Chapter 4: Taking Us Down, One by One
It was just another routine mission. The transgenics had become low on their meds. Despite their enhanced immune system, a small bunch needed medication for life's every day quirks. A couple headaches here and there, some menstrual cramps from the ladies, sleeping pills to fight insomnia, even anti depressants for those who constantly worried about their current status or experienced disturbing flashbacks from their time at Manticore. There were also a few special cases: Gem needed baby formula for young Eve, the first child to be born during the Transgenic Revolution. In addition, Zane and Jondy still suffered from seizures and needed daily doses of Tryptophan. Max's seizures were now under control thanks to her recent stay at Manticore. They had more or less fixed the problem. Her seizures rarely occurred and when they did Max only felt small tremors instead of debilitating shakes.
"So… who's gonna fall in for this assignment?" Max addressed her transgenic crew. As Max expected, the transgenics were reluctant to accept this mission. Breaking into a hospital was a tough job and not exactly a plum assignment. The hospitals in the area were surrounded by chain link fences and they could expect a few heavily armed guards as well. Max guessed it was because the CDC was still sniffing around after a real-life transgenic, eager not to let their prize go if one happened to pay them a visit again.
Alec looked around at the less than enthused transgenics, scowled, and put his hand up in support. "Bunch of wimps," he muttered.
"I'm in," a voice called out as another hand shot into the air. Max realized it was Jondy's arm. She smiled at her sister, but Zane looked at her disapprovingly.
"Jondy, you don't want to do this. This mission is too dangerous. You're better off to stay here with me," he urged her, grabbed her arm in desperation.
Jondy turned back to him with a defiant look in her eyes. "I can do this Zane. I want to do this. I'll be okay," she said confidently. She turned toward Max. "Besides," she smiled. "Big sister is looking out for me."
Zane looked up at Max, sighed, and let go of Max's arm. "Fine. But be careful," he ordered. Max smiled a satisfactory smirk in triumph and turned to lead her band of soldiers.
"Max!" Zane called after her. "Don't let anything happen to Jondy. Please."
"I won't," she said, looking him in the eye. "I promise."
Harbor Lights Medical was even more tightly guarded than expected. Beyond the chain link fence, Max spied a large parking lot. At the far end of the lot, two guards were posted at the front doors, heavily armed. There were two more guards posted at each side doors. They were big, burly soldiers and then didn't look like they would be reluctant to take out an X5. Max eyed the situation and thought strategy. Then she sighed and turned to the X5s waiting behind her.
"Okay guys, we split up. They won't expect three of us. Jondy, Alec… think you can hop that fence?"
Jondy and Alec eyed the fence and guessed it to be about 10 feet high. Quite an impossible feat for a mere mortal, but more than possible for two highly trained transgenics. "You only live once," Alec quipped. Jondy nodded in agreement.
"Alec, you and Jondy leap over the fence on opposite sides at the same time. I'll made sure I land a second after you two land… with any luck the guards will hear you two but they won't hear me. Then we'll take cover under the cars in the parking lot. The guards in the front will go off in opposite directions looking for you two. You can each take one out while I slip through the front doors before the guards at the side doors see me. After that, take cover. Return to base. Don't come after me," she instructed.
"Sounds pretty airtight," Jondy remarked. Her hand went to the small handgun hidden in her belt.
"Let's do this," Alec agreed, loading the clip into his own gun.
Max's plan started to go off without a hitch. The guards went off in search of Alec and Jondy, never hearing Max softly land in the middle. She smirked… the front door was just in reach. Alec and Jondy were having a bit more difficulty. The guards were large, imposing figures and they were well-trained. Alec dodged a few shots from his opponent's gun, and then twisted his arm so he would drop his weapon. With the weapon dislodged, Alec ran to the front of his attacker and slugged him in the gut. While the guard was clutching his stomach, Alec chopped his back so the guard arched his back in pain and slammed down on his knee. Alec followed through by giving him another swift kick on the back, pushing him down into the ground and into slumberland.
At the same time, Jondy was holding her own. She used a single kick to knock the gun out of her guard's hand. Then, in an amazing feat of X5 strength, swung the giant brute over her head. The guard managed to hold his ground and stumbled slightly.
"Transgenic bitch," he grumbled as he whirled around to face her. Jondy responded by charging him into the chain link fence and holding down on his throat with her elbow.
"Now that's not very nice," she quipped, and kneed him in the groin. The guard went down flat and moaned. "I think we're about done here," she called over to Alec who was just finishing dispatching his guy. Then she doubled over.
Oh no… not here, not now, Jondy panicked as she realized she was seizing. She tried to keep her composure, but the seizure was powerful and Jondy went down. The guard she thought was unconscious was witnessing this event with a sadistic glee. Quietly, he crawled toward the ground where his weapon had dropped and approached the debilitated X5.
Before she could enter the hospital, Max suddenly sensed something was wrong. She looked over her shoulder and saw Jondy on the ground. She looked beyond her sister and saw the guard about to strike. Max's eyes went wide. "Jondy, look out!" she screamed at her sister.
It all happened so fast. Before Max and Alec could react, in a split second, Jondy had been shot. Max rushed over to Jondy, hoping that the wound had not cut deep. She knocked the guard down with one lightning fast jab to the chin and held her sister in her arms. A lump caught in her throat as she realized the guard had hit her squarely in the chest, and she was not likely to survive. She shook her head, clearing out any rational thought and managed a weak smile for her sister. "You're going to okay Jondy, just hang on," she assured her.
But Jondy was a Manticore soldier and she knew death when she saw it. Wincing, she managed to sit up and grab her sister's hand. "Max… you gotta keep fighting. You make us free, Maxie. You make us free…" she instructed her sister in shallow breaths, then her eyes rolled back in her head, and she faded away.
"Jondy? Jondy? Jondy no! Don't give up on me!" she yelped and she pleaded to her deceased sister. Hot tears began to stream down her face.
Alec had been assessing the situation when he noticed the two side door guards approaching them. He bent down to Max's level and gently put his hand on her shoulder. "Max, we gotta go. The guards are coming. Hurry."
Max rose her head up only to see the guard who had so coldly shot her sister come to. He crudely spit the blood from his mouth, bent down on one knee, and began to get up. Max's eyes wavered slightly and she saw the gun he had used to shoot her sister. She looked again at the fresh young face of her younger sister, now growing cold. In a fit of rage, she grabbed the gun, stood to face the guard, and shot him expertly… three times in the heart.
Alec gasped, bewildered at the recent turn of events. "Max," he said desperately. "We really have to go."
Max stood stunned, the gun still hanging limply from her arms. She looked back at her sister. "The body…" she squeaked in barely a whisper.
"Leave it!" Alec yelled more forcefully, grasping her arm. "Or we'll both get caught!"
Max refocused back to 'soldier mode', shook her head, and ran alongside Alec back to Terminal City… pushing the night's events from her mind. Just like they trained her to do.
Zane was already there to greet them when they returned from their mission. He pulled back the fence to let Max and Alec through, and then scanned for Jondy. After Alec and Max had made it safely into Terminal City, Zane stood in their path. "Where's Jondy?" he stated in a no-nonsense tone. X5s weren't much for small talk or false pretenses. His voice shot out tersely.
Alec glanced at Max, who was looking at the ground, unsure of what to say. He decided he would try to step in. "Za-aaane, my man. You know… we haven't really gotten to know each other…"
Before Zane could comment on how they were obviously avoiding the question, he heard Max say in barely a whisper, "We lost her." Alec regarded her. In that second, Max seemed to change. She looked like a frightened little girl, not the fearless, sarcastic Max he knew. He looked over at Zane whose face began to contort with rage. He balled up his hands into fists and Alec started to take a fighting stance in case he was going to hurt Max. Instead Zane approached Max and stood to his full height. He loomed over her and stared at her with intense hatred.
"I trusted you," he said coldly, and walked away. Max sniffed in and attempted to hold back her tears before taking off into the night.
Luckily, Alec knew where to find his tortured friend. He was right where he expected her to be… high on the Space Needle.
"Hey Max," he greeted her cautiously. She didn't respond, but she didn't dismiss him either. Alec thought that was invitation enough for him to sit down next to her. They sat in silence for a beat, and then Alec decided to break the ice. He began to open his mouth to think of something clever to say, but closed it when he heard a soft voice come out of her.
"Don't tell Joshua," she stated, bluntly. Alec wasn't sure he heard her right. It just seemed out of context… and odd thing to say.
"What?" he questioned, making sure he heard her right.
"Don't tell Joshua," she repeated. "If he finds out I killed someone in cold blood after stopping him from killing White…"
"Hey… it's gonna be okay," Alec attempted. Max interrupted him again.
"How many people have you killed, Alec?" she asked, almost nonchalantly.
Alec's blood ran cold at her question. He thought about evading her question altogether, but then noticed how she was staring at him intensely. He breathed out and conceded, "Six. Six people."
"Do you regret it? What you did? Do you feel… guilty?"
"Well… maybe… sometimes…" he faltered.
"I don't," she stated icily. Alec looked at her with wide eyes. "I don't want to admit it but… it felt… good," she explained, staring blankly into the sky.
"Max, she was… your sister," Alec tried.
"Maybe it's just who I am," she said, looking down at her hands. Alec tried to pull her back…to get her to stay and talk. But she loosened away from his grip and ran off into the night.