Upon landing in Wyoming, the three of us-the transgenics, that is-were separated, of course, for certainly they didn't want their "precious" head commander, Alec, running around with the rift-raft, Case and I.
Case was hauled off by the impatient director, and didn't even have enough energy to put up a fight as he literally fell onto the dirt from weak muscles. The administrator angrily clutched Case by the back collar of his shirt, and, with some assistance from the helicopter pilots, picked him up and disappeared into a large building. Alec was allowed to wander freely and find his own cell to probably take a nap in. Either that, or he would find something to eat so that he would remain amused for some time. And I, of course, was seized by the X7-who I had the sense not to fight because I did value my brains inside my head-and led down the hallways until I was tossed, alone and cold, in a rather large room.
The area was approximately twenty feet square and was completely blank. There were multiple rows of darken lights above me, and I lay upon shiny tiled flooring. Overall, though, there wasn't anything else in the room. Only because of my nocturnal vision, was I able to see my hand in front of my face. Hushed voices floated around the outside of the room, moving and swaying, but never daring to show themselves. Finally, after several minutes of agitated waiting, the door opened, and the lights flickered on, causing the flooring to radiate even more in the new fluorescent illumination.
I was leaning against the far wall at the time and raised my hand to cover my eyes from the blinding rays. It wasn't until my eyes had rapidly adjusted that I could see the man in the doorway. Naturally, of course, it was no one else besides Lydecker, who stood with his hand resting on the light switch as an amused smile twisted on his face.
"Good to see you, again," he commented, his voice echoing around the barren room. I said nothing, but simply turned my head away in disgust. After all, I had nothing to say to the man that had pretty much murdered my family and friends. Fighting seemed out of the question as well, for I didn't know any trick moves, and I had a sneaky suspicion that he wasn't alone. He was never alone. "All right, then," Lydecker continued as if I had actually responded. "I have someone I would like you to meet."
Then, with a swooping gesture on his part, another man entered the room, and Lydecker closed the door firmly behind him so that it locked with a satisfied click. My eyes narrowed, confused as to what was happening, and cautiously I walked the tiniest bit closer, although my arms still remained crossed defensively around my chest.
Technically, I suppose, the person positioned next to 'Deck wasn't really a man. A boy, about my age, I assumed, stood rigid at Lydecker's right side, barely even moving his chest to breathe. He was slightly taller than I was, and he was built better than anyone I had ever seen. Beneath the standard gray shirt, his large muscles were well rounded from years of training, but his skin was pale from an apparent lack of sunlight. On top of his large head, dishwater blond hair swooped and arced, creating a perfected mass, and his brown eyes never blinked as they stared off into the invisible distance. On the back of his neck was a prominent barcode, indicating that he was, indeed, part of Manticore.
"Who is he?" I asked Lydecker, glancing from the older man to the younger one.
"This," Lydecker stated so proudly that I could have sworn his chest bulged out in arrogance, "is X10-416."
"This is the 416 I've been hearing so much about, huh? Interesting…but what's the point?"
"He is the child of X7-599 and X7-452-before they were afflicted with Progeria. A child that was created not long after your mother escaped with you as an unborn fetus back in '19. So, in a sense, he is your clone, 415, because his parents are your parents' clones, so it would only be assumed that their child is your clone."
"No," I hissed as the horrid realization swept over me that this teenager in front of me resembled Dad to engineered perfection. "No, never."
"I don't care if that's not what you want. It simply is. Now, 415, I want to see your fighting techniques. After all, your parents are certainly prominent specimens of Manticore technology, so you should be as well. You win, you gain freedom. You lose, I get what I want."
"What kind of deal is that?" I snapped as Lydecker gave a couple of fast action hand signals that I was unable to interpret. 416 nodded sharply, with a quick glance at Lydecker for affirmation, and began to advance upon me, his brown eyes never leaving my face.
I scuttled to the opposite corner, my brain on fire as to what I planned to do. I couldn't beat this monster even if he was sick and dying. He had at least ten times more training than I did, and was so mechanical that his moves came as second nature. I was just an itch that needed to be scratched to him. Nothing more.
As he came closer, I backed further into the corner, just before dashing right, hoping that move would confuse him slightly. Yet, I was to be outdone as he sped towards me, body-slamming me into the wall, which caused me to drop like a crumpled piece of paper. He then proceeded to lift me off the floor by clutching the collar of my shirt. My head was spinning in erratic pain, and I was unable to focus as white blotches blurred my haphazard vision. Finally, as my feet lifted off the ground, held aloft by one powerful transgenic arm, I lashed outward, a faraway voice of Dad spurring me onward, while his nearly identical face stared me down. My left foot slammed into 416's rock iron stomach, while I brought my other knee up into his chin, splitting it into a mass of blood and tissue.
416 barely even flinched.
Snarling in unimaginable fury and frustration, I grabbed the sides of his head, ripping his long hair out in furious, jerking motions. Ultimately, in one mad moment, I took my nails-which had not been trimmed since I was kidnapped-and slashed them across the side of his perfected face. Immediately, harsh lines of red blood sprang forth, and he finally blinked, as if realizing that I had decided to fight back. Unfortunately, in one violent move, he literally threw me across the room, so that I landed at Lydecker's feet, dazed and unable to react rapidly, while 416 pounced upon me and brought my wrists behind my back in one furious fist, so that I could no longer fight. He jerked my head up by the stubbles of hair, which meant that I was forced to face Lydecker as pain burned through me.
"Good job, 415," Lydecker sneered at me. "And our deal was, that if he won, I would get what I wanted."
"You would anyway," I snapped back, trying to ignore the salty taste of blood in my mouth. "Besides, what the hell does he have to do with-" And, as 416's fist came smashing down into the side of my head, my words were cut short, and I toppled to the ground.