Max just stared at him from across the truck in complete awe at how foolish she had been to think that there were no others but the X-5. He hadn't said anything and just stared at her. Actually Max noticed that it was almost like he stared through her like she was nothing.
"Why are you doing this?" Max asked trying to look into his eyes.
"I'm following orders. I guess you wouldn't know anything about that," was his firm reply.
Max knew it was meant as an insult but she didn't feel it, "Yes I do. You have no idea what it's like. You think Manticore is your home. There is so much out there and you deserve to be a part of it. Not just a nameless soldier, a random number assigned by those who have complete power over you."
It was then the man looked into her eyes. Max could see his cold blue eyes soften for a brief moment but the moment quickly faded as he hid his pain again. "I have a name. I have my family. That is all I need."
Max frowned staring back at him, "Haven't you ever wanted to do things for yourself? Make your own decisions?"
The man stared back at her, "Decisions for myself? I'm not alone on this. My brothers and sisters need me. Like you would know what that's like. You and the others just left each other. Left all of us. Do you know what it became like after your escape? Life was hard enough without you selfishly saving yourselves. Now look at you, hiding and cowering. Running for your life with no one to care about you and no one to care for. I make decisions for all of us because I'm nothing without my family."
Max could almost hear Lydecker's voice stating the importance of working as a team. She could see that she wasn't going to get anywhere with him on that subject just yet. She tried to stay calm on the outside but inside she was crying for him. She saw what she would have been. What all of the X-5 would have been if they hadn't left. "What is your name?"
The young man looked at her and there were several moments before he responded, "Jacen."
Max almost let the tears fall down her face. So many memories were flooding back to her as she remembered how her brothers and sisters named each other. Just as Jacen's had. "What's going to happen to me?" Max asked trying to keep herself occupied.
Jacen continued staring at her, "You know."
Max looked away from him at the thought of going back to Manticore. Or wherever he was taking her. All she knew was that it would be just like Manticore only worse. Max could feel the tears running down her face as she spoke, "What are their names?"
Jacen looked up to the cab of the truck and then back at Max, "That's Terrence," Jacen nodded to the passenger, "and that's Wren," and then he nodded to the driver.
Max desperately tried to see through the grating from where she was sitting but all she could see was darkness in the cab of the transport truck. Max looked back at Jacen, her eyes shining from her silent tears, "Please don't do this. I don't want to go back."
Jacen looked at her directly into her eyes, his eyes cold and deep, "Don't worry. You won't be alone. You're going to be joining all of X-5."
Max almost lost it right then. The thought of her brothers and sisters already in captivity going through intense torture almost broke her. She couldn't even imagine what they must be feeling. She couldn't understand how this could be happening. It was then she heard the squeal of the trucks brakes as the truck came to a stop. Jacen looked up to the cab as the door opened and the man Max saw at the club looked through, Terrence. He had short brown hair and Max could see his brown eyes glancing at her.
"Accident in the road. Looks like a motorcycle crash," Terrence reported. He glanced at Max and she could see that he wasn't as cold about all of this as Jacen was. It was then she realized why when she met Jacen that she thought of Zack. They were the solid rocks that the other brothers and sisters clung too.
"Make sure everything's alright. Then clear the road. We need to get going as fast as possible. The others should be waiting for us," Jacen responded. Terrence nodded and moved back into the cab and out the passenger door. Max could now see through the open cab door at Wren who was looking over a map but subtly stealing glances at Max. She had straight black hair that went down to rest between her shoulder blades. Max and Wren's eyes met briefly and Max could feel the connection between them. That they both had gone through things that normal people couldn't imagine. Still she could also see hatred for her in Wren's eyes. Max knew that they had spent years being told that the X-5 were enemies and they believed it.
It was then that a body crashed against the windshield causing it to splinter and fracture. Wren immediately ducked below the steering wheel and Jacen was immediately up and moving through to the cab. Max jumped into action and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled backwards. Jacen was caught off guard and collapsed backwards his head hitting the bench he had been sitting on. Max jumped through to the front of the cab. Wren immediately attached her and they both fell out the passenger door and hit the street outside. Max found herself below Wren as she struggled to stand up.
Wren was nearly up when suddenly there was a loud thud and she fell back to the ground. Max watched Wren fall and hit the ground. Her eyes were closed and Max could see she was unconscious. Max started to stand up when a hand appeared in front of her face to help her up. Max followed the arm until she saw the face of who had saved her, "Zack!"
"Why are you doing this?" Max asked trying to look into his eyes.
"I'm following orders. I guess you wouldn't know anything about that," was his firm reply.
Max knew it was meant as an insult but she didn't feel it, "Yes I do. You have no idea what it's like. You think Manticore is your home. There is so much out there and you deserve to be a part of it. Not just a nameless soldier, a random number assigned by those who have complete power over you."
It was then the man looked into her eyes. Max could see his cold blue eyes soften for a brief moment but the moment quickly faded as he hid his pain again. "I have a name. I have my family. That is all I need."
Max frowned staring back at him, "Haven't you ever wanted to do things for yourself? Make your own decisions?"
The man stared back at her, "Decisions for myself? I'm not alone on this. My brothers and sisters need me. Like you would know what that's like. You and the others just left each other. Left all of us. Do you know what it became like after your escape? Life was hard enough without you selfishly saving yourselves. Now look at you, hiding and cowering. Running for your life with no one to care about you and no one to care for. I make decisions for all of us because I'm nothing without my family."
Max could almost hear Lydecker's voice stating the importance of working as a team. She could see that she wasn't going to get anywhere with him on that subject just yet. She tried to stay calm on the outside but inside she was crying for him. She saw what she would have been. What all of the X-5 would have been if they hadn't left. "What is your name?"
The young man looked at her and there were several moments before he responded, "Jacen."
Max almost let the tears fall down her face. So many memories were flooding back to her as she remembered how her brothers and sisters named each other. Just as Jacen's had. "What's going to happen to me?" Max asked trying to keep herself occupied.
Jacen continued staring at her, "You know."
Max looked away from him at the thought of going back to Manticore. Or wherever he was taking her. All she knew was that it would be just like Manticore only worse. Max could feel the tears running down her face as she spoke, "What are their names?"
Jacen looked up to the cab of the truck and then back at Max, "That's Terrence," Jacen nodded to the passenger, "and that's Wren," and then he nodded to the driver.
Max desperately tried to see through the grating from where she was sitting but all she could see was darkness in the cab of the transport truck. Max looked back at Jacen, her eyes shining from her silent tears, "Please don't do this. I don't want to go back."
Jacen looked at her directly into her eyes, his eyes cold and deep, "Don't worry. You won't be alone. You're going to be joining all of X-5."
Max almost lost it right then. The thought of her brothers and sisters already in captivity going through intense torture almost broke her. She couldn't even imagine what they must be feeling. She couldn't understand how this could be happening. It was then she heard the squeal of the trucks brakes as the truck came to a stop. Jacen looked up to the cab as the door opened and the man Max saw at the club looked through, Terrence. He had short brown hair and Max could see his brown eyes glancing at her.
"Accident in the road. Looks like a motorcycle crash," Terrence reported. He glanced at Max and she could see that he wasn't as cold about all of this as Jacen was. It was then she realized why when she met Jacen that she thought of Zack. They were the solid rocks that the other brothers and sisters clung too.
"Make sure everything's alright. Then clear the road. We need to get going as fast as possible. The others should be waiting for us," Jacen responded. Terrence nodded and moved back into the cab and out the passenger door. Max could now see through the open cab door at Wren who was looking over a map but subtly stealing glances at Max. She had straight black hair that went down to rest between her shoulder blades. Max and Wren's eyes met briefly and Max could feel the connection between them. That they both had gone through things that normal people couldn't imagine. Still she could also see hatred for her in Wren's eyes. Max knew that they had spent years being told that the X-5 were enemies and they believed it.
It was then that a body crashed against the windshield causing it to splinter and fracture. Wren immediately ducked below the steering wheel and Jacen was immediately up and moving through to the cab. Max jumped into action and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled backwards. Jacen was caught off guard and collapsed backwards his head hitting the bench he had been sitting on. Max jumped through to the front of the cab. Wren immediately attached her and they both fell out the passenger door and hit the street outside. Max found herself below Wren as she struggled to stand up.
Wren was nearly up when suddenly there was a loud thud and she fell back to the ground. Max watched Wren fall and hit the ground. Her eyes were closed and Max could see she was unconscious. Max started to stand up when a hand appeared in front of her face to help her up. Max followed the arm until she saw the face of who had saved her, "Zack!"
