Shortly after, the penthouse
Max and Logan had backed out of the visit to the zoo at the last minute, deciding to get a nice dinner ready for the visiting crowd and the twins, who would probably be exhausted after the day out with the kids. And it had been a nice time for just the two of them to be together. They were cutting vegetables for a salad when they heard the door burst open.
"Mom! Dad!" yelled Jenna. They looked to each other and walked quickly. They ran up when they saw the state they were in. They were carrying Sarah, Lisa and Rachel in and gently put them on the couch. They quickly noticed that the children were not with them and that the rest of the group looked equally saddened, panicked and tired.
"What happened?" asked Max as she went to her sister.
"The children were kidnapped," said Zack, fishing for something in his pocket.
"By who?" asked Logan. Zack showed them.
"We found these in their backs," he said, indicating the women, "Somehow I don't think someone would go as far as shocking them if they didn't have a plan. And from the technology, the field is definitely narrowed, as much as I hate to think about it..."
"P... paper," mumbled Sarah. The three of them had regained consciousness but they were still very weak. They brought her a pen and paper. She looked down at it and seemed to try to concentrate. She began to write on it... no, she was drawing... It was very hard and it took a while. At one moment, she stopped and observed what she'd come up with.
"This... on their sleeves," she said as she turned the pad around.
"I... K?" read Lisa. They were elaborately drawn... not simple letters... they meant something.
"Are you sure?" asked Max. Sarah passed it to Anna and Rachel. The two women observed it, closed their eyes for a few seconds, as if to try to recall. Eventually, they opened their eyes and nodded.
They were too confused to show for now, but they were hurting terribly on the inside. They'd been helpless to protect their children. And now they were with these strangers... They must be so scared...
"I'll start looking for something... anything... I don't exactly have a lot to go on. I'll try to see if I can find what this means," said Logan as he picked up Sarah's drawing.
"How are we supposed to find them? Who knows where they are now?" said Ricky, feeling frightened for his son.
"Relax, we'll find them, I promise," said Logan.
Logan went to his office to start researching, soon to be joined by Max. The group in the living room was mainly one big wreck. The parents were crying and reminiscing about their lost children, while the rest mostly attempted to find a way to make it their fault, followed by someone always saying that it wasn't. It was some kind of pain... one that they had never imagined they would ever have to experience.
In the office, Max and Logan worked on two computers, looking through any kind of records of military activity in the city recently, and try to find a meaning for the symbol. Logan worked on location, while Max worked with the symbol. She could swear she'd seen it before, but she couldn't explain it. She stared at it for what seemed like hours. Until the answer came to her like a sharp blow to the head...
"Iota Kappa..." she whispered.
She was lost in her thoughts once more, thinking back to a training session back at Manticore. It was five of them, Ben, Krit, Syl, Brin, and herself. She'd managed to steal a glance to the other groups. Zack, Jondy, Tinga, Jace and Jack were in another group, and Eva and Zane were in a group with three other X5s. They did this kind of thing every once in a while. They were taken out of the base, separated in groups of five, and quizzed and tested by different people. This time they had been taken to the forests by Lydecker himself.
The five of them had been instructed to sit on the ground, so they had. Lydecker spoke for a while, pacing from side to side as he did so. However on one occasion, he stepped out of his usual line, not realizing that there was a large hole filled by the water of a recent rainfall. When he stepped back, he fell in, drenched from head to toes instantly.
Knowing they would have to suffer very hard consequences if they didn't help, the five children helped the poor man out. They got their uniforms slightly wet in the process, but it wouldn't matter.
"Good job," he said as he removed his jacket, under which he wore a sleeveless shirt. It didn't take long for them to see a tattoo on the top side of his left arm, near the shoulder.
"Sir," said Brin, "I have a question."
"Go ahead, X5-734," he answered, ringing the water out of his jacket.
"What is that?" she said, pointing to the tattoo. He hesitated, as if to decide whether he should tell them or pass it as none of their business. Finally he explained.
"These are Greek letters."
"What do they mean?" asked Ben.
"Iota Kappa, it was something I had done with a group of friends many years ago."
"All the same?" asked Syl.
"No, we each had different ones."
"Why did you take those?" asked Krit.
"Yeah," said Max.
"I don't know. That's enough for now. Back to the base."
"Yes, sir," responded the five X5s.
"Max," she heard Logan call to her. She came back to reality and shook the rest of the thoughts away.
"What?"
"I think I found where they're being held. I have three potential places still with possibility of being the right one." She got up and looked at the files.
"That one," she said, pointing to the third one.
"How do you know?"
"I just do," she said calmly.
"Okay. Any luck with the drawing?" She looked up at him, feeling tears.
"Iota Kappa... These people are from Manticore. Manticore took them."
*
About an hour later
"Alright, you guys know what to do?" Max asked Zack and Jenna as they put on their dark clothes. This was like one of their 'missions', like when they did Eyes Only things. Only this time, it was very different... This time, they were scared. They tried to hide it, but the others could see it. They understood and didn't say anything.
"I'm ready," said Zack as he zipped up his jacket.
"Me too," said Jenna, slipping on her gloves.
"We won't contact you, but you contact us, alright, keep us informed," said Logan.
"We will," said Jenna. Zack went up to Anna and Rachel.
"We'll get them back. I promise." They nodded.
The two left, went down the elevator to find their father's car in the garage. They climbed in, and Jenna turned to her brother.
"What if we don't... I don't want to think about that possibility... but it could happen. For all we know, Mom was wrong and they AREN'T at that place... Or they were and they aren't any more. What happens then?" She hated feeling so vulnerable, but she couldn't help it. No matter how strong they were, they were still only human.
"Jenna... We can do this. I'm scared too, but I know we can do this, alright? Believe you can... for them." She smiled to her brother.
"Let's do this." They opened the garage door and sped out into the Seattle streets.
Max and Logan had backed out of the visit to the zoo at the last minute, deciding to get a nice dinner ready for the visiting crowd and the twins, who would probably be exhausted after the day out with the kids. And it had been a nice time for just the two of them to be together. They were cutting vegetables for a salad when they heard the door burst open.
"Mom! Dad!" yelled Jenna. They looked to each other and walked quickly. They ran up when they saw the state they were in. They were carrying Sarah, Lisa and Rachel in and gently put them on the couch. They quickly noticed that the children were not with them and that the rest of the group looked equally saddened, panicked and tired.
"What happened?" asked Max as she went to her sister.
"The children were kidnapped," said Zack, fishing for something in his pocket.
"By who?" asked Logan. Zack showed them.
"We found these in their backs," he said, indicating the women, "Somehow I don't think someone would go as far as shocking them if they didn't have a plan. And from the technology, the field is definitely narrowed, as much as I hate to think about it..."
"P... paper," mumbled Sarah. The three of them had regained consciousness but they were still very weak. They brought her a pen and paper. She looked down at it and seemed to try to concentrate. She began to write on it... no, she was drawing... It was very hard and it took a while. At one moment, she stopped and observed what she'd come up with.
"This... on their sleeves," she said as she turned the pad around.
"I... K?" read Lisa. They were elaborately drawn... not simple letters... they meant something.
"Are you sure?" asked Max. Sarah passed it to Anna and Rachel. The two women observed it, closed their eyes for a few seconds, as if to try to recall. Eventually, they opened their eyes and nodded.
They were too confused to show for now, but they were hurting terribly on the inside. They'd been helpless to protect their children. And now they were with these strangers... They must be so scared...
"I'll start looking for something... anything... I don't exactly have a lot to go on. I'll try to see if I can find what this means," said Logan as he picked up Sarah's drawing.
"How are we supposed to find them? Who knows where they are now?" said Ricky, feeling frightened for his son.
"Relax, we'll find them, I promise," said Logan.
Logan went to his office to start researching, soon to be joined by Max. The group in the living room was mainly one big wreck. The parents were crying and reminiscing about their lost children, while the rest mostly attempted to find a way to make it their fault, followed by someone always saying that it wasn't. It was some kind of pain... one that they had never imagined they would ever have to experience.
In the office, Max and Logan worked on two computers, looking through any kind of records of military activity in the city recently, and try to find a meaning for the symbol. Logan worked on location, while Max worked with the symbol. She could swear she'd seen it before, but she couldn't explain it. She stared at it for what seemed like hours. Until the answer came to her like a sharp blow to the head...
"Iota Kappa..." she whispered.
She was lost in her thoughts once more, thinking back to a training session back at Manticore. It was five of them, Ben, Krit, Syl, Brin, and herself. She'd managed to steal a glance to the other groups. Zack, Jondy, Tinga, Jace and Jack were in another group, and Eva and Zane were in a group with three other X5s. They did this kind of thing every once in a while. They were taken out of the base, separated in groups of five, and quizzed and tested by different people. This time they had been taken to the forests by Lydecker himself.
The five of them had been instructed to sit on the ground, so they had. Lydecker spoke for a while, pacing from side to side as he did so. However on one occasion, he stepped out of his usual line, not realizing that there was a large hole filled by the water of a recent rainfall. When he stepped back, he fell in, drenched from head to toes instantly.
Knowing they would have to suffer very hard consequences if they didn't help, the five children helped the poor man out. They got their uniforms slightly wet in the process, but it wouldn't matter.
"Good job," he said as he removed his jacket, under which he wore a sleeveless shirt. It didn't take long for them to see a tattoo on the top side of his left arm, near the shoulder.
"Sir," said Brin, "I have a question."
"Go ahead, X5-734," he answered, ringing the water out of his jacket.
"What is that?" she said, pointing to the tattoo. He hesitated, as if to decide whether he should tell them or pass it as none of their business. Finally he explained.
"These are Greek letters."
"What do they mean?" asked Ben.
"Iota Kappa, it was something I had done with a group of friends many years ago."
"All the same?" asked Syl.
"No, we each had different ones."
"Why did you take those?" asked Krit.
"Yeah," said Max.
"I don't know. That's enough for now. Back to the base."
"Yes, sir," responded the five X5s.
"Max," she heard Logan call to her. She came back to reality and shook the rest of the thoughts away.
"What?"
"I think I found where they're being held. I have three potential places still with possibility of being the right one." She got up and looked at the files.
"That one," she said, pointing to the third one.
"How do you know?"
"I just do," she said calmly.
"Okay. Any luck with the drawing?" She looked up at him, feeling tears.
"Iota Kappa... These people are from Manticore. Manticore took them."
*
About an hour later
"Alright, you guys know what to do?" Max asked Zack and Jenna as they put on their dark clothes. This was like one of their 'missions', like when they did Eyes Only things. Only this time, it was very different... This time, they were scared. They tried to hide it, but the others could see it. They understood and didn't say anything.
"I'm ready," said Zack as he zipped up his jacket.
"Me too," said Jenna, slipping on her gloves.
"We won't contact you, but you contact us, alright, keep us informed," said Logan.
"We will," said Jenna. Zack went up to Anna and Rachel.
"We'll get them back. I promise." They nodded.
The two left, went down the elevator to find their father's car in the garage. They climbed in, and Jenna turned to her brother.
"What if we don't... I don't want to think about that possibility... but it could happen. For all we know, Mom was wrong and they AREN'T at that place... Or they were and they aren't any more. What happens then?" She hated feeling so vulnerable, but she couldn't help it. No matter how strong they were, they were still only human.
"Jenna... We can do this. I'm scared too, but I know we can do this, alright? Believe you can... for them." She smiled to her brother.
"Let's do this." They opened the garage door and sped out into the Seattle streets.