Ire had been walking all day and she was getting rather sick of it. She noticed that it was night, which meant most of the guards had gone, leaving her to roam the halls as she pleased.
Ire stopped in front of the reprogramming room door, then, after a brief inner battle, opened the door. She could hear words repeating over and over, but they were faint.
Ire walked into the room and saw that there was still someone in the chair. Ire walked around and switched off the projector that was showing images of people and words. Ire could still hear the faint words, repeating over and over. She walked over to a small tape player. She followed the cord to a pair of headphones and saw the woman that she had seen earlier in the day. Ire pulled the headphones off and shut the tape player off. Ire didn't like the weak feeling that she saw in the woman's eyes.
"What're you doing in here?"
A guard had appeared in the doorway and was looking at Ire. Ire straightened up and looked him in the eye.
"Whatever I damn well please." Ire snapped.
The guard gave her a look and entered the room. He glanced at the woman in the reprogramming chair, then back at Ire and smirked.
"You're not authorized to be in here. In light of recent events on the lab, I have orders to shoot and kill all that I don't recognize." The guard said and raised his gun.
Ire knew that she could simply show him the barcode on her neck, but she was overwhelmed by rage. She usually knew where her rage came from, but this time it was just rage.
Ire kicked the guard in the side of the head and he fell. He dropped his gun and tried to reach for it, but ire stepped on his wrist hard, breaking it. She leant down next to him and grabbed his neck.
"How does it feel to be number three?" She hissed in his ear, then there was a sickening crack. That was it. Ire stood up; he was dead.
Ire looked at the woman in the chair, then undid all the restraints and gag.
The woman stood up, massaging her wrists and stared bewildered at Ire.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"They all call me Ire." Ire said. "What about you? Why were you in here? What did you do?"
"I'm Max." She said simply. "I did a lot of things that they didn't like."
"I do a lot of things they don't like either. They're all scared of me; all afraid that I'll kill them." Ire said and looked down at the guard.
"Why?" Max asked.
"I have an imbalance. They created me to have an edge, but they misjudged and I'm much more temperamental than they had planned. He's the third guard I've killed and I've injured others. I'm quite dangerous when I have what the Director calls outbursts." Ire explained.
"Everyone is afraid of you?" Max asked, glancing at the guard.
"Mostly all of them...even the demon children, the X7s." Ire said. "The Director thinks I would never attack someone of a high rank, so she feels safe."
"But she shouldn't feel safe? Should she?" Max asked.
"No." Ire said simply. "I'm going back to my room now. You can escape if you want."
Ire started walking toward the door, but Max called out.
"Wait! You're just going back to your room? Just like that?"
"Yes." Ire said. "I have no where else to go and I don't wish to hurt innocent people out there in the real world. The right side of the building is the most unprotected, you should exit that way when you leave."
"I-I won't go without you." Max said; she couldn't just leave this girl.
"You're a fool." Ire said. "I can't be trusted with people. Many experiences have taught me that much."
"You are a person, don't talk about yourself like you're different from people." Max said. "You are coming with me."
"I've killed three people inside these walls and countless others in battle. I've severely injured four others in here. My rage would have me back here sooner than later." Ire said.
"You've only done that in Manticore." Max said. "It would be different outside."
"It wouldn't be different!" Ire exclaimed. "For God sakes, my name means intense and openly displayed anger. One of my former guards thought being called XS-618 for the rest of my life was cruel, so he gave me the name of anger, as he called it. He's dead now."
"You can leave. I'll even help you. Just come with me and you'll see." Max said.
Ire was seriously considering it, when someone flipped on the lights. Ire turned and saw Renfro standing in the doorway, holding a walkie-talkie.
"X5-452 is poisoning XS-618's mind." Renfro said into the talkie. "Send three well-armed soldiers."
Ire stopped in front of the reprogramming room door, then, after a brief inner battle, opened the door. She could hear words repeating over and over, but they were faint.
Ire walked into the room and saw that there was still someone in the chair. Ire walked around and switched off the projector that was showing images of people and words. Ire could still hear the faint words, repeating over and over. She walked over to a small tape player. She followed the cord to a pair of headphones and saw the woman that she had seen earlier in the day. Ire pulled the headphones off and shut the tape player off. Ire didn't like the weak feeling that she saw in the woman's eyes.
"What're you doing in here?"
A guard had appeared in the doorway and was looking at Ire. Ire straightened up and looked him in the eye.
"Whatever I damn well please." Ire snapped.
The guard gave her a look and entered the room. He glanced at the woman in the reprogramming chair, then back at Ire and smirked.
"You're not authorized to be in here. In light of recent events on the lab, I have orders to shoot and kill all that I don't recognize." The guard said and raised his gun.
Ire knew that she could simply show him the barcode on her neck, but she was overwhelmed by rage. She usually knew where her rage came from, but this time it was just rage.
Ire kicked the guard in the side of the head and he fell. He dropped his gun and tried to reach for it, but ire stepped on his wrist hard, breaking it. She leant down next to him and grabbed his neck.
"How does it feel to be number three?" She hissed in his ear, then there was a sickening crack. That was it. Ire stood up; he was dead.
Ire looked at the woman in the chair, then undid all the restraints and gag.
The woman stood up, massaging her wrists and stared bewildered at Ire.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"They all call me Ire." Ire said. "What about you? Why were you in here? What did you do?"
"I'm Max." She said simply. "I did a lot of things that they didn't like."
"I do a lot of things they don't like either. They're all scared of me; all afraid that I'll kill them." Ire said and looked down at the guard.
"Why?" Max asked.
"I have an imbalance. They created me to have an edge, but they misjudged and I'm much more temperamental than they had planned. He's the third guard I've killed and I've injured others. I'm quite dangerous when I have what the Director calls outbursts." Ire explained.
"Everyone is afraid of you?" Max asked, glancing at the guard.
"Mostly all of them...even the demon children, the X7s." Ire said. "The Director thinks I would never attack someone of a high rank, so she feels safe."
"But she shouldn't feel safe? Should she?" Max asked.
"No." Ire said simply. "I'm going back to my room now. You can escape if you want."
Ire started walking toward the door, but Max called out.
"Wait! You're just going back to your room? Just like that?"
"Yes." Ire said. "I have no where else to go and I don't wish to hurt innocent people out there in the real world. The right side of the building is the most unprotected, you should exit that way when you leave."
"I-I won't go without you." Max said; she couldn't just leave this girl.
"You're a fool." Ire said. "I can't be trusted with people. Many experiences have taught me that much."
"You are a person, don't talk about yourself like you're different from people." Max said. "You are coming with me."
"I've killed three people inside these walls and countless others in battle. I've severely injured four others in here. My rage would have me back here sooner than later." Ire said.
"You've only done that in Manticore." Max said. "It would be different outside."
"It wouldn't be different!" Ire exclaimed. "For God sakes, my name means intense and openly displayed anger. One of my former guards thought being called XS-618 for the rest of my life was cruel, so he gave me the name of anger, as he called it. He's dead now."
"You can leave. I'll even help you. Just come with me and you'll see." Max said.
Ire was seriously considering it, when someone flipped on the lights. Ire turned and saw Renfro standing in the doorway, holding a walkie-talkie.
"X5-452 is poisoning XS-618's mind." Renfro said into the talkie. "Send three well-armed soldiers."