Chapter 10
Deal with the Devil
"I want the X6's combing the city for her!" yelled Renfro, one week after Trigs sat atop the space needle.
"Ma'am," said one of the officers, "We found these on top of the space needle."
"I knew it," she said, holding the tags in her hand, "If you find her companions, do not kill them. They will lure her to us. I want her alive."
"Ma'am, she's a powerful X5. You said yourself that she is faster than anything we have."
"Yes and she's dying. How hard is it for you to catch a dying X5. I doubt she can stand on her own now."
"Yes Ma'am," said the Soldier.
"Ma'am," said a tall man next to Renfro, "I think I may have found a clue. There's record of a girl named Eva working at a place called Jam Pony. Eva was the name we had for X5-602. If it is her, she may have been using it."
"Thank you X5-573. You and X5 498 go get her."
"Ma'am, will she live if we find her?" asked his partner, a pretty X5 next to the first.
"Yes X5-498. She will if we find her," said Renfro, then she turned and yelled, "This girl is worth more than any of the other X5's. If you find them, you have permission to kill them if necessary. Just find me X5-631 NOW!"
"She's gone insane," said X5-573.
"I know," said X5-498, "But Corgen, she just wants to save Trigs."
"Then why is this the first time we've found out she was alive? Huh Molly? Why didn't she tell us?"
"Because she didn't know until Trigs confronted her during the escape. Then the blood tests on the smear in the office proved she suffered from Chimera Syndrome. Corgen, we have to find her. I want my sister."
"I know Molly. We'll bring her home."
*+*+*
"Anyone seen Eva?" called Normal through the crowd of People at Jam Pony.
"No!" yelled Cindy, "We ain't seen your Boo!"
"No, she's not here. She hasn't been her for a week. I don't know where she is!" said Normal into the phone, "No I don't know about her. Yes, she left her pill bottle with me. She said the drugs were to be kept by me to stop her from using them."
"Who's that?" asked Cindy; noticing Normal was getting all red and blotchy.
"That was her sister Molly. Seems Eva hasn't been home in a while, and the kids are worried. They want to know where Eva is."
"What her name?" asked Jondy.
"Molly," said Normal, then he turned to the door, "Hello and Welcome to Jam Pony."
"Shove it loser," said Carn, walking forward and grabbing Normal around the neck, "Where is my girl you asshole."
"Shit Carn," yelled Renz, who had been chilling with Max and Jondy.
"She's gone. I checked with Brin and Kiri. Seems about a week ago she split and told them that no matter what they were to head out to the place."
"Calm down!" yelled Renz, "She's not here, and she hasn't been for a week."
"Manticore is here," said Carn, "I just had an X6 on my ass. Do you know how those kids move?"
"I know," said Renz, "Now you're telling me that Trigsie's mother is here? In Seattle?"
"Looking for her!" said Carn; "I spied on them. Apparently they're looking for her and a dying X5."
"He doesn't know?" whispered Jondy to Max.
"No," said Zane, "Renz told me this guy would go medieval on anything that moved if he knew she was dying."
"Carn, we have to leave Seattle with the X5's. It's what Trigs wanted."
"No. Not without her. She's everything to me Renz. You know that. I need her, and she needs me."
"No she doesn't," said Zack, "She's an X5."
"And you left her behind Zack," said Carn, "I remember it well. You had the keys, and you wouldn't unlock her cage. You were afraid of me, and you let her suffer."
"I would not let Trigs suffer."
"And I love her more than you ever could. You think I would?"
"How would you know what she's like?"
"How would you?"
"She was my sister."
"She is the love of my life. You wouldn't know her if she walked through that door right now."
"Want to bet on that?" asked Zack, rising to the older man's challenge.
"Yes."
"We'll find her."
"How."
"She's short with auburn hair and blue eyes."
"She's tall and leggy," said Carn, "Real Beauty. Her hair isn't Auburn. It's red, fire red, like the fire in her soul you almost put out Zack. Do you know that she busted into Manticore to save you, even after you left her behind? Did you know that Zack?"
"No."
"She revealed herself to Krit and Syl, when she gave them Brin. They didn't tell you because they know better. They know she would just run, like she's done now. This is all your fault Zack."
"Really?"
"Yes! My angel is out there dealing with her mother, YOUR mother, and she may be trying to rescue a dying sibling. If you ask me, she's worth ten times what any of you are, especially you Zack."
"Calm down!" yelled Renz, punching Carn in the gut, hard.
"She's gone Renz."
"She's not gone. Trigs has done this before."
"Not like this. Not with Manticore this close."
"Red hair…" said Max, "You're not saying that…"
"She said something to me before she left," said Normal, "Eva did. You two know her as Trigs, right?"
"Yeah," said Carn.
"When all Hell breaks loose, I go the high place," said Normal, "It's what she told me. Told me to tell you if you ever got in a fight with any of these gooneys."
"The Space Needle," said Carn.
"Wait," said Renz, "We may be too late."
"Too late?" said Renz.
"Trigs isn't going to live much longer," said Jondy.
"What?"
"She's suffering from Chimera Syndrome. She'll be dead within a few hours."
"No…"
"Carn," said Max, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"NO!" he screamed, "NO! YOU'RE LYING! SHE'S NOT DYING!"
"Carn," said Renz, "Please understand."
"Trigsie," he said, falling to his knees.
"Carn."
"The others?" he asked, "Kiri, Brin? Hurst, Creeg, Lia, Gena and Igen? What about them?"
"Trigs put them on a plane to the tropics this morning," said Renz, "I saw to it. None of them know either. She planned to just slip away, but with Manticore so close!"
"Damn it all," said Carn, "Where's Deck?"
"Lyedecker left to find her. He thought she might have gone to New York. It's safer there."
"Damn it," sobbed Carn.
"If she's out there, we'll find her," said Zack.
*+*+*
"Of course she breaks her promise," said Trigs, crouching down in the staircase up to the top of the space needle. She was having trouble breathing. The last stage of Chimera was setting in, and she was on the run from Corgen and Molly. She dashed up a few more flights and into the large dome. She hid between two cushions, and prayed that her two siblings had come to their senses and given up. She would not return to Manticore if she had to kill herself first.
Molly and Corgen entered the room silently, keen ears listening for the sound of Trigs breathing. Trigs held it in, but knew that in her condition, she couldn't hold it as long as she would have wanted to. The two X5's made their signals, but Trigs read them like a book.
She's hiding. Circle Around. Close her in. Don't kill her.
It was the 'don't kill' her part that worried. They had to remind each other not to kill their baby sister. Trigs wondered if maybe the 'don't kill' gesture was a sign that they would go easy on you.
"Ah," she said, then realized what she had done.
"She's here," said Molly, rushing Trigs. Trigs stood up, and got gored in the stomach. She doubled over in pain, but cat leapt back to her feet, raising her fists.
"Can't you and your suck-ass Manticore buddies let me die in peace!" yelled Trigs, landing a solid kick in Corgen's face, sending her flying across the room.
"Please Trigs," said Molly, "You're delirious."
"You think so?"
"Renfro told us. It's a sign of Chimera."
"Did Renfro tell you what happened to Tinga?"
"She died as a result of Lyedecker."
"Bull. She nearly killed Tinga. She let someone poison Tinga. She didn't need Tinga really, just her body."
"You lie."
"I killed Tinga, to save her from the pain she was in. Do you remember when they used those tubes on us, Inserted them into us while we were asleep, and then when we woke up, they tested us. Do you remember how much they hurt?"
"Yes," said Molly, jumping back, away from Trigs.
"They did that to Tinga, only she was still awake when they put the tubes in."
"She's lying Molly!" called Corgen.
"Am I?" asked Trigs, "I never lied to you as a child, why would I now start?"
"Because you're delirious."
"No, YOU are if you think I'd let you just walk in and drag me back to Manticore. I don't even have a barcode anymore."
"How?" asked Molly.
"One of the first things Renfro did to me was get rid of it. She drew it on in permanent marker every day. Lyedecker never knew."
"Lyedecker is evil."
"He helped us Molly, made us what we are."
"He killed Eva."
"That he did."
"How can you forgive him?"
"Because I can. There are a lot of people I can't forgive, but he's not one of them."
"He killed Ben."
"No he didn't. Max did."
"Max?"
"Max snapped his neck."
"No way," said Corgen.
"I watched her. She killed Ben. Not Lyedecker. Ben made a choice, and Max helped him. He asked not to go back to Manticore, and I make the same request. Kill me, or let me go. You know that if you don't, I'll just jump off the needle.
"You wouldn't."
"Wanna bet?"
"No!" Molly shouted, "Trigs please!"
"It's not too late Molly," said Trigs, "I can make this all go away. I can make Manticore a thing of your past. I can free you, both of you."
"How?" she asked.
"No," said Corgen.
"Jace is free. She has a daughter. Her name is Max."
"Corgen," said Molly, "Let her."
"How?" asked Corgen.
"Does Manticore still issue those pens of Adrenaline?"
"Yeah," said Molly, "Give me them, and go to Jam Pony Messengers. You called there before. There's a man they call Normal. Tell him I love him, and that I'm sorry it had to be like this. Then tell him you need to contact Brin. She'll get you to the tropics with them. Small island, no government. Nothing you can't handle."
"Trigs," said Molly, "What are you going to do?"
"Go back to my mommy."
*+*+*
"So you give up?" asked Renfro, looking up at her daughter, standing shakily on the edge of a truck.
"I give up," she said, "I surrender. You win."
"You have an ulterior motive."
"You know me."
"What?"
"You say I'm worth more than any X5's?"
"Where are those two X5 I sent…"
"I got to them. Molly and Corgen are on their way out of the city as we speak. You leave them alone, I go with you."
"NO!" shouted a loud voice. Carn, dressed in his army togs, jumped down and smashed two X6's into each other.
"Carn, go back!" yelled Trigs.
"Kill him," said Renfro.
"NO!" yelled Trigs, jumping down off the van, and kicking Renfro. Renfro fought her, but Trigs was strong, taking out the needle, she held it to Renfro's head.
"What are you doing?" asked Renfro, choking under her daughter's power.
"I will kill you so help me my Lady," said Trigs, "You let him go, you hear? You can have me, but you will pretend you never saw him, or I'll make it so I'm unusable."
"Not possible."
"Wanna bet? I have liquid Adrenaline here in my hand, two needles of them. If I take them both, I'll have a huge seizure and die, and my nervous system will be shot. What good are my muscles if you don't know how the nerves control them mother."
"You little monster."
"Let him go."
"Why? He tortured you for two years."
"And I love him. You let him go."
"Fine," she said, "Now let me go X5-631."
"You ain't worth it," said Trigs, taking Renfro by the hips and driving her knee into Renfro's lower back. A sickening crack filled the air, and Renfro screamed. Trigs ran as fast as she could away, grabbing Carn's hand and running. Through the back Ally's, and the sectors, as far from Renfro as they could, until they reached the small Condo Trigs had bought for her siblings. Carn took her in there, guided her to the couch, and sat down in front of her.
"Why didn't you tell me Trigs? Didn't you think I could handle it?"
"No… Carn, please understand. I know myself, and that's why I didn't want to tell you."
"Because of me?"
"Because I knew, and I know, that if you tell me to stay, I'd go running to my mother, and give it all up, everything we've worked for, if it could make you happy."
"No. Darling, I can deal with this. We can deal with this."
"Molly had Chimera. She left with my brother Corgen to join the others. She gave me these pills. They'll keep me alive for a few extra hours. Molly always kept them just in case. She figures I need them more than her."
"Trigs, you're not going to die."
"I am going to die Carn. I've been dying since I was born. We all have. No one really lives. It's just a wait for death. You just have a longer wait."
"Manticore can fix you."
"NO. I will not go back."
"But you would go back for Molly and Corgen."
"I had every intention of killing myself once I was in the truck. I was buying them some time."
"And Molly bought you some time," said Carn, looking at the pill bottle.
"Carn, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. I don't understand why you didn't tell me, but you were always smarter than me, Trigsie. You know me better than anyone," he said, leaning forward and kissing her gently.
"Please, stop Carn. I want to, but no, it would be too hard," said Trigs.
"Please. For me. This will be the last time we're together."
"What are you going to do next time you're in heat?"
"I guess I can go to that safe house in Canada. I chained you to that wall and it held you for a week. I know mine only last a few days. I'll chain myself there for the days, and think about you a lot."
"Carn," said Trigs, "We're not safe here."
"We'll stay here a few more minutes, and then we'll go see your siblings. Max and Zack went crazy trying to track you down."
"I'll need to give Zack the heads up on where the others are."
"You don't think Renz and I can handle it?"
"I don't know," said Trigs, "Zack is my brother."
"I know," he said, watching as Trigs got up and walked to the window, staring out onto the crowded street below.
"I wish it could be different. If I could go back, I'd change things."
"You lie," said Carn.
"What?"
"If you could go back, you'd have all the X5's get out during the escape, and you'd destroy Manticore. You and I would never have met."
"No. Never. I would go back and make it so we got out and took the cure for Chimera with us."
"Well we can't."
"No. And there's someone neither of us will meet."
"Who?" asked Carn.
"Our child."
"Trigs?"
"I figure that the hormones of pregnacy are what triggered this onset of the final stages."
"We would have had a child?"
"Yes."
"what would you have named it?"
"Tinga, or Ben. Maybe Eva, or I always liked the name Jack."
"I think that I would have named it Jake, or Marie."
"You're siblings?"
"Yes."
"I wish I could make it better."
"You can't, and I'll deal. I won't kill myself over this. I swear it Trigs. I love you too much."
"Thank you."
"Come on, let's go see Logan," he said, taking her hand.
"We've got a few minutes," said Trigs, wrapping her arms around his neck one more time, and kissing him softly.
Authors note: One of the last chapters in this. Almost over ladies and Gents.