Twisted Experimentation

Chapter 3; Regrouping

862 stood leaning against the side wall of the warehouse on the outskirts of the city of Seattle as his handler, a blond haired, rather arrogant, man in loose slacks and a black jacket tried to question the two X-5's. They had given up their identification numbers because they had heard 862 already give them to the man but other than that they were being close mouthed about their contact with any other X-5's or what they had been doing the last eleven years.

After about half an hour of this 862 was beginning to get restless. He couldn't work out why; he was used to laying in wait for hours or even on one occasion for two days without a single movement to betray him. Now though, after only a few minutes, he was getting more and more agitated.

His handler span on the spot to look at him as he unconsciously tapped his foot against all of his inbuilt training. The handler was the least shocked in the room though. 862 himself was surprised and even their two prisoners were surprised that 862 would give away his impatience like that.

He'd seen plenty of interrogations before, he'd done a few himself, even if they weren't in real life situations so he couldn't work out why he was like this. "862!" His handler snapped, "Watch them while I report in to White!"

862 frowned as the man walked from the room. Why was he reporting to someone he hadn't heard of? Procedure dictated that all communication go through the base of operation not from one to another, no matter said persons position. He hadn't realised he had outwardly frowned though until 465 spoke up.

"Something's wrong at Manticore isn't it?" 862 ignored him not wanting to let it be known that he was at a loss.

"And I bet they haven't told you." 205 grinned as he said it.

"Shut up! Both of you." 862 ground out as he stared at the door. They were right of course. The only reason his handler wouldn't report to Manticore was if something was happening there.

"Come on Riley, at least let us go." 465 asked. 862 just looked at him like he was insane not quite sure if he was joking or not.

"What makes you think I'd defy my orders?" He asked ignoring the use of his faked name.

"Because we can help you get free of Manticore." 205 joined in.

"You assume I don't want to be at Manticore?" 862 raised an eyebrow. Neither of them said anything just gave him a knowing look. They had known him for almost ten years after all and knew what he would have gone through after they left. "I'll stay there until I can get my revenge."

"What is it you want then?" 205 asked confused.

"I'll think about defying orders only if you tell me where I can find 452 and 599." 862 admitted. That's what he truly wanted after all, so much that he would defy his orders once and for all.

"You'd do that just to get to Zack and Max?" 205 asked astonished. "What are you going to do to them?"

"Kill them." 862 shrugged. "I don't have orders specific to them but Manticore will accept their deaths easily enough."

"We can't betray them for ourselves." 465 told him quietly.

"And there we have it." 862 grinned at them both evilly. "You didn't have a problem betraying one of you own kind the first time around."

They were cut off as 862's handler re-entered the room. "You have a new objective, 862." He came sharply to attention as his handler began. "The prisoners will remain with me here whilst you go into Seattle. Your objective is to find any transgenics and either kill them or ensure that they regroup."

"Sir? Why are the transgenics not in Manticore?" 862 asked.

"Don't presume to ask questions, 862!" He snapped and 862 tensed up slightly. "Manticore was destroyed. We have orders to aid in the clean up. Report in at the outer city check point and our contact there will give you an all-areas sector pass. They'll have a bike there for you too. Oh, and if you have any opportunity to take down Eyes-Only then do so." He didn't offer to elaborate so 862 let that part slide. It was a rather open ended mission with no time frame. Basically he was being placed on search and destroy.

862 glanced at 205 and 465 briefly and confusion passed between them. His handler didn't notice. Why were they ordering him to exterminate other Transgenics, why not just allow them to regroup like they should do and then go after the ones that disobeyed. He couldn't ask that though.

"What are you waiting for?" His handler snapped when he didn't move. "Get a move on!"

"Yes, Sir!" He saluted and span on his heal. He gave 465 a confused look more because he couldn't help it rather than because he wanted to. He walked out into the early morning light and glanced at the stars. A light flashed as it hovered over the city. "Regroup...Echo Golf 427952." He muttered as he walked toward the glow that lingered over the city. So Manticore was truly gone. He shook his head as a single thought threatened him. "What of 484? Was he dead?"

He was through the check point easily and was soon driving through the northernmost sector of Seattle on a black Ninja motorbike with a Federal Sector pass in his jacket pocket. He drove through the town and eventually pulled up at a rather beat up looking Kwik-E-Mart. He was glad for the endless sessions on how the outside world worked now that he was in the middle of it without Manticore as a back up. He glanced around and swung off the bike before removing the keys and heading inside. A group of children and young men were inside, all younger than himself and they screamed transgenics. Not only that but they had made no attempt to hide their barcodes. A woman was near them but she was ignoring the fact that they were rather obviously stealing food off of the shelves.

He stepped in closer behind them and listened to their conversation, "A barcode." One of them pointed to the back of one of the boxes they had swiped. "What does it mean?"

"It means it's ours." One of the girls smiled and took it from him and put it under her jacket.

The woman without a barcode looked at them and 862 noticed as she saw their barcodes. "Hey, where'd you get those?" She asked, pointing at the small boy's neck. "My friend has one just like it." 862 looked at her sharply. They ignored her however and tucked more food under their clothing.

"That's it," the eldest one said, "Let's go."

862 slipped out before they could turn and notice them. He didn't need any more non-transgenics knowing about them and he definitely wasn't going to blow his own cover in front of humans. He had barely taken ten steps down the road when a gun went off within the shop. "For the love of God!" He muttered, a habit he had picked up from his room mate. The five came running out of the shop and straight towards him. He side stepped the first before tripping the eldest of them, an X-6.

The group ground to a halt and whipped around to see who had attacked their impromptu leader. They fell into defensive stances. 862 glanced at them without making his own fighting abilities known. He looked down at the ground where the seventeen year old X-6 was quickly getting up. "Wake up X-6. I could've killed you already." This woke them up and they all snapped to attention as they realised what he was.

"Sir!" A female X-6 said as they all started to get in line.

"Rookies! Fall out before someone notices." He snapped. They stepped around him in a half circle. "What do you think you're doing? You're trained soldiers not petty thieves."

"We were getting supplies before regrouping." The first X-6 reported. 862 felt a tingling on the back of his neck. His own internal warning system that he was unique for. Somebody was watching him.

"Find somewhere to lay low today on the outskirts of town and then regroup at nightfall." He told them. "Dismissed." They ran and 862 spun to look up at a second floor window across the road that his senses were directing him to. A curtain twitched as somebody withdrew into the darkness and 862 frowned before turning and getting back onto his Ninja. He gunned the engine and sped of down the road.

Almost immediately he came up to a state trooper patrol car driving in the opposite direction. He grinned as he thought up his plan to spook his observer out of his hiding place. He served into the left lane and the patrol car screeched to a halt. He sat calmly on the bike as the two occupants got out and headed for him with irritated looks.

"What the heck are you doing?" One growled out. "You wanna be killed?"

862 said nothing until he had fished his federal pass from his jacket pocket that claimed him to be Riley Faedren of the Federal Guard. He flashed the sector pass part of it so they couldn't see the printed name on it. He didn't like having to use the name but the contact at the check point had needed one and since he was stuck with it for a while at least this one would make him respond. They looked at the pass and then at each other before looking at him expectantly.

"I want you to check on a residence for me." He told them and detailed where he wanted them to go and what he wanted them to do. He then parked his bike as they drove off down the road. He sneaked down the road back towards the Kwik-E-Mark and waited patiently. He wasn't disappointed when the window cracked open and somebody perched impossibly on the narrow ledge as he shut it behind him before leaping down the two stories and landing without even a winch.

862 grinned. So far the transgenics were falling into his lap. He was about to step out from his shadowed doorway across the sheet when the young man looked up. 862 recoiled back against the wall like he'd been physically slapped in the face.

"Damnit, Alec!" 862 cursed before he cut himself off at the realization that he had used his room mate's name rather than his designation even when talking to himself. He fought an internal struggle to choose what to do but was saved from making the decision when the next time he checked on Alec across the street he was already gone.

It was then that he recognised the emotion that had gnawed at him enough to make him betray his impatience in the warehouse with his handler and more importantly with 205 and 465. He was concerned about them. For the first time in years he was concerned about someone else and he didn't like it.

He shook his head to try to discard the unwanted thought and slipped back towards his bike. He needed a place to lie low for the night and also something to eat.

XOXOXOXOXOX

End chapter