Direct Action
I finally decided that as much as I was enjoying myself, I needed to get back. My sense of duty demanded it. So I turned around and retraced my path back to base, allowing myself a last few moments of wild, unbound freedom.
As I approached I caught sight of Krit and Syl standing outside. I waved a greeting as I slowed and parked the motorcycle. I took off Zack's helmet and shook my hair free. Krit and Syl assumed relaxed positions near me.
"Hey, Ty." Krit said.
"Zack wanted us to keep an eye out for you." Syl explained.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
They both shook their heads.
"Nah. That SP keeps taunting Zack and making him more and more difficult to be around is all." Krit commented.
"What about Renfro?"
"Max and Lydecker are still grilling her. I don't know what they're looking for. She's a bitch. She killed Tinga." Syl said simply.
"And you two aren't worried about her or Manticore coming down on us?" I asked, eyeing them skeptically.
"We have our brother and sister back. What's to worry about?" Syl replied, a smile coming onto her face.
"The five of us can handle whatever comes
"I'm telling you, she's gonna crack." Syl said instantly and I could tell this was something they had discussed before.
From the stories Zack had told me I knew that Krit and Syl had always been close. I could see that now in their easy companionship and the way that they calmly bet each other on what would happen first: Zack and the SP getting in another fight or Zack un-programming her.
"Ty, am I right or am I right?" Krit asked finally.
It felt nice to be included with such easy acceptance. It implied that they agreed that I was one of them and I felt that they would never distrust me or exclude me again. Not as long as I remained out of Manticore's grasp.
"I'm not getting in the middle of this." I declared.
"See, she knows I'm right." Syl said, sticking her tongue out at Krit.
"Sure, Syl. Whatever you say." Krit said sarcastically and gave me a conspiratorial wink.
I shook my head and pushed past them into the base.
"Don't say we didn't warn you about big brother!" Krit called after me.
"I'm sure I can handle it!" I called back.
I heard continuing lines of their argument as I entered the main part of our base.
"Syl, I have two words for you: smack down." Krit said.
"Well, if she calls him Zackie again, then yeah." Syl countered.
I shook my head again in amusement and put their comments out of my mind as I focused on what was in front of me. I absently noted that Logan's car was gone and judging from the absence of his scent, him with it. I also noticed that Krit had been correct, Zack was prowling back and forth before the SP looking livid.
"Where've you been traitor?" the SP called, "We've missed you."
Zack glanced briefly at me but did not otherwise acknowledge me.
"You sure talk a lot for a soldier." I commented.
She shrugged, a rather awkward motion with her hands handcuffed behind her.
"What else can I do? Your precious Zackie is too much of a coward to fight me again. Thinks I might outwit him this time and escape. " she said, glancing at him to see what effect her comments were having on him.
Zack's jaw twitched, but he didn't react to her words. She sighed heavily.
"Actually, this must be the most boring torture session I've ever experienced." she said.
"We're not trying to torture you. We're trying to get you to realize that is what you're already putting up with at Manticore." I said evenly.
She rolled her eyes.
"Even in the time you've been here you've showed more emotion than they would have allowed you at Manticore. You must have noticed that. You're little opinion about how boring this is would have cost you back there." I pressed.
She said nothing and I think that I must have struck a chord because she seemed to be unable to argue with that.
I turned from her to my brother, carefully measuring how much distance to leave him and how to phrase what I wanted to ask him.
"A word, Zack
He nodded and motioned towards the far end of the room where we could speak low and not be overheard.
"She's infuriating, Ty!" he said sharply.
"So are you." I replied.
Zack glared at me as if I had betrayed him.
"Well, you are. She's as stubborn as either of us and she's got Max's bad attitude to boot. But she also has feelings. We'll get to her." I said determinedly.
Zack calmed down visibly at that and I felt less like I was fighting a strategic battle with him. I allowed myself time to think of other things than how my words would affect him. Like what would affect the SP.
"What made you finally give the order for the escape?" I asked Zack finally.
Zack looked down.
"Max's
"That's it." I said.
Zack obviously didn't know what I was talking about but followed me silently as I walked back over to the SP.
"Tell me," I asked her with enough command in my voice to make it less of a casual question and more of an order, "did Renfro create any other SP's besides the two of us?"
She looked down quickly and I knew I had found a weakness.
"Yes." she said finally. She looked up at me suspiciously, "Why?"
"She's asking the questions here." Zack managed to almost not snap.
Before the SP could respond with another taunt at Zack's expense, I continued.
"What happened to them? Who were they?" I pressed.
The SP cast about with her eyes as if seeking out someone to tell her whether or not she should answer the question. No Renfro to help her there now.
"SP-656/397. And SP-734/599." she said quietly.
"Tinga and Jondy." Zack said.
"And you and Brin." I added.
"What happened to them?" Zack demanded.
The SP wasn't looking at us anymore.
"734-599, he was my SIC. He failed a training procedure and was punished. He started shaking and couldn't stop. I never saw him again. But I heard him screaming." she coughed harshly and her voice hardened, "He was weak."
"And what about SP-656/397?" I asked.
"She was killed in an accident during a field exercise. She should have been better than that. She should have been able to avoid it. She was weak, too." SP-452/493 said coldly.
"Have you ever stopped to think that they would both be here now if it wasn't for Manticore?" Zack asked, taking over suddenly.
I stepped back to allow him to take over the questioning. We had found a way to get through to her. Now he should be the one to exploit it. He was supposed to be the C.O. after all.
"They were weak!" she screamed at him, "They didn't deserve to live!"
Zack sighed heavily, looking as if he had resolved himself to do something that he didn't want to do. I felt apprehensive about whatever that might be.
"Ty, stand back. I have something I need to show SP-452/493.
I backed up a reasonable distance and watched apprehensively as Zack pulled keys out of his pocket (when had Krit given him the keys again?) and undid the SP's handcuffs for the second time.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"You'll see." Zack said, "Now, fight me."
"Don't need to ask me twice, Zackie." she said with a sneer.
She sprang from her chair towards Zack. Zack responded by pushing her past him and taking up a fighting stance. She didn't fall into her normal fighting routine of circle, study the opponent, attack. No, this time she just flew at Zack, attacking wildly. Zack was caught off guard and fell back, his eyes wide at the fury that had flown at him.
Seeing my brother might have gotten a little more than he had anticipated, I decided to call Krit and Syl in for a little extra back-up incase something happened and the SP tried to escape. I slipped towards the door and poked my head outside.
"Krit. Syl." I called quickly.
Immediately, the two X-5's were inside with me. Krit beamed the minute he saw what was going on.
"That's ten bucks you owe me, Syl." he said.
"Oh, shut up." Syl replied.
I ignored them and continued to keep my eyes glued on the fight, monitoring how well Zack was doing. He had gotten back into it, the look of surprise on his face dissipating into a determined, stony expression. This was an all-out, hold no punches, genetically enhanced battle.
Block. Block. Kick. Punch. Punch. Block. This was almost too fast for even my eyes to follow. Suddenly, Zack was on the ground and the SP's boot was pressing painfully down on his throat. Zack kicked and hit the SP in the back, knocking her forward. He rolled out of the way just before she hit the ground. She caught herself on her hands and pushed herself over onto her back. Zack fell on her before she was able to counter and pinned her to the ground. She struggled and thrashed but she couldn't get free of his grip.
"I'm stronger than you." Zack said and she stopped struggling slightly to listen to him, "Should I kill you?"
Now she stopped struggling completely. She looked at Zack strangely, as if she was just now seeing him.
"Like I said: smack down." Krit said happily, breaking whatever kind of moment it had been.
Zack slowly got back to his feet. The SP continued to simply stare at him. He offered her his hand and slowly, hesitantly, she took it.
"I don't want to die because I'm weak." she said so quietly that a normal human wouldn't have heard.
"We wouldn't do that to you. Manticore would." Zack said.
The SP didn't respond to that.
"We could think of a name for you." Krit offered.
Zack and the SP both shot a glare at Krit for interrupting. I caught Syl elbowing him sharply in the ribs as well.
"Krit, shut up." I also caught her growl through clenched teeth.
"I will name myself." she said with the remains of her independent pride.
I was almost amazed at the change in her. Zack had really done it. He had not only broken her, but she had even become human enough to accept a name instead of a number.
"What will your name be?" Zack asked.
"I knew someone once that I respected. A soldier at Manticore. His name was Cade. That will be my name." she said.
"Welcome to our side, Cade." Zack said.
Cade dropped her gaze, almost as if she was self-conscious. This all seemed a little too soon, a little too sudden. I found myself not trusting her without being able to really name a reason why.
At that moment, Max entered. She had a grim look on her face and was giving off an angry vibe to the rest of us. She marched towards Zack and only stopped when she noticed Cade.
"What's she..." Max began.
"She's with us now, Max." Zack explained.
Max eyed her with the same suspicion I felt. Cade met Max's gaze evenly. Max shook her head and turned back to Zack, evidently trusting his judgment on this matter. I knew I should, too. Zack was the most paranoid of any of us. If any of us should be suspicious, it should be him. If he trusted Cade, I should. But I just couldn't bring myself to.
"I need to bounce for a bit. Got some things I have to take care of." she said.
"Where're you going?" Zack asked stiffly.
"Back off, will you? It's my business, not yours. Don't worry. I'm just going to go to my apartment. Make sure Original Cindy hasn't trashed my bike. Let her know I'm alive. Check in with my friends. I'll be back before you know it." she promised.
Zack looked reluctant, but Max wasn't about to wait for his permission anyway. When Zack didn't immediately agree, she turned on her heel and strode out.
"Oh, and I'm borrowing your bike!" she called over her shoulder.
Zack's jaw clenched slightly, but by the way his eyes followed Max I could tell that he still couldn't stay mad at her.
No one spoke for a long, awkward moment.
"I have to go, too." Zack said suddenly.
"What?" Cade demanded.
"I have things to take care of, too. It's getting late. There's no sense in all of us staying here all the time. We'll take shifts from now on for as long as we have to. Krit, Syl, Ty, can you take night watch tonight?" he asked.
"Sure." Syl nodded.
"Yeah." Krit agreed.
I simply nodded once.
"Cade, will you stay here? My brother and sisters will be here with you." Zack said, forcing himself not to give any orders but to ask.
"We'll get to know each other." Krit offered.
Cade glanced at the three of us, then back at Zack. She knew that it wasn't really an option. She was smarter than that. But she nodded as if she was agreeing to it and not "following orders" anyway.
Zack nodded once more. He signed quickly to us to watch Lydecker as well, that he still didn't trust him, as he left. I gave a quick affirmative signal back before he disappeared out the door.
I was suddenly filled with apprehension for some reason I couldn't fathom. My gut was telling me that something was wrong. And that my brother was in trouble.
I glanced quickly at Cade, still suspicious, before sidling up next to Krit.
"I don't trust her. Watch her. Something's wrong. I'm going to find out what." I tapped out.
With that I slid past him and out the door again. He could explain it to Syl.
Zack had never shaken the habit of covering his tracks, making his trail hard to follow. But I had been trained to follow even the hardest trail. I was able to keep on his tail despite his efforts. I tracked him all the way to a large, inconspicuous, brown building. An apartment building.
I couldn't shake the feeling of being followed myself. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Perhaps I had taken over that characteristic that had previously belonged to Zack. I ignored the feeling.
I scaled the side of the building, following Zack's movements through the windows. I watched as Zack strode into his sparsely furnished apartment.
He let out a heavy sigh and sunk into a couch, which was in major need of re-upholstering. The day must have weighed heavy on his mind: Max, Logan, me, the other SP "Cade". I knew he would just bottle up his emotions, as always.
Ring, ring... it was his phone,
"Hello?" he said into the receiver.
He paused, listening.
"She what? AWOL, when?"
"It's okay, she's with me." Zack said to the person on the other end of
the line, most likely Krit or Syl.
Zack placed the phone back on its hook.
"What are you doing here? I thought I asked you to stay where you were." he asked Cade.
"I decided to go for a walk." Cade said, her voice as always dripping with sarcasm.
I gave this "Cade" a full once-over, for the first time since we found her. She had Max's brown hair, which hung a little longer, past her shoulders, and was straighter but still curly at the ends. The thing I really noticed was how her eyes glowed. And I mean they glowed, as if peering into your soul. She was tall and trim like the rest of us. I must admit she really was beautiful, just like Max.
"How did you get here?" Zack asked with an interrogating tone.
That was my big brother, not one to fall for a pair of green eyes and a good figure. Right? I remembered our previous conversation about Cade and didn't feel so sure.
"I followed you." Cade began to walk towards Zack, "I snuck out past Krit and Syl."
"And I followed you."
So she had been the one shadowing me. I wondered if she had seen me. Apparently not.
"You certainly enjoy causing trouble." Zack responded, shifting positions
"I guess it's in the genes."
Even I got that insinuation. I wondered, though, how she had picked up on Zack's
feelings. That escaped me.
Luckily, Zack was the master of keeping a straight face and didn't play into her game. Cade brushed a lock of stray hair behind her ear.
"Look Zack, I need to talk to you. I need to...ugh...well...um..."
"You need to what?"
Cade sighed.
"Thank you." she grimaced as the words rolled off her tongue, as if the words were bitter in her mouth.
Zack actually laughed. I scanned my memory for the last time Zack had laughed and had a difficult time remembering when it had been. Of course, he had laughed before, but only when totally relaxed or comfortable with someone. I felt cheated that Cade had earned such a privilege so soon after supposedly turning from Manticore.
"What was that?" Zack asked in amusement.
"Oh, you heard me. Thank you. Thank you, you saved my life, and as much as I
hate to admit it," she paused and her voice suddenly became very soft and emotional, "you saved me."
The two locked eyes.
Zack was the first to break the gaze.
"I had to. You're family."
His face was yet again unreadable and his voice monotone.
"No." Cade said firmly.
"No?" Zack questioned.
"No, we are not family. Not like you and the rest. You are not my "big brother."
"So what does that make us?" Zack asked, not exactly the response I was expecting.
He rose from the couch.
"We are both good soldiers." Cade informed him.
They began to kiss again, and again my mind screamed. How could he trust her so easily, so soon?
They pulled back.
"Emotions cloud our judgment." Zack whispered.
After the next kiss, they both were quiet. I had to turn my head as I lost my big brother, as he lost himself. I tried to tear myself away from my perch outside his window, but
couldn't. So there I sat, frozen with shock mixed with fear.
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