The Whizz-Kid
Author: Diivine
Disclaimer: Dark Angel belongs to James Cameron, Charles H. Eglee and company. I own nothing but my imagination (and my boyfriend's keyboard).
Rating: T for the moment. It may become M for future sexual and drugs references, explicit language, in the upcoming chapters. I'll advise when it will change.
Summary: His designation is X5-205. He's a bioengineered military soldier whose genetic code is worth millions. He was U.S. Government property until he went AWOL in 2009 along with his siblings. This is his life since the escape. By the way, he goes by Zane nowadays.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Author's note: A big, BIG thank you to LunaSoleil07 and Shywr1ter. You're both wonderful and courageous to deal with my grammar and spelling!
Prologue: Sack up n' Blaze
(or, when we went from good to bad lil' soldiers)
Gillette, Wyoming, USA
2204 hours, February 13, 2009.
Three stories. It was a long way to fall for a kid. X5-unit 332680074205 aka Zane hit the snow-covered ground hard but didn't black out; instead, he shoulder-rolled as he'd been taught to cushion the fall. He jumped back to his bare feet. Next to him, Jesse hit the ground the same way. As if on cue, they exchanged quick glances and parted in different directions. 'See you in a few,' Jesse's eyes had said. If everything were to work properly, they would see each other at the meeting point. 'ETA: four minutes', Zane thought.
He started running in zigzags to avoid the wide white beams of the towers' searchlights. Not so far away, he could hear barks and snowmobiles. Some of them were coming his way. Fortunately for him, the choppers were at the other side of the compound. It would be easier to reach his destination.
As he kept running, Zane felt his feet becoming numb from the dry snow but ignored it. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes in concentration; it seemed to give more strength to his footsteps. He ran as if he had the devil himself on his heels. It wasn't so far from the truth.
He hid behind a tree as two dogs and three soldiers ran by him, heading for his fellow X5, Jesse. Zane kept his eyes open, staring at the scene not far away from him. As he watched his brother being cornered by the angry animals, a lone tear rolled over his cheek. He heard Jesse's cries of anguish as strong jaws closed over his leg, but Zane couldn't move an inch. He wanted to go help Jesse. He wanted nothing more than to save his brother, but it would be a tactical error to do so. He didn't stand a chance against two mad dogs and three tazer guns, even with Jesse fighting at his side. He saw them fire at Jesse, and the boy dropped on the white snow, his entire body seizing. They picked up his unconscious brother and left.
Zane released the breath he had been keeping captive in his lungs. Now was not the time to lose control. He forced his pounding heart to calm down and, when he judged that it was relatively safe for him to move, he started running again. He was good at escape and evade. He was one of the best, he had been told. He wouldn't get caught.
He finally spotted the rendezvous point, a clearing surrounded by logs, and saw Tinga and Seth already there. Zane jogged over and couldn't hide a small smile as he knelt down next to them. Seth touched his arm lightly and Tinga squeezed his hand in hers. His lungs released a cloud of fog.
"Jesse's down," he said more calmly than he felt. Tinga's eyes went downward and Seth's upward. Both looked momentarily sad.
They stayed there, waiting and—even if they didn't know the meaning of it at that instant—hoping that more of their brothers and sisters would show up. He sighed with relief as Vada appeared with Syl on her tail. Soon enough, more of them came. There were eleven when Zack finally showed up. Immediately, Zane felt less stressed. After what seemed like an eternity, the youngest of his sisters, Maxie, came into view, followed by Jondy.
Snowmobiles were coming their way. Zane watched Zack jump to his feet and face them. With Eva out of commission, it was up to Zack, her second in command, to take charge. He felt a pang of pain hit him at the thought of her. He shook the feeling away; he needed to focus on Zack and the situation at hand. It was not the time to mourn their lost sister and commanding officer.
Zane watched as Zack made a series of hand signals, telling them to split in groups of two. 'Lay low until I contact you for new orders' he added. He motioned for Tinga to pair with Ben. They agreed, stood up and left. He pointed Seth and Kavi. They departed. He turned toward Zane and teamed him with Brin.
Zane didn't waste any time watching the rest of the pairings. He clamped his hand on Brin's upper arm and pulled her up. Even though he was younger than she was, he was taller and faster. She followed him without reluctance or second thoughts. She must have been as desperate as he was to leave the hellhole that was Manticore. They bolted toward the west wall perimeter.
As the number of footsteps separating them from their freedom decreased, Zane felt his heart beating faster. He was curious and a little anxious about what was behind Manticore's walls, but he mostly felt excited.
In his peripheral vision, he saw dogs coming their way. He was about to urge Brin to run faster, but she beat him to it, and he picked up his pace to match hers. He scoped the perimeter attentively; their salvation was about two hundred meters in front of them. He prayed the Blue Lady would help them make it to the other side.
He quickly looked back over his shoulder. The dogs were gaining ground on them. He blurred, pulling Brin along with him, holding her hand even when she bruised his fingers in a crushing grip. He knew she was afraid. She tripped, yet he did not stop. He kept running, pulling her along until she managed to regain her footing.
When they arrived in front of the fence, they jumped as one, in complete synchronicity, landing hard on the other side. Zane helped Brin stand up and let go of her hand. He was barely panting but his chest felt heavy. Was it fear? Was it anguish? Even he couldn't answer those questions.
He took one last glance behind him. He watched as, centimetres away from them, the dogs hit the metal fence angrily. He stared into the bloodshot eyes of a German Shepherd. The dog barked harder at him.
A slow smile emerged on Zane's lips. It showed off his canines, sharper than those of an ordinary human being. He made a 'tskk' sound at the dogs, the spitting sound that a cat makes when taunting its opponent. The barks increased in volume.
A few heartbeats later, he heard a chopper coming toward them.
"Zane?" he heard Brin's little voice. He looked over at her, streaks of tears covering her face, and he felt terrified for her. He just wanted to hug her, make her warm. Still, it was not the time to do so. He walked to her, took her hand, and gently tugged on it. She smiled weakly at him and motioned in the general direction of the dark forest. They started running again on the white, cold snow, while barking, gun shoots, roaring motors and blinding lights were left behind.
To be continued...
