Here's the last chapter, but there is an Epilogue. If I missed any names from the show, yell at me, and I'll change one of the names I made up with it. Enjoy!
In about fifteen minutes, Max saw Terry and Mat coming back, behind them were three others, two wearing nurses uniforms, and one other a solder like them. As they approached, Max stepped out of the darkness. She led the group of five into an area that was dark so they wouldn't be seen, then started talking."
"Ok, guys, I'm Max, and I need your help to get the X5 babies out and to safety. Do any of you know how to drive the bus?"
"I do," Mat said.
"Ok, you'll be the driver. Don't leave until all the children are on the bus, unless I say so. If something happens to me, you are to leave with as many of the children as you can, and as quickly as you can." The two nurses were in charge of the babies after midnight, and they said that cameras were on all night in the nursery, but no one was observing from midnight until six am. Max looked at her watch and it said 11:30, so they had half an hour to make the plan, and six hours to put it into action. The nurses also said they were constantly taking the babies to another room to change diapers, as only two of the children were already toilet trained. Mat, Terry and the other soldier, Jake, said someone would patrol that hall every hour, glance through the window of the room, but they were not allowed to go in, in case they woke the sleeping babies. They also said they could get Max into the DNA lab. Meanwhile, Logan was trying to hack into the security cameras and replace it with data from the night before, just in case. He was having a hard time, though, because the technology in 2001 was a bit better than that in 2020, even though Manticore had good funding.
They decided they would have to move six or more babies an hour and have them all on the bus and waiting to leave by 5 am, that way they would have an extra hour to destroy the DNA lab and get out. One of the nurses on duty would take one of the children and get it ready by changing the diaper and dressing them, while the other nurse made the bed so it looked like the baby was still sleeping. The nurse would then take the baby and bring it to Max, who was waiting in the next hall. Max would put the baby carefully in a backpack and carry the baby out of the building to Terry, who would take the baby to the bus. Then Max would go get the next baby, who was being prepared. Jake was standing guard at the bus, and Mat was waiting at the bus to receive the babies and get them in their car seats. As the nurses went to report for duty, Max hoped their plan would go off without a hitch.
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Two hours later, Max saw the night guard coming down the hall towards her. She had just gotten back from delivering baby number sixteen, who had turned out to be Jack, and was standing waiting for the next. The guard glanced in the room that the nurse was in, changing the baby, then walked a few steps and glanced into the nursery, where it appeared the other nurse was tucking in a baby from being changed. Before he could see her, Max did what she had done the last time he had come by. She jumped to the ceiling of the hallway and spread her arms and legs so she hung there above him. He passed underneath her without a glance. Just as he turned the corner, the nurse came out of the changing room. She walked down the hall to where she was supposed to meet Max, but didn't see her.
"Max?" she whispered. Max jumped down in front of her, clamping a hand over her mouth before she screamed.
"Shh. Don't worry. Everything's going great so far." Max whispered back. She took the baby and looked at her barcode. It was one she didn't recognize, so she put her in her backpack and thought of a name as she took her to Terry. As she passed the baby to him, she got an idea, and whispered a name in his ear, as she had been doing with all the other children. She watched as Terry made it to the bus then turned and walked back to get baby number 18. 'So far so good.' She thought.
"How's it going out there?" Max asked through her comm. unit. When there was no answer, she spoke louder. "Logan?" She heard a slight jump, and knew Logan had been dozing. Laughing to herself, Max asked him again how everything looked outside. To him, everything seemed fine. 'Only a few more hours to go before we blow up the joint.'
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At 4:30, the last baby was loaded into the bus. Max had to avoid the guard twice more, one of those times with a baby on her back. The nurses stayed in the nursery in case someone came along while Max and Terry went after the DNA lab.
After Terry got them into the lab, he helped her set bombs that Logan would set off once they were out. They then retraced their footsteps and planted smaller explosions in some of the rooms, including one in the nursery. They would go off and cause damage, but not anyone to get seriously hurt. Max, Terry and the nurses then got out, and everyone got settled on the bus as Max put a five-minute timer on a small explosion on the gates. It would go off, which would be Logan's cue to set off all the others. In all the confusion, Mat would be able to drive away.
Everything went off without a hitch, Max looked out the back window of the bus at the flaming buildings that were now Manticore. She turned and walked to the front of the bus, sitting down in the front seat. Looking out the front window, Max saw Logan leading them towards Cheyenne, but they would pass right by and wouldn't stop until they were out of the state. She turned and looked at all the sleeping babies behind her, all with the nametags that she had asked Mat to put on them.
Zack, Tinga, Brin, Krit, Zane, Ben, Jack, Eva, Jondi, Syl, Jace, Xander, Greg, Dee, Hoyt, Kade, Mara, Kari, Lal, Rico, Juci, Pia, and herself. The twenty-three who grew up together. And for five of the ten who did not have names, Max named them after those who had helped her. Terry, Mat and Jake, and the nurses, Mandi and Sora. For of the others, Max named Logan, Erin, Sean and Cindy, for those who were close to her in 2020. The last little girl was child number seventeen, who Max had a sudden inspiration to name Cora, to remember that they were from Manticore and special.
In about fifteen minutes, Max saw Terry and Mat coming back, behind them were three others, two wearing nurses uniforms, and one other a solder like them. As they approached, Max stepped out of the darkness. She led the group of five into an area that was dark so they wouldn't be seen, then started talking."
"Ok, guys, I'm Max, and I need your help to get the X5 babies out and to safety. Do any of you know how to drive the bus?"
"I do," Mat said.
"Ok, you'll be the driver. Don't leave until all the children are on the bus, unless I say so. If something happens to me, you are to leave with as many of the children as you can, and as quickly as you can." The two nurses were in charge of the babies after midnight, and they said that cameras were on all night in the nursery, but no one was observing from midnight until six am. Max looked at her watch and it said 11:30, so they had half an hour to make the plan, and six hours to put it into action. The nurses also said they were constantly taking the babies to another room to change diapers, as only two of the children were already toilet trained. Mat, Terry and the other soldier, Jake, said someone would patrol that hall every hour, glance through the window of the room, but they were not allowed to go in, in case they woke the sleeping babies. They also said they could get Max into the DNA lab. Meanwhile, Logan was trying to hack into the security cameras and replace it with data from the night before, just in case. He was having a hard time, though, because the technology in 2001 was a bit better than that in 2020, even though Manticore had good funding.
They decided they would have to move six or more babies an hour and have them all on the bus and waiting to leave by 5 am, that way they would have an extra hour to destroy the DNA lab and get out. One of the nurses on duty would take one of the children and get it ready by changing the diaper and dressing them, while the other nurse made the bed so it looked like the baby was still sleeping. The nurse would then take the baby and bring it to Max, who was waiting in the next hall. Max would put the baby carefully in a backpack and carry the baby out of the building to Terry, who would take the baby to the bus. Then Max would go get the next baby, who was being prepared. Jake was standing guard at the bus, and Mat was waiting at the bus to receive the babies and get them in their car seats. As the nurses went to report for duty, Max hoped their plan would go off without a hitch.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Two hours later, Max saw the night guard coming down the hall towards her. She had just gotten back from delivering baby number sixteen, who had turned out to be Jack, and was standing waiting for the next. The guard glanced in the room that the nurse was in, changing the baby, then walked a few steps and glanced into the nursery, where it appeared the other nurse was tucking in a baby from being changed. Before he could see her, Max did what she had done the last time he had come by. She jumped to the ceiling of the hallway and spread her arms and legs so she hung there above him. He passed underneath her without a glance. Just as he turned the corner, the nurse came out of the changing room. She walked down the hall to where she was supposed to meet Max, but didn't see her.
"Max?" she whispered. Max jumped down in front of her, clamping a hand over her mouth before she screamed.
"Shh. Don't worry. Everything's going great so far." Max whispered back. She took the baby and looked at her barcode. It was one she didn't recognize, so she put her in her backpack and thought of a name as she took her to Terry. As she passed the baby to him, she got an idea, and whispered a name in his ear, as she had been doing with all the other children. She watched as Terry made it to the bus then turned and walked back to get baby number 18. 'So far so good.' She thought.
"How's it going out there?" Max asked through her comm. unit. When there was no answer, she spoke louder. "Logan?" She heard a slight jump, and knew Logan had been dozing. Laughing to herself, Max asked him again how everything looked outside. To him, everything seemed fine. 'Only a few more hours to go before we blow up the joint.'
---------------------------------------------------------------
At 4:30, the last baby was loaded into the bus. Max had to avoid the guard twice more, one of those times with a baby on her back. The nurses stayed in the nursery in case someone came along while Max and Terry went after the DNA lab.
After Terry got them into the lab, he helped her set bombs that Logan would set off once they were out. They then retraced their footsteps and planted smaller explosions in some of the rooms, including one in the nursery. They would go off and cause damage, but not anyone to get seriously hurt. Max, Terry and the nurses then got out, and everyone got settled on the bus as Max put a five-minute timer on a small explosion on the gates. It would go off, which would be Logan's cue to set off all the others. In all the confusion, Mat would be able to drive away.
Everything went off without a hitch, Max looked out the back window of the bus at the flaming buildings that were now Manticore. She turned and walked to the front of the bus, sitting down in the front seat. Looking out the front window, Max saw Logan leading them towards Cheyenne, but they would pass right by and wouldn't stop until they were out of the state. She turned and looked at all the sleeping babies behind her, all with the nametags that she had asked Mat to put on them.
Zack, Tinga, Brin, Krit, Zane, Ben, Jack, Eva, Jondi, Syl, Jace, Xander, Greg, Dee, Hoyt, Kade, Mara, Kari, Lal, Rico, Juci, Pia, and herself. The twenty-three who grew up together. And for five of the ten who did not have names, Max named them after those who had helped her. Terry, Mat and Jake, and the nurses, Mandi and Sora. For of the others, Max named Logan, Erin, Sean and Cindy, for those who were close to her in 2020. The last little girl was child number seventeen, who Max had a sudden inspiration to name Cora, to remember that they were from Manticore and special.