instantly that the X-9's were hot on our trail. But we kept running until we were out of the forest and had reached a city called Seattle. I had told my troops to bring their laptops and I was glad I did. I opened mine up and placed one of the disks in that was labeled X-5452. I placed it in and found that this city was the last place she had been tracked. We found ourselves in an old abandoned apartment building. This was where we were going to stay, for the time being. There were only nine of us there because during the escape I had given the order to split up. I looked around and saw that Robbie, Tori, Joseph, Mary, Matt, Cody, Jake, Riley, and me. I smiled to myself we were finally free. For that night they could sleep while Robbie, Riley, and I went to go get some clothes and food. While we were walking down an alley we heard the sound of a Motorcycle being parked. We ran around the corner and that is when I saw my sister for the first time. I don't know how I knew who she was but I did. We saw her go in and talk to some people at a table. We waited for her to leave and we followed her to some very nice looking apartments. When she entered the building we got the address and started back to the others.
We were about halfway there when I started to feel sick. I stopped for a minute and leaned against a nearby wall. Then I started to fell dizzy. I couldn't see straight. I felt someone pick me up I looked to see it was Robbie. Robbie and I were very close and we felt a love for each other that was stronger than the love of brother and sister. Slowly I fell asleep in his arms as he was carrying me. I started to dream. I was running through the woods with the X-8's chasing me. Then Lydecker was torturing me. It was like I was there but I couldn't do anything. Then the worst of all I was in a caged cell watching as Lydecker executed my troops right in front of my eyes. That's when I screamed "Robbie" "Noooooooooo". Then someone started shaking me. I looked up it was Robbie but it wasn't him shaking me. I was having a seizure. I tried to get up but I just fell back down on the asphalt. As my head hit the ground I felt a pain go through my skull. Then I felt someone pick me up in their strong arms. It was Robbie. I heard Riley and Robbie whispering something but I couldn't tell what. Robbie then sat down on the ground and held me close. As I lay there in his arms I saw Riley run down the alley towards where the others were. About fiftieth minutes later I saw everyone coming down the alley with their stuff. Then Robbie was up with me in his arms and we were on the move, again. At first I didn't know where we were going but I soon recognized the bar we had walked by earlier as we passed it. After that everything went black. That's when the nightmares started again. Words started flashing into my mind. Objective, honor, Discipline. Then more of Lydecker torturing me. And then the things that had happened that for years I had tried to forget. The X-series go through this thing called heat. It makes you lustful, it comes from the cat DNA we have in us, and if you don't get it you feel like you are going to go crazy. But when we were little girls in heat the guards and even some of the scientists would take advantage of us. Images of them raping me over the years flashed through my mind. I tried to fight back but there were strong arms holding me down. I start screaming as loud as I can "no" "leave me alone" and then just in pain. That's when I woke up. Robbie was there. Robbie wrapped his arms around and I climbed into his lap. After awhile I was half-asleep and I felt him lay me in a bed. I woke back up as soon as he laid me down and I begged him not leave me alone. So he climbed up in the bed with me. I laid my head and arm on his chest. I slowly fall asleep feeling that this is the first time in my life that I have ever felt safe.
I bolt up from sleeping. Robbie was still there beside me. Robbie opened his eyes and told he that there was someone I needed to meet. I said ok and he picked me up. He carried me out of the bedroom and down a short hall to a living room. There I saw my brothers and sisters and a man I didn't know. He sat me down and the man came over to me. He introduced himself as Logan and I told him my name was Joey. He then went over to talk to Riley, who was about 17. Little Joe, who is 3, came over to me and started crying. I pick him up and hold him in my arms. I told him everything would be ok and that I wouldn't let him be taken back to Manticore. Joe turned to me and wrapped his small arms around my neck. He then said "Mommy what's going to happen to us", "Are they going to take me away from you and daddy". At this comment I hug my little boy and call Robbie over to us. After looking into my eyes he immediately knew what to do. He comes over and wraps his arms around me with Joe right in the middle of us. Then Robbie placed a passionate kiss upon my lips we then made a vow that we would die before we let anything happen to our little baby boy. Just then I heard a key slip into the door and then I saw the knob start to turn. I pray that this will not be the last time I see my little Joe or for that matter the light of day. I cringe as I think of the nomilies in the basement and what happened last time I was throne down there.
Just then the door opens and . I feel dizzy and my head starts to ache. I shake off the feeling to see an African American woman standing in the doorway eyes wide with astonishment. Then I feel it. Oh crap a seizure. Please not now. Not now. Then I start to feel myself slowly starting shake and then my body being racked with the pain and torment that is my life. The room starts to spin around me as I collapse into a heap on the floor. I hear Joe screaming bloody murder. "Mommy, mommy, mommy" was all I could make out. I then feel someone pull me into their lap and put something in my mouth. They tell me to swallow it. But I can't. I wanted to tell them that I was trying, but I couldn't speak. I start to be able to see a little better and I see someone coming towards me with a needle and a bottle of some yellowish liquid. I scramble backwards. "You're not taking me back there, get away, traitor", I yell. But they just keep coming at me. I pull myself up with the couch and wobble over to a corner in the living room and with my back to the wall I know that this may be the end. My legs give way after no longer being able to support my weight. I slide down the wall pull my legs up to my chest, wrap my arms around my legs, and lie my head on my knees. I slowly start rocking my self back and forth like the nice nurses used to do, as I was a child. I start to sob and between the sobs only a few words escape my mouth. "No.no.no.no.please.stop.leave.me.alone.what are you doing to me?" Then all I can do is whimper as I get ready for what is about to happen. I feel someone gently grasp my arm and then a needle pierce the delicate skin. After that just darkness and pain. The memories come back fast. I am standing in our role call line right after we had breakfast I could feel myself shaking and I was scared cause I didn't know why. Please not this one I think, as I know what is going to happen next. This was one of my most hated memories for Manticore and for some reason it was the one that I always had dreams about. It would always be the same I would feel like I was there but I couldn't move nor do anything. Lydecker approaches and starts to check us but when gets half way through I all of the sudden collapse on to the floor in seizure. At the time of this I was only 6 so it was very frightening. He looks at me and motions for the guards. Two guards walk up to me and seize me by my arms. They drag me down to the basements and into a solid white room with a cot. The guards roughly throw me into the room and lock the door behind them after leaving. I run to the door and try to get it open. I beat the door with my small fists until they hurt to bad to keep trying. I slowly go over to the cot and crawl under it, reach up pull the blanket off the bed, and wrap myself in it. I was there in the room for what seemed like hours but was only about twenty minutes. I start to hear the door open and I see about six guards come in. I continue to hide under the cot but they see me. One of them tries to grab me but I shoot out from the other side and run to a corner. I put my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs. I start to whimper as the men come at me. One of them comes up to me and says, "don't be afraid I won't hurt you". He then tells me his name is Neil. I feel him pick me up and start to take me out of the room and into another one that had a bed that looked like a cot but was big enough for to adults two sleep in. He sat me down on the bed and left with all of the other men behind him. But in about ten minutes I heard the door opening back up and I look to see the other five guards that had been with Neil. I start to try to climb under the bed when three of the guys grab me. I start to scream when one guy backhands me hard enough to knock a normal person unconscious. I start crying more than I thought I ever could. I see a guard tie some rope around the head and foot board of the bed. The guys holding me then put me on the bed and tie me down with the ropes. "What are you doing to me?" I ask while sobbing. One of them speaks up and says "Oh we jut gonna have a lil fun wit you, tat all". Then for the next four to six hours the guards would beat and rape me. After that I would just be sent back to training and told that if I told anyone they would beat me worse the next time or even kill me. This went on about four or five times a week sometimes everyday until I was 11 and those guards were transferred to another base. But while they were there this happened so many times I had lost count. The first time it had happened I was so scared that when I was sent to training I just stood there and stared, not being able to move or speak. I got in big trouble for this. Let's just say they tried every single torture technique available on me until I started talking again. After that when they did it the second time I tried to escape and killed four guards and an X4. But this just got me several months in solitary confinement. Then on the day before my eleventh birthday something happened. It was after lights out and the guards came in and put a tranquilizer in me. I felt them dragging me down the hallway that I had learned to hate and fear. I woke up in the nude. I was in the white room. I grabbed the blanket the cover myself in. But soon after the men entered and did what they always did. After they sent me back to the barracks. When I got to the barracks none of the others were there. I took the blanket off Robbie's cot and went to the desk in the back of the room. I rapped myself in the blanket and squeezed up under the desk. A couple hours later the others came back from training but I didn't let them know I was there. It was lights out and Lydecker came to inspect the barracks. He went through the line of teens and stopped at my bunk to see that I wasn't there. He looked pissed and yelled "where the hell is X7- 453", everyone shook there heads. That's when Robbie turned and looked right at the desk. "Sir, permission to speak, sir". "Permission granted," said Lydecker. "Sir, I think she is under the desk, Sir" Robbie said. Guards get the damn girl out from under there and bring her to my office, Lydecker says. But just as the guards come near me I scream for them to get away. Please don't let them take me again. "Sir, could I escort her to your office, Sir" said Robbie. "Ok fine " Lydecker says before slipping out the door. I start to whisper "Neil, Neil, Neil, Neil" to myself. I then hear Robbie yell for Riley to go get Neil as fast as he can. I see Neil run through the door about three minutes later. He runs over to the desk. I shoot out from under it and wrap my arms around him as tight as I possibly can. After that I just start balling as hard as I can. "What's Lil Joey?" Neil asks softly. "Guards...bad.touch.hurt.pain.beat, Why?" is all I can say before I start crying again. "Robbie go find Trent and Sam right now," says Neil. "NO" I scream at the top of my lungs.
"NOOOOOOOO", "Don't get them", "Keep them away from me", ' They are the bad ones" I scream. I feel someone holding me down. I try to fight them but after awhile of struggling I stop. Then I slowly fall back asleep. Later as wake up I see that it has become dark outside. I grab a piece of paper and write "Gone out to the Space Needle to get some fresh air, Joey". I put it on the bed and slip out of the window. I then head towards the space needle. As I walk down the streets at night I see many homeless people in the alleys and on the sides of the streets. A little girl walks up to me and asks if l had any change for food she could have. I reach into my pockets to find two twenty-dollar bills. I hand her the money and all of the sudden she leaps at me and gives me a great big hug. "Thank- you so much" she says as she skips away happily. I finally reached the space needle and climbed up it. I took a seat near the edge and started thinking. Not really knowing how I am going to keep my new found sister safe because she could be in danger if they come looking for me. I then start to think about the last dream I had. Slowly tears start to creep out of my eyes and run down my cheeks. The tears then start to come faster and faster as I finally just start balling. Then all of the sudden I feel an arm slip around my shoulder and someone sitting down beside me. No sooner had I turned around to see it was my sister than had I grabbed her in a hug and started balling again. She held onto me tightly and said "why are you out of bed? Logan told me you had a seizure earlier". But before I could answer she told me that she had seizures too. "Do you have flashbacks too?" I asked. "Yea" she replied. "Sometimes I get them really bad and I have flashbacks". She then starts to talk about when she was at Manticore. I start to cry again. "Shhh its ok, you're safe now", max says. But I continue to cry even more than before. "It will never be ok no matter what I do they will always be after me there is no place to hide no place to go no matter how many you kill there will always be someone else to chase you, torture, and kill you", I tell her. "Something happen to you while you were at Manticore, something so horrible, that you couldn't tell anyone, didn't it", she asks me. I just nod. "Do you want to tell me about it?" she asks. "I can't, they will kill me for it", I say. " Why and who would they want to kill you if you told me what's wrong with you", Max asks. "I don't want to talk about it". "Its ok you don't have to", she says. "I think we need to get you back home before someone freaks out because you're gone". "Ok", I say. Then she picked me up and started carrying me down the stairs to her motorcycle. But before we got to the bike I fell fast asleep.
Half asleep I felt someone place me back in the bed and pull the covers around me. I slowly open my eyes to see it was my sister. "Go back to sleep, you need your rest", Max tells me. Max starts to walk out of the room. "Wait.Max.never mind", I say just as I pass out. But that's when the nightmares begin again.
"Please.don't get them.they are bad". "Joey you need to stop crying cause Lydecker wants to see you in his office and when he sees you crying he is going to punish you", Robbie tells me. Neil then picks me up and starts to carry me to Lydecker's office with Robbie walking alongside him. As we enter Lydecker's office I hold on Neil as tight as I can so he won't leave me. "Neil, do you know what the hell is wrong with 453". Neil puts me into Robbie's arms and tells him to take me outside. He does but with my superior hearing I could tell everything they were talking about.
"Sir I'm not really sure what is wrong with her but just before we brought her I asked 539 to go get Trent and Sam and she started yelling something about they are the bad ones". "I want you try to get her to tell you wait is wrong with or we may have to resort to psycho actives". "But I'd rather not do that to her". "Ok Sir I will try my best". But that didn't work so they had to use psycho actives. I was strapped into a chair with my eyes forced open. A doctor comes in and starts to put a needle into my arm. Put I wasn't about to let him do it without a fight. I broke the leather straps holding me down and knocked the doctor unconsis. I ran out into the hall hoping that maybe this time I could escape. But as I rounded the corner I saw Trent and Sam coming my way. I tried to run but before I had gotten away, I felt a sharp pain in my neck then ever thing just went. I awoke in the white room. Realizing where I was I started screaming as loud as I could.
I screamed as loud as I could and started thrashing around. I feel someone holding me down. I hear someone yelling my name but it sounds so far away. Slowly I start to come to it and I see Max and Robbie standing above me. Just as I sit up I see Joe coming through the door rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Mommy", he says. 'Mommy" Max says as she looks down me questionably. Joe slowly walks across the room and crawls into bed with me. He looks up at me with his father's eyes and says, "Mommy, what's wrong". "Mommy", Max says again but a little bit louder than the first time. "Mommy just had a bad dream that's all" I tell him. "Mommy", Max practically yells. "Sorry". Max this is my son Joe, your nephew. I look up to see that Max looks like she is going to pass out. "Robbie could you take Joe back to bed so I can talk to Max for a little while", I ask. But just as I start to open my mouth to speak I start to feel a seizure coming on. I hold my hand up to my forehead and close my eyes for a minute. My sister puts her hand on my shoulder. "Are you ok" she says. "I'm not sure, I just feel kind of weird". "It's probally nothing". My sister reaches her hand up to my head and strokes a piece of hair off of my face. "You know you can tell me anything, right". "I know". "Ok, you get some sleep kiddo". "I'll be in Logan's room if you need me". "Goodnight Maxie". Max grins as she hears me call her this. "Goodnight to you too Joey".
Meanwhile back at Manticore. "Neil". "Yes sir". "You have been working with us for twenty- five years so I think it is about time for you to start your retirement". "Yes sir". "And there are some things I need you to take to someone". "Here is the address and the rest is in the jeep outside along with all of the supplies you will need". "You take care of little Eva and Ben, and make sure they get to their mommy safe and sound". "I will sir" "And the boxes in the back of the jeep have the person whom they are sent to name on them and they all are at that address. "Good luck, Neil".
Young Fugitives
By: Brittany Danielle Thompson
I was born here. At Manticore. I had a twin named Max, or X-5452 as most of the people here call her. She was one of the few X-5's that escaped with their lives in 2009. But the weird thing about us being twins was that she was five years older than I was. Before we were born I was taken out of my mother's womb and frozen. I'm not really sure how they did it but I found all of this out when I decided I would hack into Manticore's Mainframe one night.
I had snuck out of our barracks once the guards and Lydecker left. I slowly and stealthily walked down the hall checking every corner to make sure I wasn't followed by any of the X-9's, who were always trying to gain honor in Manticore's eyes. I slowly crept up to the door of Lydecker's office opening the door slowly, entering and slowly closing the door behind me. I had figured earlier I would not have a chance to read them all in his office so I had brought some hard disks with me. After I had downloaded enough information to fill all of the disks I went back to the barracks to sleep. After doing this for about 3 years I had everything on the Manticore system on disk. All I had to do was go every night in Lydecker's office and download that day's information. Finally I decided I had enough information. I took a big metal ammunitions case and placed the disks in it. The night after that I snuck outside and buried it. I had the location of it burned into my memory also with that the memory that I had a sister we all had brothers and sisters. From that point on I had decided we were going to get out of this hellhole and meet up with our siblings.
I had started the hacking when I was eight and had finished by the time I was ten. From the time I was ten, my troops and I started staying up and talking about how we were going to make our escape. We were going to need some help and we all knew it. That's when Tori met a group of X-8's who were willing to help us. The only problem that they were only three years old. After talking it over we decided that two of the X- 8's were going to come with us out of Manticore and the rest were going to stay until we could get back and rescue them. The two who were coming with us were named Joseph, Joe as I called him, and Mary. I liked Joe a lot and he looked at me as his big sister. I had decided that if I had to die to get him safely free then that is what I would have to do. Especially since I had found out that Joe was made from me, or at least from my genetics. So he was sort of like a mix between my son and brother. Finally by the time I had turned fourteen we were ready to leave.
It was the night and we couldn't believe it. My troops stood in a line and I took role. We were all there and X-8's were all in position. I made the signal and we were off. On the way through the forest we dug up the box and kept going. That's when I heard it. The sound of small footsteps in the snow. I knew instantly that the X-9's were hot on our trail. But we kept running until we were out of the forest and had reached a city called Seattle. I had told my troops to bring their laptops and I was glad I did. I opened mine up and placed one of the disks in that was labeled X-5452. I placed it in and found that this city was the last place she had been tracked. We found ourselves in an old abandoned apartment building. This was where we were going to stay, for the time being. There were only nine of us there because during the escape I had given the order to split up. I looked around and saw that Robbie, Tori, Joseph, Mary, Matt, Cody, Jake, Riley, and me. I smiled to myself we were finally free. For that night they could sleep while Robbie, Riley, and I went to go get some clothes and food. While we were walking down an alley we heard the sound of a Motorcycle being parked. We ran around the corner and that is when I saw my sister for the first time. I don't know how I knew who she was but I did. We saw her go in and talk to some people at a table. We waited for her to leave and we followed her to some very nice looking apartments. When she entered the building we got the address and started back to the others.
We were about halfway there when I started to feel sick. I stopped for a minute and leaned against a nearby wall. Then I started to fell dizzy. I couldn't see straight. I felt someone pick me up I looked to see it was Robbie. Robbie and I were very close and we felt a love for each other that was stronger than the love of brother and sister. Slowly I fell asleep in his arms as he was carrying me. I started to dream. I was running through the woods with the X-8's chasing me. Then Lydecker was torturing me. It was like I was there but I couldn't do anything. Then the worst of all I was in a caged cell watching as Lydecker executed my troops right in front of my eyes. That's when I screamed "Robbie" "Noooooooooo". Then someone started shaking me. I looked up it was Robbie but it wasn't him shaking me. I was having a seizure. I tried to get up but I just fell back down on the asphalt. As my head hit the ground I felt a pain go through my skull. Then I felt someone pick me up in their strong arms. It was Robbie. I heard Riley and Robbie whispering something but I couldn't tell what. Robbie then sat down on the ground and held me close. As I lay there in his arms I saw Riley run down the alley towards where the others were. About fiftieth minutes later I saw everyone coming down the alley with their stuff. Then Robbie was up with me in his arms and we were on the move, again. At first I didn't know where we were going but I soon recognized the bar we had walked by earlier as we passed it. After that everything went black. That's when the nightmares started again. Words started flashing into my mind. Objective, honor, Discipline. Then more of Lydecker torturing me. And then the things that had happened that for years I had tried to forget. The X-series go through this thing called heat. It makes you lustful, it comes from the cat DNA we have in us, and if you don't get it you feel like you are going to go crazy. But when we were little girls in heat the guards and even some of the scientists would take advantage of us. Images of them raping me over the years flashed through my mind. I tried to fight back but there were strong arms holding me down. I start screaming as loud as I can "no" "leave me alone" and then just in pain. That's when I woke up. Robbie was there. Robbie wrapped his arms around and I climbed into his lap. After awhile I was half-asleep and I felt him lay me in a bed. I woke back up as soon as he laid me down and I begged him not leave me alone. So he climbed up in the bed with me. I laid my head and arm on his chest. I slowly fall asleep feeling that this is the first time in my life that I have ever felt safe.
I bolt up from sleeping. Robbie was still there beside me. Robbie opened his eyes and told he that there was someone I needed to meet. I said ok and he picked me up. He carried me out of the bedroom and down a short hall to a living room. There I saw my brothers and sisters and a man I didn't know. He sat me down and the man came over to me. He introduced himself as Logan and I told him my name was Joey. He then went over to talk to Riley, who was about 17. Little Joe, who is 3, came over to me and started crying. I pick him up and hold him in my arms. I told him everything would be ok and that I wouldn't let him be taken back to Manticore. Joe turned to me and wrapped his small arms around my neck. He then said "Mommy what's going to happen to us", "Are they going to take me away from you and daddy". At this comment I hug my little boy and call Robbie over to us. After looking into my eyes he immediately knew what to do. He comes over and wraps his arms around me with Joe right in the middle of us. Then Robbie placed a passionate kiss upon my lips we then made a vow that we would die before we let anything happen to our little baby boy. Just then I heard a key slip into the door and then I saw the knob start to turn. I pray that this will not be the last time I see my little Joe or for that matter the light of day. I cringe as I think of the nomilies in the basement and what happened last time I was throne down there.
Just then the door opens and . I feel dizzy and my head starts to ache. I shake off the feeling to see an African American woman standing in the doorway eyes wide with astonishment. Then I feel it. Oh crap a seizure. Please not now. Not now. Then I start to feel myself slowly starting shake and then my body being racked with the pain and torment that is my life. The room starts to spin around me as I collapse into a heap on the floor. I hear Joe screaming bloody murder. "Mommy, mommy, mommy" was all I could make out. I then feel someone pull me into their lap and put something in my mouth. They tell me to swallow it. But I can't. I wanted to tell them that I was trying, but I couldn't speak. I start to be able to see a little better and I see someone coming towards me with a needle and a bottle of some yellowish liquid. I scramble backwards. "You're not taking me back there, get away, traitor", I yell. But they just keep coming at me. I pull myself up with the couch and wobble over to a corner in the living room and with my back to the wall I know that this may be the end. My legs give way after no longer being able to support my weight. I slide down the wall pull my legs up to my chest, wrap my arms around my legs, and lie my head on my knees. I slowly start rocking my self back and forth like the nice nurses used to do, as I was a child. I start to sob and between the sobs only a few words escape my mouth. "No.no.no.no.please.stop.leave.me.alone.what are you doing to me?" Then all I can do is whimper as I get ready for what is about to happen. I feel someone gently grasp my arm and then a needle pierce the delicate skin. After that just darkness and pain. The memories come back fast. I am standing in our role call line right after we had breakfast I could feel myself shaking and I was scared cause I didn't know why. Please not this one I think, as I know what is going to happen next. This was one of my most hated memories for Manticore and for some reason it was the one that I always had dreams about. It would always be the same I would feel like I was there but I couldn't move nor do anything. Lydecker approaches and starts to check us but when gets half way through I all of the sudden collapse on to the floor in seizure. At the time of this I was only 6 so it was very frightening. He looks at me and motions for the guards. Two guards walk up to me and seize me by my arms. They drag me down to the basements and into a solid white room with a cot. The guards roughly throw me into the room and lock the door behind them after leaving. I run to the door and try to get it open. I beat the door with my small fists until they hurt to bad to keep trying. I slowly go over to the cot and crawl under it, reach up pull the blanket off the bed, and wrap myself in it. I was there in the room for what seemed like hours but was only about twenty minutes. I start to hear the door open and I see about six guards come in. I continue to hide under the cot but they see me. One of them tries to grab me but I shoot out from the other side and run to a corner. I put my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs. I start to whimper as the men come at me. One of them comes up to me and says, "don't be afraid I won't hurt you". He then tells me his name is Neil. I feel him pick me up and start to take me out of the room and into another one that had a bed that looked like a cot but was big enough for to adults two sleep in. He sat me down on the bed and left with all of the other men behind him. But in about ten minutes I heard the door opening back up and I look to see the other five guards that had been with Neil. I start to try to climb under the bed when three of the guys grab me. I start to scream when one guy backhands me hard enough to knock a normal person unconscious. I start crying more than I thought I ever could. I see a guard tie some rope around the head and foot board of the bed. The guys holding me then put me on the bed and tie me down with the ropes. "What are you doing to me?" I ask while sobbing. One of them speaks up and says "Oh we jut gonna have a lil fun wit you, tat all". Then for the next four to six hours the guards would beat and rape me. After that I would just be sent back to training and told that if I told anyone they would beat me worse the next time or even kill me. This went on about four or five times a week sometimes everyday until I was 11 and those guards were transferred to another base. But while they were there this happened so many times I had lost count. The first time it had happened I was so scared that when I was sent to training I just stood there and stared, not being able to move or speak. I got in big trouble for this. Let's just say they tried every single torture technique available on me until I started talking again. After that when they did it the second time I tried to escape and killed four guards and an X4. But this just got me several months in solitary confinement. Then on the day before my eleventh birthday something happened. It was after lights out and the guards came in and put a tranquilizer in me. I felt them dragging me down the hallway that I had learned to hate and fear. I woke up in the nude. I was in the white room. I grabbed the blanket the cover myself in. But soon after the men entered and did what they always did. After they sent me back to the barracks. When I got to the barracks none of the others were there. I took the blanket off Robbie's cot and went to the desk in the back of the room. I rapped myself in the blanket and squeezed up under the desk. A couple hours later the others came back from training but I didn't let them know I was there. It was lights out and Lydecker came to inspect the barracks. He went through the line of teens and stopped at my bunk to see that I wasn't there. He looked pissed and yelled "where the hell is X7- 453", everyone shook there heads. That's when Robbie turned and looked right at the desk. "Sir, permission to speak, sir". "Permission granted," said Lydecker. "Sir, I think she is under the desk, Sir" Robbie said. Guards get the damn girl out from under there and bring her to my office, Lydecker says. But just as the guards come near me I scream for them to get away. Please don't let them take me again. "Sir, could I escort her to your office, Sir" said Robbie. "Ok fine " Lydecker says before slipping out the door. I start to whisper "Neil, Neil, Neil, Neil" to myself. I then hear Robbie yell for Riley to go get Neil as fast as he can. I see Neil run through the door about three minutes later. He runs over to the desk. I shoot out from under it and wrap my arms around him as tight as I possibly can. After that I just start balling as hard as I can. "What's Lil Joey?" Neil asks softly. "Guards...bad.touch.hurt.pain.beat, Why?" is all I can say before I start crying again. "Robbie go find Trent and Sam right now," says Neil. "NO" I scream at the top of my lungs.
"NOOOOOOOO", "Don't get them", "Keep them away from me", ' They are the bad ones" I scream. I feel someone holding me down. I try to fight them but after awhile of struggling I stop. Then I slowly fall back asleep. Later as wake up I see that it has become dark outside. I grab a piece of paper and write "Gone out to the Space Needle to get some fresh air, Joey". I put it on the bed and slip out of the window. I then head towards the space needle. As I walk down the streets at night I see many homeless people in the alleys and on the sides of the streets. A little girl walks up to me and asks if l had any change for food she could have. I reach into my pockets to find two twenty-dollar bills. I hand her the money and all of the sudden she leaps at me and gives me a great big hug. "Thank- you so much" she says as she skips away happily. I finally reached the space needle and climbed up it. I took a seat near the edge and started thinking. Not really knowing how I am going to keep my new found sister safe because she could be in danger if they come looking for me. I then start to think about the last dream I had. Slowly tears start to creep out of my eyes and run down my cheeks. The tears then start to come faster and faster as I finally just start balling. Then all of the sudden I feel an arm slip around my shoulder and someone sitting down beside me. No sooner had I turned around to see it was my sister than had I grabbed her in a hug and started balling again. She held onto me tightly and said "why are you out of bed? Logan told me you had a seizure earlier". But before I could answer she told me that she had seizures too. "Do you have flashbacks too?" I asked. "Yea" she replied. "Sometimes I get them really bad and I have flashbacks". She then starts to talk about when she was at Manticore. I start to cry again. "Shhh its ok, you're safe now", max says. But I continue to cry even more than before. "It will never be ok no matter what I do they will always be after me there is no place to hide no place to go no matter how many you kill there will always be someone else to chase you, torture, and kill you", I tell her. "Something happen to you while you were at Manticore, something so horrible, that you couldn't tell anyone, didn't it", she asks me. I just nod. "Do you want to tell me about it?" she asks. "I can't, they will kill me for it", I say. " Why and who would they want to kill you if you told me what's wrong with you", Max asks. "I don't want to talk about it". "Its ok you don't have to", she says. "I think we need to get you back home before someone freaks out because you're gone". "Ok", I say. Then she picked me up and started carrying me down the stairs to her motorcycle. But before we got to the bike I fell fast asleep.
Half asleep I felt someone place me back in the bed and pull the covers around me. I slowly open my eyes to see it was my sister. "Go back to sleep, you need your rest", Max tells me. Max starts to walk out of the room. "Wait.Max.never mind", I say just as I pass out. But that's when the nightmares begin again.
"Please.don't get them.they are bad". "Joey you need to stop crying cause Lydecker wants to see you in his office and when he sees you crying he is going to punish you", Robbie tells me. Neil then picks me up and starts to carry me to Lydecker's office with Robbie walking alongside him. As we enter Lydecker's office I hold on Neil as tight as I can so he won't leave me. "Neil, do you know what the hell is wrong with 453". Neil puts me into Robbie's arms and tells him to take me outside. He does but with my superior hearing I could tell everything they were talking about.
"Sir I'm not really sure what is wrong with her but just before we brought her I asked 539 to go get Trent and Sam and she started yelling something about they are the bad ones". "I want you try to get her to tell you wait is wrong with or we may have to resort to psycho actives". "But I'd rather not do that to her". "Ok Sir I will try my best". But that didn't work so they had to use psycho actives. I was strapped into a chair with my eyes forced open. A doctor comes in and starts to put a needle into my arm. Put I wasn't about to let him do it without a fight. I broke the leather straps holding me down and knocked the doctor unconsis. I ran out into the hall hoping that maybe this time I could escape. But as I rounded the corner I saw Trent and Sam coming my way. I tried to run but before I had gotten away, I felt a sharp pain in my neck then ever thing just went. I awoke in the white room. Realizing where I was I started screaming as loud as I could.
I screamed as loud as I could and started thrashing around. I feel someone holding me down. I hear someone yelling my name but it sounds so far away. Slowly I start to come to it and I see Max and Robbie standing above me. Just as I sit up I see Joe coming through the door rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Mommy", he says. 'Mommy" Max says as she looks down me questionably. Joe slowly walks across the room and crawls into bed with me. He looks up at me with his father's eyes and says, "Mommy, what's wrong". "Mommy", Max says again but a little bit louder than the first time. "Mommy just had a bad dream that's all" I tell him. "Mommy", Max practically yells. "Sorry". Max this is my son Joe, your nephew. I look up to see that Max looks like she is going to pass out. "Robbie could you take Joe back to bed so I can talk to Max for a little while", I ask. But just as I start to open my mouth to speak I start to feel a seizure coming on. I hold my hand up to my forehead and close my eyes for a minute. My sister puts her hand on my shoulder. "Are you ok" she says. "I'm not sure, I just feel kind of weird". "It's probally nothing". My sister reaches her hand up to my head and strokes a piece of hair off of my face. "You know you can tell me anything, right". "I know". "Ok, you get some sleep kiddo". "I'll be in Logan's room if you need me". "Goodnight Maxie". Max grins as she hears me call her this. "Goodnight to you too Joey".
Meanwhile back at Manticore. "Neil". "Yes sir". "You have been working with us for twenty- five years so I think it is about time for you to start your retirement". "Yes sir". "And there are some things I need you to take to someone". "Here is the address and the rest is in the jeep outside along with all of the supplies you will need". "You take care of little Eva and Ben, and make sure they get to their mommy safe and sound". "I will sir" "And the boxes in the back of the jeep have the person whom they are sent to name on them and they all are at that address. "Good luck, Neil".