Chapter 8
Meanwhile in Seattle
"Where the hell is Normal?" asked Cindy, standing by the edge of the cage which
normally held her uptight boss Normal.
"He's not here!" said the Cocky Man behind the Cage, "He had to go and pick up a
friend."
"And he sent you?"
"No, his friend sent me. I owe her a favor."
"So it's a girly," said Sketchy; "You think this ones really a woman?"
"She's all woman," said the man, "Now bip-bip-bip!"
"That man is worse than Normal," said Max, sitting on her bench gazing at the young
black man.
"He is?" said Jondy, looking puzzled.
"Normal was bad, but this is guy is Normal's evil clone!" said Zack, cracking a grin.
"You think he's a Normal-7?" asked Zane, laughing hard. The four X-5's had decided to
stay in Seattle for a while, because the poison had damaged both Max and Zack. Krit, Syl, Igen,
and Kiri had headed to Mexico to find Jace. They were going to have one big reunion. All the
X-5's would finally meet. Manticore was gone, with the DNA lab it would be toast.
"Nah," said Max, "Too young."
"We having a Genetic Conference over here, or can I join my boo?" asked Cindy.
"Come on Cindy," said Jondy, "Join us rejects."
"You ain't rejects," said Cindy, "You got away from those black helicopter guys."
"Barely," said Zack, still annoyed.
"So Cindy, you know who Normal went to get?" asked Sketchy.
"You've been here the longest," said Herbal, "He had any other women?"
"Only one," said Cindy, "Little thing. Red hair. Eva… I think her name was. The girl
up and left his ass one-day. I don't think he ever truly got the girl. She was fine."
"Eva? Normal used to always say that I would never be Eva," said Max.
"That's cause you got her job," said Cindy, "And speak of the devil, the gal enters."
Trigs walked confidently into Jam Pony, Normal following her. She was wearing a pair
of black hot pants, and a baby blue tank top. Her hair, long and red, was hanging down her back,
but was held out of her face by a blue bandanna. Her right shoulder was bandaged, and she had a
small scar on her forehead. She walked over to where Normal kept the spare bikes, and pulled
one down before wheeling it over to the locker that never opened. She walked past Sketchy, and
his jaw dropped.
"Eva!" said the man behind the cage, "Good to see you. You could have called me
sooner."
"You know me. Would I call you unless I was desperate?"
"You called your older sister."
"My mother had her. I had to."
"Whatever. Where you staying?"
"Wait a while, we'll ride."
"Who's this?" asked Normal, looking at the Man with disgust.
"My Brother Casey," said Trigs, smiling sweetly, "You know, the one from South
Africa."
"You didn't tell me!"
"You drove to get me; I called him to come help you. He was in Washington anyway."
"Eva…"
"Reagan," she said, giving him a look of dread, "He's my brother. Don't make me hurt
you."
"Like you could."
"I think I could," she said, putting her hands on her hips and staring Normal down, "And
if you tell me to bip-bip-bip, I'll break your arm."
"Fine fine. Casey, can you ride?"
"Yeah, he can," said Trigs.
"I asked him."
"She knows me," said Casey, also known as X5-490, or Creeg.
"Fine. You wanna buddy up and head out to sector nine?"
"I'll run it," said Trigs, "I don't fear."
"You fear the monster in the basement!" called Creeg.
"I fear nothing!" she said, and rode off, her hair flying out behind her, almost showing
where her barcode would be.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Logan walked slowly towards his computer. Max was out with Cindy, Jondy was out
chilling with Sketchy, Zane was fixing Max's Bike, and Zack was off trying to locate his brother
and sister.
When Max was brought back to Seattle, she was happy. Manticore was gone. They
weren't going to hunt for her anymore. Manticore was being shut down. Max decided to stay in
Seattle, along with Jondy and Zane. Zack, on the other hand, wanted to leave, wanted to go find
the X2 and X4 that had escaped with Brin. They decided that since their partner had left them,
that they would reprogram Brin.
Zack walked into his room, and jumped in shock. Sitting there, was Lyedecker. He was
dressed in black, all black, and was pretty beat up.
"You okay?" asked Logan.
"Do I look okay? No. I need your aid in tracking someone down."
"No hello? No formalities?"
"There is a second psychotic X5 out there on the Warpath."
"And he's after you? Why am I not shocked."
"She is after Zack. She had me pinned against a wall, and broke my finger!" shouted
Lyedecker, holding up his mangled fingers for Logan to see.
"Which one?"
"X5-513. Lia."
"Never heard of her."
"You didn't know Max as a child. Lia was part of a small group of X5's that stuck
together. Max was always with Jondy and Zane, Tinga, Brin, Eva, Krit, Syl and Zack. Lia hung
out with Igen, Creeg, Kiri, Corgen, Hurst, Ben, Gena and Trigs."
"I met Kiri and Igen."
"They've both gone AWOL. Those are the two Zack's after."
"Someone's leading them away."
"And it's not Lia. Lia was never a leader."
"Who led the group when they were younger?"
"Ben, or Trigs."
"Trigs?"
"X5-631. I'm not surprised if Max never mentioned her. What happened to her bothered
even me."
"What?"
"Let's just say this girl had issues. She was experimented on."
"So was Max."
"You remember the tape I showed you of the X7's. The way they found that combination
of Genes was Trigs. They screwed that girl up. Then, to further the matter, they locked her in
the basement with the X2's."
"I met an X2."
"That guy? No… He was not a normal X2. They were monsters. So was Trigs."
"Why?"
"She caused the escape. She was the first X5 to understand life beyond Manticore."
"Ah. The one with the mind."
"Brilliant girl. We weren't able to program her after Renfro finished her twisted
experiment on the girl."
"Oh."
"She was killed in fire, nine years ago."
"So she died."
"Until I figure this out, yes. She's 'dead'."
"You have doubts?"
"Yes. This attack, it was her style. Ambush from the flank. Typical Trigs. She was the
only one who seemed to truly understand strategy."
"So why do you need my help?"
"Trigs is smart. She knows she'll need help. She'll need Tryptophan, but won't want to
alert Zack or the others she's here."
"So?"
"You have a friend who's a quadriplegic. Trigs could, and would fix him if she could
protect her family."
"Sebastion."
"I know the girl, she'll approach him."
"I'm beginning to doubt that this is the first time that you've crossed paths with this girl."
"It is. She's been there a few times, when I've needed her."
"Why? All the others resent you."
"You don't understand what they did to her. Renfro is a monster. She did these tests on
Trigs, on the child she gave birth to."
"She's Trigs mother?"
"She's Zack's mother."
"How do you know?"
"I raised'em."
"I see."
"Even if Manticore is shut down, Renfro will not stop hunting Trigs. I want to help her."
"I see."
"So you'll talk to Sebastion?"
"I'll ask. I can't guarantee anything."
"I owe her my life."
"I understand."
"No, you don't."
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Lyedecker was outside Manticore for the first time in a long time. He was out with one
of his X5's, Lia and Gena. Lia and Gena had become a model X5 since the escape. They were
riding out to a small town to take out a man who knew something about one of the escaped X5's.
Lia was asleep in the back seat with Gena, while Lyedecker drove. Suddenly, out of
nowhere, a car came flying around and smashed the front end of the car containing Kiri and
Lyedecker.
The impact threw Lyedecker forward, the feeling spreading through out his body. The
men in the other car came forward, and Lyedecker knew them. The red series, South African
juiced up convicts. One of them, a great lumbering brute, walked out and ripped the door off the
hummer. Lyedecker was pinned in the car, and could only watch as his two X5's were dragged
out of the car and onto the street. Then, suddenly, the sound of a cat landing on the roof caught
his ears. The Reds looked up, and were shot in the head. The girl, about sixteen, jumped down
and freed her sisters. Lia and Gena ran, but the girl turned back. With strength better than what
the theoretic X9's would have, she ripped the door off the car, and got Lyedecker out.
"What are you doing?" asked Lia.
"Getting him out," answered the girl, whom Lyedecker figured was Trigs.
"Why?" asked Gena.
"Because the world needs him. He may be useful."
"He shot Eva!"
"He saved me from Renfro. Call me selfish, but I owe him for that."
"Trigs?" asked Lyedecker groggily. Trigs quickly untied the kerchief that kept her long
red hair back and bandaged Lyedecker's wrist before pulling out her cell phone and handing it to
her.
"Tell them you're here, and that Lia and Gena were killed in the blast," she said in a no
nonsense tone of voice.
"What the hell?" asked Gena, "That's the man who killed Eva."
"If I kill him, I'm no better than him, which is not so."
"No way!" said Gena, "I want him dead."
"I am in charge out here Gena. I don't want to, but I'll hurt you if I must. He stays alive."
"You're not a tact officer."
"I know the world, and I know the director. If Lyedecker sits by the side of the road and
swears we've died, we've died. No one will hunt us if we keep a low profile."
"And what makes you think you'll do it?" Lyedecker asked.
"Because," said Trigs, kneeling down so she was face level with him, "I know your
secret. Max…"
"And what about Max?"
"She's in Tacoma Washington. She lives in an apartment on the West Side. I can get her
in a minute."
"I'll be glad to have her back."
"You know I wouldn't do that."
"You're crazy."
"These are my sisters. As long as they stay dead, Max stays alive. I will kill her if you
make a move towards us."
"You wouldn't."
"Try me."
"You dare to defy authority?"
"I was always cocky. You know that."
"I'll find you."
"And I'll kill Max, or maybe Jondy, possibly Brin."
"You're insane."
"You try spending your teen years in a dungeon with a crazed X2 and we'll see how sane
you are."
"I'm a reasonable man."
"And I am a reasonable X5."
"I want one of them. I need to know where one of them is."
"Krit is in Austin, Texas. Goes by the name Alex Hanson."
"And both Lia and Gena died?"
"Both of them."
"Reasonable Trigs. However, I do know you've been in contact with Igen and Creeg."
"What do you want. No more locations."
"Don't warn them."
"Jondy and Max are off limits."
"I understand."
"Good."
"I worry you'll warn Zack."
"No worries. I will not warn him. He's in Los Angeles, visiting a Sister."
"Why?"
"He knew I was alive in Manticore and told everyone I died."
"You resent him."
"I want him back at Manticore."
"Then we want the same thing."
"But I wouldn't mind you dead."
"Okay, but if you just think…"
"Thinking is what ended me up here in hell. You call her and we leave."
"Fine."
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Gena paced back and forth in the small condominium in sector 12 of Seattle. She hated
being restrained. It reminded her of Manticore. She curled her silky brown hair around one
finger, and started walking again.
"You're going to make a hole in the floor!" said Igen, who was sprawled out on the
couch.
"Calm down sugar," said Hurst, a Chinese man who was busily chopping up chicken in
the small kitchen.
"Is she gonna show?" Gena asked, "I mean, come on, have any of us seen her since she
got us out? This could be a Manticore trick."
"Why?" asked Lia, a tall lanky girl with long dreadlocks.
"Because we're X5's. Renfro won't just give us up."
"Calm down baby sister," said Kiri, "If Trigs says she's coming, she's coming. She said she had
to talk to someone about getting some Tryptophan."
"She's not coming," said Gena, "She'll abandon us."
"I hate to say it, but I agree with Gena. What if she's Manticore?" asked Lia.
"She's not," said Brin, "Believe me, she's not. If she was, she would not have kicked my
ass and dragged me out of there."
"Could be a ploy," said Gena, "Lyedecker always taught us to lie."
"He did not teach us to kick each other unconscious. She's not Manticore. Renfro spent
half her time trying to track Trigs down. Trigs is not Manticore."
"You're right, I'm not," said Trigs, walking casually into the condo.
"Little sister?" asked Igen, getting up and walking to the door. Trigs looked at him
sternly then cracked into a big grin.
"Hey," was all she could say before Igen grabbed her in a tight hug. Kiri, her bright blue
hair brushed back, walked forward, her eyes nearly in tears.
"I thought I saw you, when Renfro got me, and I thought I heard you, when Carn and
Renz drove me to the others. I never dreamed you were real Trigs. I wanted you to be. I didn't
want you to be dead, like Zack said," she whimpered, then began sobbing. Trigs, her own eyes
tearing up, reach over and pulled her sister over and into her warm embrace.
"It's okay Kiri. We're safe now, and I won't let them split you and I up again. He broke
us once, but never again baby sister. Never," she said, then looked to her other siblings, "I know
I haven't been the best sister. I've faded in and out of your lives, and even then, only by e-mail.
It's taken me a while to get over what Manticore screwed into my head. Those of you I helped, I
split up for safety's sake, just as Zack did, but I'm not Zack, far from it."
"Trigs…" said Gena.
"Now we are together, and we stay together. No more splitting up. No more calling in.
You are my family, and we will stay together, just as Ben said we should. I know I've made
mistakes. We all have. Now we deal with them together, as a family."
"Trigs," said Hurst, reaching out and touching her hand. Brin walked over and hugged
her once Kiri finally let go, but couldn't, due to broken ribs.
"You saved us," said Gena, hugging her sister before Lia did.
"And now we're safe."
"This isn't home," said Trigs suddenly.
"It's not?" asked Creeg.
"No," she answered, "Home is a small place I've got in the tropical islands. It's not much,
but we can make it much. Right now, we owe someone a quick death."
"Lyedecker," said Kiri, "Trigs, he's a good guy."
"I know. That's why I said quick death. Renfro's got a hit out on him. The X7's."
"What!" said Kiri, "No."
"We're taking them down. We can. We were the best they had, except we had too much
independence."
"We get to kill Lyedecker," said Gena, looking at Lia, who turned red.
"What's wrong?" asked Trigs, looking to Lia.
"I tried to kill him, yesterday. I wanted to know where Zack was."
"Zack works at Jam Pony Messengers. He was there this afternoon," said Creeg, "Our
beef is not with him."
"He left us behind!" said Gena, "Me and Lia. We tried to get to the fence, but couldn't."
"Zack is not who we want," said Trigs, "Some of the others, however, would be
welcomed to out home."
"Jondy," said Igen.
"Syl," said Kiri.
"Krit," said Igen.
"Max," said Creeg.
"Max won't leave Seattle," said Trigs, "Zack tried."
"Boyfriend?" asked Brin.
"Yeah," said Trigs, "Dork in glasses. Reminds me of Tact Officer Morris's right hand
man. Jesse, was that his name?"
"Yeah," said Creeg, "What a dork."
"He had the weirdest laugh!" said Lia.
"He snorted," laughed Kiri, "I think he did it just make us laugh."
"Look at us, reminising about Manticore," said Brin.
"Listen Brin, I'm sorry for what I did," said Trigs sheepishly.
"It's okay. I understand. It needed to be done."
"Great."
"Hey Trigs, can we sit on the balcony and talk for a moment, you and me?" asked Brin, "I
need to ask you something serious."
"Okay," said Trigs, walking out onto the Balcony.
"I have two things. One, I want to talk to Max."
"All in good time Brin, all in good time."
"I know you see her everyday."
"So do I and it takes all my strenght not to attack her."
"Trigs."
"No Brin. She was the one Lyedecker squeezed for info on me, on what was done to me.
I told her, and look what happened to me Brin. You know about my…condition."
"I do."
"So?"
"I understand."
"She made me what I am, a freak, a Nomolie."
"Don't say that Trigsie. You're nothing like that. I love you dearly."
"You. Just you."
"All those people do. All the X5's standing in there. Jondy still loved you. One time,
when we got together, we held a memorial for you."
"Thanks."
"It was her idea. The other X5's love you Trigs. Why can't you accept that."
"Because of what I've become. I'm different."
"So what?"
"You know how sick I am Brin."
"Do you take your medication?"
"Yeah."
"Well then?"
"Still…I've got so much left to do…"
"What do you mean?"
"You think it's a coincidence I've gathered them all now?"
"Yeah."
"It's not. I have some things to do before my time ends."
"Time ends? Trigs what?"
"A later time Brin. I'll explain it in a while. Now, what's the other message?"
"Carn, you're X2 friend?"
"Yeah."
"He told me to give you this, and tell you he's is tired of waiting," said Brin, pulling a pair
of Dog tags out of her pocket.
"His tags…"
"Is this some sort of symbol?"
"Yeah. In the older series, they weren't allowed to fraternize. In order to have a 'marrige'
the guy would give his tags to his girl."
"He's asking you to marry him?"
"In short."
"Aww! Trigs."
"Damned Fool," she said, dropping the tags to the floor and walking back to her friends
inside.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Back in Logan's apartment, Max sat happily on her couch eating popcorn with Jondy,
watching the movie 'Come what may'. Zane was looking on behind them, while Zack sat gruffly
on the side.
"That's so cute!" said Jondy, "All those friends agreeing to meet up after years."
"What do you think our siblings would have been if they had got out of Manticore?"
asked Max, "I mean, the ones who've died, or who've gone insane."
"Gena would so have been a biker," said Zane, "She had tough girl written all over her
face."
"And Lia, Lia would have been a wonderful Doctor," said Max, "She would have been a
pediatrician."
"Hurst, Hurst would have been a hacker. He was better with computers than your
boyfriend," said Jondy.
"What about Creeg?"
"Creeg would have been a DJ. He always loved when Trigsie used to sing," said Zack,
cracking a smile for the first time in days. When he was with his siblings, he seemed to calm
down a bit, and forget his Manticore past.
"Can I join?" asked Logan, sitting down next to Max.
"Sure," she said, taking his hand in hers.
"Can I ask a question about Manticore."
"Sure. Shoot," said Zane.
"Who's Trigs?"
"What?" asked Jondy, "How do you know about her?"
"Zack just said Trigs."
"No I didn't. I said Trigsie. Her name could have been Trig, or Trigsie, or something
unrelated. How did you know it was Trigs."
"I guessed."
"You're a bad liar," said Max, looking away.
"She was our sister," said Jondy, "A great sister. She was younger than me, but older
than Max. Sweet little thing. She kinda looked like Zack, but her hair was red, firey red. Even
with our buzz cuts, it was obvious she had flames for hair."
"Jondy," said Zack, "Don't say anymore."
"Why Zack? She's dead, isn't she. I loved her, and lost her. I miss her Zack, like I miss
Eva and Peeps."
"Don't talk about her," said Max, her inflection mimicing Zacks.
"You too Max?" asked Jondy.
"What's the matter with you?" asked Zane, "She was our sister."
"And Max feels responsible for what happened. She told Lyedecker that Trigs was being
changed, and that's why Trigs was taken away," said a cocky voice from behind them. They
turned around to See Renz, the X4 who took Brin. Zack jumped up, lunging for Renz, but Renz
stepped aside and caught him.
"YOU!" shouted Zack.
"X4's have the speed advantage on X5's," Renz said, "And if you kill me, you'll never see
Brin again."
"So?"
"And you'll never see Kiri or Igen."
"I'll find them."
"How about Hurst, or Creeg? How about Lia or Gena? You want to see them? I thought
so. Let me speak without being attack!"
"They're dead," said Zane.
"No, they're not," said Renz, "They're hiding, like you. They have a leader."
"Who?" said Max.
"She doesn't want to see you guys, or me and Carn. She's being an idiot and we need
your help."
"She?" said Max, "Who?"
"Trigs," said Renz, "Trigs is my partner. She has been for nine years. She's been out of
Manticore since then, no thanks to you Mr. Walks right by her with the keys to her cell."
"Trigs?" said Max, "Zack said she was dead."
"Zack lied."
"Why?" asked Jondy.
"It doesn't matter now. Right now, I need to find her."
"And why would we help you?" asked Zack.
"You know what, I hate you X5 599. What you did to Trigsie…"
"Don't call her that."
"Why not? She lets me and Carn call her that."
"We called her Carn. We were her family."
"You're right, you were. Now she's got me for a brother, and Carn as her husband to be."
"And you need us why?"
"Because she's doing something stupidly heroic again."
"What?" asked Zane.
"She's sending her siblings to the tropics."
"So?"
"And she's stopped taking her medication."
"So?"
"If she doesn't start taking it again, she'll be dead within a week."
Authors Note: OHHH! The end is near for Trigs! Scary! Thanks to those who've reviewed. You guys rock. Those who like this story and haven't, why haven't you?
On another note, I'm writing Companion Pieces to this about the Other X5's, the ones Trigs worked with. Their called Trigs Kids. The first one is about Kiri. Read them and tell me whatcha think!