Take Your Chances:
"Hey, Jones," I glanced up, "there's a guy here, says he has a delivery for
Mr. Lydecker. Figured since you're in charge of what comes in and outta here,
I should talk to you."
"Thanks, Tom, I'll see to it."
"No problem, dude's at the main entrance."
It wasn't exactly your run-of-the-mill delivery. I signed not a few papers
and release forms and was finally handed a set of keys and a slightly sedated,
chained man was brought to me. There were two soldiers nearby, and I motioned
for them to take him away. They put him in a holding cell in the basement. I
went to see Lydecker.
"Sir, your death row convict is here." Lydecker glanced up at me quickly.
"Excellent. See to it he has a good meal -- he'll need all his strength for
tomorrow, and no more sedatives, either."
"Yes, sir," and I walked off to see to my orders.
The next morning I was under orders to have the convict brought to the back
entrance of Manticore, by the training grounds. Two soldiers escorted him and
I led the way.
"Unchain him." Lydecker ordered, once we were outside. He continued to the
convict:
"This is a military training facility. The lesson for today is capture. I
need you to evade capture. If you can make it to the perimeter fence, you'll
be a free man, no questions asked." That caught the convict's attention. As
it should -- sounded like a deal to me. Then I figured out who he was evading
and the deal wasn't much anymore...
"Do you understand?" Lydecker asked. The man nodded. Lydecker backed away
-- towards the door. A slight nod to a soldier by the door was given. The
soldier opened the door and the X5s came streaming out, a river of gray.
Their faces were expressionless, but their eyes held a small glitter. Like
water that looked calm, but contained deadly currents underneath.
Lydecker nodded to me. The two soldiers and I backed away from the convict.
"You know what the rules are, don't you?" Lydecker asked.
"I gotta get to the perimeter fence." Was the answer.
"Succeed; you're a free man. If you fail, then it's back to death row." With
that Lydecker handed him a knife and a gun. Then, noticing the convict's
skeptical glance at the seemingly little X5s, warned;
"Don't underestimate them." With that, the convict ran off towards the
fence.
It was . . . chilling to look at the X5s then. They were calm; too calm.
Yet, a tide of eagerness rose in them.
"5 . . . 4 . . . "
They looked like a well-trained pack of hunting dogs . . .
"3 . . . 2 . . . "
. . . waiting to be sent out by their master.
"1. Go."
In calm, fluid, yet quick movements, they started out after the convict. Not
the explosion of energy I'd expected, but I guess that was how they were
trained to be -- always calm and collected.
'That convict doesn't stand a chance...' I thought to myself as I walked back
inside.
"Hey, Jones," I glanced up, "there's a guy here, says he has a delivery for
Mr. Lydecker. Figured since you're in charge of what comes in and outta here,
I should talk to you."
"Thanks, Tom, I'll see to it."
"No problem, dude's at the main entrance."
It wasn't exactly your run-of-the-mill delivery. I signed not a few papers
and release forms and was finally handed a set of keys and a slightly sedated,
chained man was brought to me. There were two soldiers nearby, and I motioned
for them to take him away. They put him in a holding cell in the basement. I
went to see Lydecker.
"Sir, your death row convict is here." Lydecker glanced up at me quickly.
"Excellent. See to it he has a good meal -- he'll need all his strength for
tomorrow, and no more sedatives, either."
"Yes, sir," and I walked off to see to my orders.
The next morning I was under orders to have the convict brought to the back
entrance of Manticore, by the training grounds. Two soldiers escorted him and
I led the way.
"Unchain him." Lydecker ordered, once we were outside. He continued to the
convict:
"This is a military training facility. The lesson for today is capture. I
need you to evade capture. If you can make it to the perimeter fence, you'll
be a free man, no questions asked." That caught the convict's attention. As
it should -- sounded like a deal to me. Then I figured out who he was evading
and the deal wasn't much anymore...
"Do you understand?" Lydecker asked. The man nodded. Lydecker backed away
-- towards the door. A slight nod to a soldier by the door was given. The
soldier opened the door and the X5s came streaming out, a river of gray.
Their faces were expressionless, but their eyes held a small glitter. Like
water that looked calm, but contained deadly currents underneath.
Lydecker nodded to me. The two soldiers and I backed away from the convict.
"You know what the rules are, don't you?" Lydecker asked.
"I gotta get to the perimeter fence." Was the answer.
"Succeed; you're a free man. If you fail, then it's back to death row." With
that Lydecker handed him a knife and a gun. Then, noticing the convict's
skeptical glance at the seemingly little X5s, warned;
"Don't underestimate them." With that, the convict ran off towards the
fence.
It was . . . chilling to look at the X5s then. They were calm; too calm.
Yet, a tide of eagerness rose in them.
"5 . . . 4 . . . "
They looked like a well-trained pack of hunting dogs . . .
"3 . . . 2 . . . "
. . . waiting to be sent out by their master.
"1. Go."
In calm, fluid, yet quick movements, they started out after the convict. Not
the explosion of energy I'd expected, but I guess that was how they were
trained to be -- always calm and collected.
'That convict doesn't stand a chance...' I thought to myself as I walked back
inside.