Backslide

Unfortunately, more soldiers came out, having been called by Lydecker before Max got to him, and gunned down the kids. The kids all fell like birds with broken wings, having concentrated too much on the earlier men.

A guard knelt down by Lydecker and pulled him up, gently shaking him to revive the unconscious Lydecker. "Sir? You ok?"

"Get me a doctor, now. And lock those kids up…" he gasped just before he lost consciousness again, "…and throw away the key."

Max awoke back in her cell, much to her dismay and obviously Zack's. He was cursing and pounding and kicking the cell bars. "We almost had them!" he was yelling at himself. "Almost!" He kicked the cell bars again and the sound rang throughout the small room. Looking up, he saw Max staring at him, confused, "But almost doesn't cut it," he said in an eerily monotone voice.

"We're gonna get out of here," she assured him.

"When, Max?! When?!" he snapped, fuming. "We're not escaping from these bars! We're nothing but animals to them! Hell, they have to shoot at us just to make us do what they want! They can't even get close enough to touch us! Animals! Freaking animals!" he raged.

"But-" she began.

"I don't want to die in here when I'm an old man! I refuse to! And I am not going to become their toy!" he yelled, spit flying from his twisted lips. Max turned away from him. He was irrational and not thinking, blinded by rage and hatred. She sighed and leaned her head up against the bars furthest from him, looking at the door to freedom. Then, she saw shadows outside the door.

Zack had stopped his ranting and raving long enough to pause and for Max hear that they were talking. "Shhh…" she told Zack just as he was about to go into another fit, "Lydecker's out there with some other guy."

"Big deal-"

"No…I think it is a big deal." She listened closely, unable to hear the other person speaking, and only catching snippets of Lydecker's words.

"….yes, I'm doing much better, thank you….no amount could ever equal….really? that much?…..come, let's go into my office…."

"So?" Zack asked, not turning his head, but moving his eyes to focus on her, unable to hear as much as Max did because he was further away.

"I'm not sure. I couldn't hear too much." Zack groaned, annoyed and sat back down on his cot. A couple minutes went by before the door opened fully. Lydecker limped in, obviously hurting, but damned if he was going to show it to those that had hurt him. A dark bruise had swollen on the right side of his head nearest his temple. A couple men followed behind him.

"Alright," he commanded, "you know what to do," he told the men and left. Immediately, the men began to shoot at Zack and Max. They both attempted to dodge the tranquilizer bullets that flew at them. But, they were in a small cell and didn't have much room to run. Eventually, they were both down. They were gagged, blindfolded, and bound hand and foot. The men dragged the two unconscious kids out into the hallway.

"Well?" Lydecker asked the other person, "you got some vehicle to take them?"

"Yeah, put 'em in my car out back. I'll drive a bit and then hand them over to my man who's waiting for them."

"Good," he turned to the guards. "Tie them up real good in the back. So, what are you planning to use them for?" The other man simply laughed rather evilly and shook his head, not telling. He had his own uses in mind for two genetically engineered killing machines.