Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the story itself.
Please R/R!
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THE HUNT
Chapter Twelve
Trapped
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Bling asked Krit as they went down another long empty hallway, their soft footsteps echoing slightly with each pace. Krit looked back at Bling and gave him an exasperated expression before nodding sarcastically. After a few more moments of carefully walking down the corridor, Krit stopped. "It should be around here some where."
But he wasn't able to continue his slow search as a red flashing light went off above their heads and a high beeping siren wailed. A quick flashback to Krit smashing through the Manticore window along side his siblings ran through his mind at the sound of the alarm.
//Shards of glass pierced his skin as the window shattered to millions of pieces. He met the cold snowy ground within a suspended moment and tucked; rolling gracefully on the snow to a stop. Siblings spread out everywhere, some all ready dead from gunshots.
Bam!
Another one down. Blood everywhere. Zack's arm flailing about and giving orders. Dogs barking and waiting to be unleashed. Lydecker. The want to snap his neck for killing Eva clouded his mind for a minute before following Zack's orders into the black night, wondering who, if any, would make it.//
He turned almost instantly to the room closest to them and entered, pulling Bling in none so gently. They ducked into the storage closet just in time as some Manticore guards came rushing by, all armed and covered in artillery. Both Krit and Bling were silent as they stayed ducked under the window of the door in the dark closet. When the passing footsteps faded away, Krit moved Bling to the corner of the closet and waited. When his senses didn't alert him to any dangerous behavior or warning sounds, he walked through the door and told Bling to wait for him.
"I'm not just going to sit in here!" Bling whispered loudly.
"It'll be all right, just wait. I'll be back soon." Krit glanced around and then turned back to Bling who was now standing in the corner of the closet. "Just stay here and keep quiet."
Krit walked away cautiously and hurried down the hall. With the absent presence, the closet door shut with a low whoosh. Krit glanced through every window of each door, searching for the one that held Logan. When he had nearly reached the end of the hall, he saw Logan inside a large room, hooked up to numerous pieces of equipment. Krit felt himself become a tad nauseous at the thought of all the testings he had to endure like a common lab rat when he had his stay at Manticore.
Krit shook his head and reminded himself to keep focused. He pushed a small button on the side of the door and it immediately went open. Logan looked up from the bed he was strapped to, instant relief flooded his face and turned into a small grin.
"You have no idea how good it is to see you." Logan said with a sigh. Krit didn't exchange his joyous attitude.
"What did you tell them?" Krit asked as he approached the bed, his fists clenched. He hadn't realized how confrontational he would be when he finally did find Logan, and it surprised him. But the well being of his siblings mattered more to him than anything and if anyone put them endanger, he wasn't going to sit idly by and watch harm come to them.
"I didn't tell them anything." Logan said truthfully. When Krit didn't answer, Logan pulled on his straps. "Can you help me with these?" Finally Krit shifted his eyes away from Logan's face and down to the restraints that held his arms and legs in place.
Krit began to untie them, some resent building up in his throat. "If they've been compromised, I need to know right now." He said as one arm strap came undone and he moved towards the other. He was even surprised to find how much like Zack he was starting to sound like.
"I'm telling you, I didn't say anything." Logan ripped his arm out of the restraint and, with effort, put himself in a sitting position and moved to undo his legs. Why they had held his legs down in the first place amazed him, it wasn't like he was going to be walking out of there anytime soon. "Go get my exoskeleton. They put it in a closet in the corner, back there." He grunted as he undid the last strap and pointed to the corner of the room. "What's going on out there?" He asked as Krit brought the exoskeleton over to him.
"Manticore doesn't seem to like intruders in the night." Krit joked lightly. He could feel the tension building in the air from his previous accusation and wanted to relieve it somewhat. He knew that if Max could trust him, he could too. Logan easily got the exoskeleton on, but it refused to start. He took off a small side panel and began to work with the wires that were entwined inside the casing. Krit began to feel impatient.
"What are you doing?" He asked as he rushed over to the door to check for guards.
"Some wires were damaged when I was first brought in, it'll only take a few more minutes." Logan said, hoping that he wasn't bluffing. The electronic waves were disrupted and caused a malfunction; resulting in the shutdown it had faced. If he could switch some wires around properly, it would work. He just needed to find the right wires.
"I don't think we have that much time." Krit said pessimistically. "Are you sure it'll work?" He asked as his impatience grew.
"Yes," He answered with clear preoccupation across his face, his voice distant and in thought. "In theory."
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Syl rushed into Renfro's office and locked the door behind her. Max, her and the evil queen were locked into one room together. Syl kinda liked that thought, especially when the power was in their court. Renfro looked like a deer in the headlights, her own X5s, cornering her in her office. How ironic.
Syl had a small grin on her face, somewhat devilish and proud. As she turned to look at Max for confidence, it was horribly shattered. Even though she still held her fighting stance, her eyes were drooping and she was struggling them to keep open. Syl slightly shook her head, Max was having side effects from the seizure. As much as Max would like to take credit for being a fast healer, Syl knew her limitations just as well.
"It won't do you any good," Renfro said, her voice thick with fear. "My guards are coming, there's nothing you can do." She swallowed audibly and as much as Syl wanted to enjoy the moment, her words sunk in with obvious reason. Max was now leaned against the wall somewhat, but Renfro paid little attention to her; Syl was the one within five feet and a loaded gun.
As Renfro reached for the phone slowly, Syl jumped and within a blink of an eye, she grabbed the phone from Renfro and delivered a powerful punch to the mouth. "Don't even think about it." She said through clenched teeth. The blaring of the siren brought her back to reality with the coming guards, she had to do something fast.
"Call them off." Syl said as she handed her the phone. Renfro looked at her like she was mentally insane as she rubbed her sore jaw. "Do. It. Now." She spoke slowly and demanding. She pushed a few numbers on the speed dial that were clearly marked and handed the phone to Renfro. She pulled a handgun from her waist and cocked it, pointing it directly at Renfro's temple.
The other end rang for a moment before an officer picked it up. Renfro eyed the gun from her peripheral vision and inhaled a tight breath. "Yes. This is Renfro." She answered. When the guard asked what was going on, Renfro paused and pursed her lips.
Syl caught her thinking of an alternative, and pushed the gun to her temple harder. "Everything is clear, it was a simple drill. Have the guards resume their posts immediately." She sighed. After a few more moments, the guards asked her a question. Syl strained her hearing capabilities to the maximum and listened to the receiver.
"Ma'am, is something wrong?" He asked in a hushed tone. Syl pushed the gunpoint as hard as she could without breaking Renfro's skin against her head and shook her own.
"No." Came Renfro's strangled reply as she realized just how deep she was in. The guard sighed contentedly and hung up the phone, Renfro did the same.
"You can't just expect to walk right out of here, you know." Renfro said to Syl. "It's no good, just turn yourselves in and I promise no harm will come to you." She said coolly as her gaze was across the room so she didn't have to see the gun loaded and aimed at her head.
"Yeah, I'll believe you're a saint before I'll believe that." Syl scoffed. She tightened her grip on the gun and quickly glanced over to Max. She was sweating bullets in the corner of the room and her eyes were half closed. Syl had to resist the strong urge to run over to her and instead turned back to Renfro.
"Think what you will, but there's no escape from here now." Renfro added with a smirk. "All the X5s belong to me, each and every one of you. I know how you think and what you are. Manticore is in your blood and it's where you belong." She felt her composure returning and the ball coming into her court.
"Shut up." Syl demanded. They needed to find a way out of there quickly. Max was dropping and she wasn't sure how long they'd have before Renfro's men would come into the office and discover them. Before Syl could think of a way to reach the car outside, Renfro continued to talk.
"You can't run all your life, you all belong here. It's where you were born, it's where you were taught, it's where you should serve as the perfect soldiers you are."
"I said, shut up!" Syl shouted.
But she still continued, ignoring Syl's order. "Manticore is also guarded from head to toe, any escape route you have planned is heavily watched by now from the alarm that went off. You're trapped."
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Max slumped against the wall for support and kept her wavering eyes on Syl and Renfro. She started to sweat like crazy and wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. The Tryptophan offered a few minute solution, but once the immediate effects began to wear off, she felt as if she had a terrible hangover.
She rubbed her eyes profusely and was determined not to fall asleep. Renfro was on the phone with some lackey of hers, no doubt, and Syl had a gun pointed to the bitch's temple. Good. She should just do it now, it would make every one happy. But, Syl was a goodie like her, never wanting to harm anyone unless they tried to harm her first. Max figured it was just cause all ready with Tinga and Zack's death, her clouded mind screamed for her to do it now.
Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier, her balance becoming more unsteady. Max focused on the two in front of her as Renfro hung up the phone and talked to Syl. Their voices seemed like echoes, blurred and distorted, like they were a million miles away. Syl glanced at her for a quick second and she could see the surprise and disappointment in Max's condition.
Max tried to stand straight and to find the voice to make a snide remark to Renfro, but she couldn't make her throat move right and no sound would come. She began to slide slowly down the wall until she reached the floor and slumped. Renfro and Syl's eyes were turned towards her now, Syl's with concern, and Renfro's with happiness. It's amazing how indescribably mad some people can make you at the strangest times.
Max's eyes started to shut just as Renfro used the time that Syl's attention was turned and grabbed a handgun from inside her desk and pointed it back at Syl. Syl turned her gaze from Max back to Renfro and the two stood perfectly still, both aimed at the other. Max couldn't hold her eyes open anymore and they fell closed just as a gun was shot.
Please R/R!
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THE HUNT
Chapter Twelve
Trapped
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Bling asked Krit as they went down another long empty hallway, their soft footsteps echoing slightly with each pace. Krit looked back at Bling and gave him an exasperated expression before nodding sarcastically. After a few more moments of carefully walking down the corridor, Krit stopped. "It should be around here some where."
But he wasn't able to continue his slow search as a red flashing light went off above their heads and a high beeping siren wailed. A quick flashback to Krit smashing through the Manticore window along side his siblings ran through his mind at the sound of the alarm.
//Shards of glass pierced his skin as the window shattered to millions of pieces. He met the cold snowy ground within a suspended moment and tucked; rolling gracefully on the snow to a stop. Siblings spread out everywhere, some all ready dead from gunshots.
Bam!
Another one down. Blood everywhere. Zack's arm flailing about and giving orders. Dogs barking and waiting to be unleashed. Lydecker. The want to snap his neck for killing Eva clouded his mind for a minute before following Zack's orders into the black night, wondering who, if any, would make it.//
He turned almost instantly to the room closest to them and entered, pulling Bling in none so gently. They ducked into the storage closet just in time as some Manticore guards came rushing by, all armed and covered in artillery. Both Krit and Bling were silent as they stayed ducked under the window of the door in the dark closet. When the passing footsteps faded away, Krit moved Bling to the corner of the closet and waited. When his senses didn't alert him to any dangerous behavior or warning sounds, he walked through the door and told Bling to wait for him.
"I'm not just going to sit in here!" Bling whispered loudly.
"It'll be all right, just wait. I'll be back soon." Krit glanced around and then turned back to Bling who was now standing in the corner of the closet. "Just stay here and keep quiet."
Krit walked away cautiously and hurried down the hall. With the absent presence, the closet door shut with a low whoosh. Krit glanced through every window of each door, searching for the one that held Logan. When he had nearly reached the end of the hall, he saw Logan inside a large room, hooked up to numerous pieces of equipment. Krit felt himself become a tad nauseous at the thought of all the testings he had to endure like a common lab rat when he had his stay at Manticore.
Krit shook his head and reminded himself to keep focused. He pushed a small button on the side of the door and it immediately went open. Logan looked up from the bed he was strapped to, instant relief flooded his face and turned into a small grin.
"You have no idea how good it is to see you." Logan said with a sigh. Krit didn't exchange his joyous attitude.
"What did you tell them?" Krit asked as he approached the bed, his fists clenched. He hadn't realized how confrontational he would be when he finally did find Logan, and it surprised him. But the well being of his siblings mattered more to him than anything and if anyone put them endanger, he wasn't going to sit idly by and watch harm come to them.
"I didn't tell them anything." Logan said truthfully. When Krit didn't answer, Logan pulled on his straps. "Can you help me with these?" Finally Krit shifted his eyes away from Logan's face and down to the restraints that held his arms and legs in place.
Krit began to untie them, some resent building up in his throat. "If they've been compromised, I need to know right now." He said as one arm strap came undone and he moved towards the other. He was even surprised to find how much like Zack he was starting to sound like.
"I'm telling you, I didn't say anything." Logan ripped his arm out of the restraint and, with effort, put himself in a sitting position and moved to undo his legs. Why they had held his legs down in the first place amazed him, it wasn't like he was going to be walking out of there anytime soon. "Go get my exoskeleton. They put it in a closet in the corner, back there." He grunted as he undid the last strap and pointed to the corner of the room. "What's going on out there?" He asked as Krit brought the exoskeleton over to him.
"Manticore doesn't seem to like intruders in the night." Krit joked lightly. He could feel the tension building in the air from his previous accusation and wanted to relieve it somewhat. He knew that if Max could trust him, he could too. Logan easily got the exoskeleton on, but it refused to start. He took off a small side panel and began to work with the wires that were entwined inside the casing. Krit began to feel impatient.
"What are you doing?" He asked as he rushed over to the door to check for guards.
"Some wires were damaged when I was first brought in, it'll only take a few more minutes." Logan said, hoping that he wasn't bluffing. The electronic waves were disrupted and caused a malfunction; resulting in the shutdown it had faced. If he could switch some wires around properly, it would work. He just needed to find the right wires.
"I don't think we have that much time." Krit said pessimistically. "Are you sure it'll work?" He asked as his impatience grew.
"Yes," He answered with clear preoccupation across his face, his voice distant and in thought. "In theory."
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Syl rushed into Renfro's office and locked the door behind her. Max, her and the evil queen were locked into one room together. Syl kinda liked that thought, especially when the power was in their court. Renfro looked like a deer in the headlights, her own X5s, cornering her in her office. How ironic.
Syl had a small grin on her face, somewhat devilish and proud. As she turned to look at Max for confidence, it was horribly shattered. Even though she still held her fighting stance, her eyes were drooping and she was struggling them to keep open. Syl slightly shook her head, Max was having side effects from the seizure. As much as Max would like to take credit for being a fast healer, Syl knew her limitations just as well.
"It won't do you any good," Renfro said, her voice thick with fear. "My guards are coming, there's nothing you can do." She swallowed audibly and as much as Syl wanted to enjoy the moment, her words sunk in with obvious reason. Max was now leaned against the wall somewhat, but Renfro paid little attention to her; Syl was the one within five feet and a loaded gun.
As Renfro reached for the phone slowly, Syl jumped and within a blink of an eye, she grabbed the phone from Renfro and delivered a powerful punch to the mouth. "Don't even think about it." She said through clenched teeth. The blaring of the siren brought her back to reality with the coming guards, she had to do something fast.
"Call them off." Syl said as she handed her the phone. Renfro looked at her like she was mentally insane as she rubbed her sore jaw. "Do. It. Now." She spoke slowly and demanding. She pushed a few numbers on the speed dial that were clearly marked and handed the phone to Renfro. She pulled a handgun from her waist and cocked it, pointing it directly at Renfro's temple.
The other end rang for a moment before an officer picked it up. Renfro eyed the gun from her peripheral vision and inhaled a tight breath. "Yes. This is Renfro." She answered. When the guard asked what was going on, Renfro paused and pursed her lips.
Syl caught her thinking of an alternative, and pushed the gun to her temple harder. "Everything is clear, it was a simple drill. Have the guards resume their posts immediately." She sighed. After a few more moments, the guards asked her a question. Syl strained her hearing capabilities to the maximum and listened to the receiver.
"Ma'am, is something wrong?" He asked in a hushed tone. Syl pushed the gunpoint as hard as she could without breaking Renfro's skin against her head and shook her own.
"No." Came Renfro's strangled reply as she realized just how deep she was in. The guard sighed contentedly and hung up the phone, Renfro did the same.
"You can't just expect to walk right out of here, you know." Renfro said to Syl. "It's no good, just turn yourselves in and I promise no harm will come to you." She said coolly as her gaze was across the room so she didn't have to see the gun loaded and aimed at her head.
"Yeah, I'll believe you're a saint before I'll believe that." Syl scoffed. She tightened her grip on the gun and quickly glanced over to Max. She was sweating bullets in the corner of the room and her eyes were half closed. Syl had to resist the strong urge to run over to her and instead turned back to Renfro.
"Think what you will, but there's no escape from here now." Renfro added with a smirk. "All the X5s belong to me, each and every one of you. I know how you think and what you are. Manticore is in your blood and it's where you belong." She felt her composure returning and the ball coming into her court.
"Shut up." Syl demanded. They needed to find a way out of there quickly. Max was dropping and she wasn't sure how long they'd have before Renfro's men would come into the office and discover them. Before Syl could think of a way to reach the car outside, Renfro continued to talk.
"You can't run all your life, you all belong here. It's where you were born, it's where you were taught, it's where you should serve as the perfect soldiers you are."
"I said, shut up!" Syl shouted.
But she still continued, ignoring Syl's order. "Manticore is also guarded from head to toe, any escape route you have planned is heavily watched by now from the alarm that went off. You're trapped."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max slumped against the wall for support and kept her wavering eyes on Syl and Renfro. She started to sweat like crazy and wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. The Tryptophan offered a few minute solution, but once the immediate effects began to wear off, she felt as if she had a terrible hangover.
She rubbed her eyes profusely and was determined not to fall asleep. Renfro was on the phone with some lackey of hers, no doubt, and Syl had a gun pointed to the bitch's temple. Good. She should just do it now, it would make every one happy. But, Syl was a goodie like her, never wanting to harm anyone unless they tried to harm her first. Max figured it was just cause all ready with Tinga and Zack's death, her clouded mind screamed for her to do it now.
Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier, her balance becoming more unsteady. Max focused on the two in front of her as Renfro hung up the phone and talked to Syl. Their voices seemed like echoes, blurred and distorted, like they were a million miles away. Syl glanced at her for a quick second and she could see the surprise and disappointment in Max's condition.
Max tried to stand straight and to find the voice to make a snide remark to Renfro, but she couldn't make her throat move right and no sound would come. She began to slide slowly down the wall until she reached the floor and slumped. Renfro and Syl's eyes were turned towards her now, Syl's with concern, and Renfro's with happiness. It's amazing how indescribably mad some people can make you at the strangest times.
Max's eyes started to shut just as Renfro used the time that Syl's attention was turned and grabbed a handgun from inside her desk and pointed it back at Syl. Syl turned her gaze from Max back to Renfro and the two stood perfectly still, both aimed at the other. Max couldn't hold her eyes open anymore and they fell closed just as a gun was shot.