Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. They all belong to Fox.
Rating: G
"I'm so hungry. Are they going to feed us tomorrow?" Jondy asked. Jondy's always hungry, and when they make us go without eating, she suffers the most.
"It'll be ok, Jondy. The Blue Lady will make sure you're ok," Ben answered.
Suddenly someone whispered, "Someone's coming." We quickly go back into our beds and pretend that we're sleeping.
Lydecker and a couple of tac leaders came in. "On your feet, Soldiers!" commanded Lydecker. I caught Jondy's eye from across the barracks. She looked just as confused as me. It's the middle of the night, no one ever comes into the barracks now. What's going on?
"X-5/599 and X-5/452 come here."
Zack and I walked up to Lydecker. "Yes Sir?" We asked in unison.
"Come with me. The rest of you, back to sleep."
Lydecker took us to our change room and told us to put on our shorts and t-shirts. My curiosity got the better of me so I asked, "Are we going to be training, Sir?"
Zack gave me a 'don't-ask-questions' look, but Lydecker answered. "A very important person is here and she has asked to see you. Now go change."
Zack and I changed quickly and went back out to Lydecker. He led us into a part of the building we had never been in before. The doors we passed aren't metal like we are used to, they're wood. This must be the area where the doctors and the tac leaders live.
Lydecker stops infront of double wood doors. There're two soldiers guarding the door. "You can go in, Colonel," one of the guards said opening the door.
It took all my efforts to keep my face neutral like we were taught. I'd never seen such a beautiful room before.
There was a large wood table in the center of the room. The chairs around the table had cushions on them, they looked so soft and comfortable. The windows didn't have bars on them. There're some shelves on one wall filled with books, and things I'd never seen before.
Zack whispered to me to me quietly so no one would hear, "Pay attention." I glanced at Zack out of the corner of my eye, a movement no one else would notice. I saw that Zack looked just as awed as I did.
"So Lydecker, these are your two best X-5's I've been hearing so much about?" the blond lady at he end of the table asked.
"Yes Ms Renfro, they are."
The lady Lydecker called Ms Renfro got up and walked towards us and around us. She's inspecting us. Whoever she is, I don't like her.
"Well they look healthy enough, but they just don't seem very alert," Ms Renfro finally commented.
She expects us to be alert! I'm hungry and for once I wouldn't mind getting a full nights sleep.
From Lydecker's comment I guess he thought the same. "Ms Renfro, they're tiered. They've been up since hours before dawn and have been training hard. On top of that they haven't eaten in over 48 hours."
"I don't want to hear excuses. The Committee wants a report on how they're progressing. Now go get them warmed up. I want to see their abilities."
"The only place the X-5's are going is back to their barracks to rest. You aren't in charge, Renfro."
"Do you want me to contact the Committee and tell them you aren't cooperating with me. I'm suppose to be reporting back to the Committee on how the X-5's are doing. I can't do that if I don't see them training."
"You can wait until tomorrow to see them training. If they do training now, it'll ruin our training plan."
"That's not exceptable."
"Kalins, take the X-5's and get them warmed up," Lydecker said to one of the tac leaders. I hadn't noticed he was there. Lydecker turned back to Renfro. I guess he didn't want us to hear them arguing.
Awhile later Lydecker came into the training area. He seems pleased. I hope that means we can go back and sleep.
"What's going on, Sir?" Kalins asks.
"Renfro gets to wait until tomorrow to see the X-5's abilities. Now take them back and let them get some sleep, even though the night's almost over."
Sleep had never felt so good. Neither had food. The next morning we got to have breakfast. Zack and I warned the others that Renfro would be watching us. We told them to try and make a good impression.
I guess we did good because Lydecker let us go to sleep after supper. Usually we have more training. If we do good then we get to go to sleep earlier. Extra sleep is a reward for us. I just hope I never see Renfro again. I really didn't like her.