Ire walked into the building, dirty and tired, with Max slung over her shoulder, still unconscious.
Ire walked past a few guards who averted their eyes. Ire walked to her room and saw it was unguarded. Ire scoffed and walked inside.
'They finally got so scared that they just let me be finally.' Ire thought as she put Max on the bed. 'They even removed the lock and everything. Ah, but that's probably because they think I'm dead.'
Max began to stir and Ire shut the door and stood in front of it. There was no way Max was leaving now, not like that.
Max groaned and her eyes fluttered open. For a moment Ire saw the real Max, but that left as soon as she sat up with the emotionless soldier look.
"Why am I in here? The objective still exists." Max said and stood up.
"Sit down." Ire barked. She was in no mood to take anything from Max right now. Max sat back on the bed and Ire walked over and stood in front of her, a few feet away.
"The objective is still to destroy XS-618." Max said.
"Not anymore." Ire said.
"You are in no position to change my objective." Max said. "My commanding officers have been made clear to me and I only follow their orders."
"Like I said, not anymore Max." Ire said.
"I am X5-452. Max is gone."
Ire backhanded Max and looked away, on tears in her eyes. Ire had never experienced so many emotions at once before and it frightened her to no end.
"Now, tell me about your life on the outside." Ire said.
"I have no outside life. My life is Manticore. I am loyal only to Manticore." Max said.
Ire backhanded her again, but she knew it was the only way.
"What do you remember about your outside life Max?" Ire asked, slightly more gentle. She had just slapped Max in the face, but she had to keep some type of gentleness to coax Max back to herself.
"I-I remember Cindy." Max muttered.
"Who is Cindy?" Ire asked.
"Original Cindy was the only real friend I-no! Manticore! I am Manticore! Manticore is my only friend!" Max exclaimed.
Ire delivered another swift backhand to Max's face.
"Tell me who Original Cindy was." Ire demanded.
"Original Cindy was the only real friend I ever had." Max said. "I even told her about me."
"Good. What else?" Ire demanded more than asked.
"I remember...I remember...I remember Manticore!" Max exclaimed.
"No!" Ire yelled and backhanded Max again. "Manticore is dead! Do you hear me? Manticore is dead to you!"
"Dead." Max repeated."
"Now, what else do you remember about the outside?" Ire asked.
"I remember...I remember Logan." Max muttered.
"Who is Logan?" Ire asked.
"Logan is...is...Manticore! Manticore! Manti-"
Ire had slapped her again. Ire hated it, but she knew it was the only thing that would work. She had seen it work on Theo, but the opposite way. Theo was talking wildly about the outside world and was taught a lesson. Theo was backhanded when he spoke good of the outside world. He learned to associate the outside world with pain and Manticore without pain. That was a backwards lie, but it did work. Max would learn to associate Manticore with pain and the outside without pain, like she did before.
"Now, who is Logan?" Ire asked. Ire could see a bruise forming on Max's cheek, but she didn't care about that right now. That was trivial compared to the task at hand.
"Logan is...M-m-m...Logan is...he's Ey....Logan is..."
"A friend?" Ire offered, sensing that Max was having trouble placing this Logan guy.
"Yeah...a-a friend. But...stuff has been happening, but...but now I'm back at Manticore so it doesn't matter!" Max exclaimed.
Ire backhanded Max again as the rage was building inside of her.
"Everything matters." Ire said. "I know you remember being in Manticore. Do you remember in '09?"
"Y-yes." Max said.
"That was the year you escaped. You left Manticore forever." Ire said, her voice softening. "Why did you leave?"
"I-I...I didn't like it here." Max said.
Ire smiled. They were finally making some progress.
"Do you like it here now?" Ire asked, raising her hand as a threat.
"No." Max said, then immediately closed her eyes, expecting a slap. When she didn't feel one, she opened her eyes and saw ire smiling at her.
"Was that the truth Max?" Ire asked.
"Yes, it was the honest truth." Max answered.
"Max, do you mind me calling you Max?"
"No." Max replied. "It is my name after all."
"What does Manticore mean to you Max?" Ire asked.
"Pain. Lots of pain." Max said.
"Max, what would you say if I suggested an escape?" Ire asked. This was the clincher question. When Theo answered this question, the doctors were all too pleased. He had said he would never think of escaping for Manticore was too great to leave.
"If you're suggesting an escape...." Max paused, then looked at Ire with sad eyes. "Take me with you."
"I am Max, I am. You're coming with me. It was actually your idea...do you remember?" Ire asked.
"Y-yes." Max said after a while. Max stood up and began to pace. "I suggested that we take out the guards on the right side because you said that was less guarded, then I said we would run to the fence and jump it and just go and never look back."
"Exactly." Ire said with a smile. "But we're going to need a new plan."
"Another one?" Max asked. "Why?"
"Because, I'm supposed to be dead." Ire said with a grin.
Ire walked past a few guards who averted their eyes. Ire walked to her room and saw it was unguarded. Ire scoffed and walked inside.
'They finally got so scared that they just let me be finally.' Ire thought as she put Max on the bed. 'They even removed the lock and everything. Ah, but that's probably because they think I'm dead.'
Max began to stir and Ire shut the door and stood in front of it. There was no way Max was leaving now, not like that.
Max groaned and her eyes fluttered open. For a moment Ire saw the real Max, but that left as soon as she sat up with the emotionless soldier look.
"Why am I in here? The objective still exists." Max said and stood up.
"Sit down." Ire barked. She was in no mood to take anything from Max right now. Max sat back on the bed and Ire walked over and stood in front of her, a few feet away.
"The objective is still to destroy XS-618." Max said.
"Not anymore." Ire said.
"You are in no position to change my objective." Max said. "My commanding officers have been made clear to me and I only follow their orders."
"Like I said, not anymore Max." Ire said.
"I am X5-452. Max is gone."
Ire backhanded Max and looked away, on tears in her eyes. Ire had never experienced so many emotions at once before and it frightened her to no end.
"Now, tell me about your life on the outside." Ire said.
"I have no outside life. My life is Manticore. I am loyal only to Manticore." Max said.
Ire backhanded her again, but she knew it was the only way.
"What do you remember about your outside life Max?" Ire asked, slightly more gentle. She had just slapped Max in the face, but she had to keep some type of gentleness to coax Max back to herself.
"I-I remember Cindy." Max muttered.
"Who is Cindy?" Ire asked.
"Original Cindy was the only real friend I-no! Manticore! I am Manticore! Manticore is my only friend!" Max exclaimed.
Ire delivered another swift backhand to Max's face.
"Tell me who Original Cindy was." Ire demanded.
"Original Cindy was the only real friend I ever had." Max said. "I even told her about me."
"Good. What else?" Ire demanded more than asked.
"I remember...I remember...I remember Manticore!" Max exclaimed.
"No!" Ire yelled and backhanded Max again. "Manticore is dead! Do you hear me? Manticore is dead to you!"
"Dead." Max repeated."
"Now, what else do you remember about the outside?" Ire asked.
"I remember...I remember Logan." Max muttered.
"Who is Logan?" Ire asked.
"Logan is...is...Manticore! Manticore! Manti-"
Ire had slapped her again. Ire hated it, but she knew it was the only thing that would work. She had seen it work on Theo, but the opposite way. Theo was talking wildly about the outside world and was taught a lesson. Theo was backhanded when he spoke good of the outside world. He learned to associate the outside world with pain and Manticore without pain. That was a backwards lie, but it did work. Max would learn to associate Manticore with pain and the outside without pain, like she did before.
"Now, who is Logan?" Ire asked. Ire could see a bruise forming on Max's cheek, but she didn't care about that right now. That was trivial compared to the task at hand.
"Logan is...M-m-m...Logan is...he's Ey....Logan is..."
"A friend?" Ire offered, sensing that Max was having trouble placing this Logan guy.
"Yeah...a-a friend. But...stuff has been happening, but...but now I'm back at Manticore so it doesn't matter!" Max exclaimed.
Ire backhanded Max again as the rage was building inside of her.
"Everything matters." Ire said. "I know you remember being in Manticore. Do you remember in '09?"
"Y-yes." Max said.
"That was the year you escaped. You left Manticore forever." Ire said, her voice softening. "Why did you leave?"
"I-I...I didn't like it here." Max said.
Ire smiled. They were finally making some progress.
"Do you like it here now?" Ire asked, raising her hand as a threat.
"No." Max said, then immediately closed her eyes, expecting a slap. When she didn't feel one, she opened her eyes and saw ire smiling at her.
"Was that the truth Max?" Ire asked.
"Yes, it was the honest truth." Max answered.
"Max, do you mind me calling you Max?"
"No." Max replied. "It is my name after all."
"What does Manticore mean to you Max?" Ire asked.
"Pain. Lots of pain." Max said.
"Max, what would you say if I suggested an escape?" Ire asked. This was the clincher question. When Theo answered this question, the doctors were all too pleased. He had said he would never think of escaping for Manticore was too great to leave.
"If you're suggesting an escape...." Max paused, then looked at Ire with sad eyes. "Take me with you."
"I am Max, I am. You're coming with me. It was actually your idea...do you remember?" Ire asked.
"Y-yes." Max said after a while. Max stood up and began to pace. "I suggested that we take out the guards on the right side because you said that was less guarded, then I said we would run to the fence and jump it and just go and never look back."
"Exactly." Ire said with a smile. "But we're going to need a new plan."
"Another one?" Max asked. "Why?"
"Because, I'm supposed to be dead." Ire said with a grin.