Max wrung her hands as she paced back and forth in her cell. Ire assured her that the plan would work, but Max had an uneasy feeling in her stomach.
'Okay,' Max thought. 'The plan is simple. Ire is hidden in an old office where no one goes because of the nomalies, so no one should find her. They think she's dead, and that I killed her. They think I'm loyal to them, so getting out shouldn't be a big problem, unless we run into one.' Max took a deep breath and heard footsteps approaching her cell door. 'Nothing to worry about. Just the guy coming to take me to the Director. I just have to act all brainwashed while I'm with her, then she'll let me go and I'll slip to the office, knock two times, pause, then one more knock and Ire'll come out and we'll head to the right of the building and knock out anything in our way, then we'll jump the fence and run like the wind.'
Max ran the plan over and over in head until her cell door was opened and a guard stood there.
"Ready?" He asked.
Max tried to look as reprogrammed soldier-like as possible, but it was hard. She only nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
When they reached Renfro's office, the guard left her and she walked in.
"Ah, X5-452, good to see you." Renfro said. She was now out of her sling, but Max wanted to get her a pretty new one.
"Yes, ma'am." Max said. She hoped she wasn't being overly soldiery.
"How has your training been going? I hear you're on course four, one behind the X7s now?"
"Yes, ma'am." Max said.
"Those X7s do go at an amazing pace, don't they?" Renfro asked, looking down at the X7s from her window.
"Yes, ma'am." Max said, tired of repeating herself.
"Well," Renfro said and sat down behind her desk. "I suppose you're wondering why you're here. Well, after the loss of XS-618 and the mishap with her body, we've been looking for two soldiers to go about the X7s and train them better. We don't want any more defects such as the one XS-618 had, so we're checking for them now. Would you like to know who you are working with?"
"Yes, ma'am." Max said. She was playing an old Pre-Pulse song in her head now and couldn't be bothered with Renfro's mindless babble, so Max just figured the universal response was good to use.
"X5-734." Renfro called. That caught Max's attention and she looked toward the door when it opened.
Brin walked into the room and shut the door behind her, then stood at attention.
'So, that's how brainwashees stand. Okay then.' Max thought and copied Brin's stance.
"X5-452, you will be working with X5-734 on the X7 project." Renfro said. "Now, the X7s are training in the yard. You better get moving."
"Yes, ma'am." Max and Brin said in unison, then left the office.
Max thanked whatever higher power that existed when she saw they were going in the direction of the room Ire was hiding in.
"So," Brin asked as they walked. "Are you truly loyal to Manticore?"
"With every fiber of my being." Max said, then finished in thought, 'I think it's hell and want to get out.'
"Excellent. I'm relieved that you've seen the error of your ways." Brin said. "There is nothing better than being at Manticore."
Max just nodded. When they got to Ire's door, Max paused. She had a very brief inner struggle, then knocked.
"What are you doing?" Brin asked.
"I'm sorry." Max said as Ire came from the door.
"Who is she?" Ire asked. "Is she coming with us?"
"X5-452, what is going on?" Brin asked.
"No, she's not. She never wants to." Max said.
"I'm sorry then." Ire said and walked over to Brin. Brin was still too shocked to react. Ire punched her between the eyes and Brin fell back.
"One punch?" Max said, amazed.
"It's a trick I picked up. Right between the eyes and well...anyway, we have to go now before anyone gets wise." Ire said, stepping over Brin.
"I will get you out." Max whispered to Brin, then joined Ire.
Ire was looking out the door, sizing everything up.
"Now, once we get out there," Ire whispered. "We can walk a few feet safely, but then we have to run for our lives because the X7s will be on us in seconds followed by the dogs. When we get in the woods we just have to keep going because they'll have let the dogs and X7s loose."
"Got it." Max whispered.
Ire held up three fingers, then ticked them down. They both took deep breaths and left the building. They were able to walk five safe feet, then a guard noticed Ire alive and well when she was supposed to be dead.
"Move! X7s assemble!" They heard him yell, then Max and Ire ran for their lives as a loud alarm sounded and booming barks sounded behind them.
"Run!" Max screamed. They both panicked, but kept on going anyway. Their goal was to reach the fence and jump, and nothing would stop them.
"Criss cross!" Ire screamed as bullets whizzed by them, missing only by inches. They both began to criss cross from side to side so that the shooters would have a much harder target. "One two jump!"
They had reached the fence and jumped. For a second Max thought maybe they wouldn't make it, but that was only a second. They had reached the ground on the other side before Max could even finish the thought.
"Split up." Ire said and, before Max could object, ran left into the forest.
Max looked after her, but a gunshot whizzed past her head and she ran for the forest, to the right. Max knew Ire was right about the dogs and X7s when she heard about five pairs of feet rushing along behind her and the occasional bark.
Max ran through the forest, not even caring about the cuts she was getting, all she cared about was getting away from the child demons. Max ran until her legs were numb and felt like they were about to fall off. She ended up in a small clearing and found it quiet. Too quiet.
Max braced herself for whatever would happen next. Max heard footsteps behind her, then the cocking of a gun. This felt a little too familiar for her.
Max slowly turned around, but instead of her clone, she saw Renfro standing there, pointing the gun right at her.
"This is my dream." Renfro said. "I want to kill every single one of 'Deck's kids, but oh you. You are the sweetest kill of them all you know. His favorite. I knew you were never really loyal, but you killing XS-618? That was excellent. I had actually believed that you had done it until I saw her rushing along beside you."
Max just looked beyond Renfro, expecting to see five little clones with guns stampeding through the trees.
"Looking for the X7s?" Renfro said. "I told them to stay back. You were mine. I don't see you're little friend coming to help you. That may be because the dogs have gotten to her, but who knows? I told the X7s that you were mine...and now you are."
Renfro raised the gun and Max closed her eyes, waiting to die. But Max heard the gunshot, but she felt nothing. Dare she open her eyes?
Yes.
'Okay,' Max thought. 'The plan is simple. Ire is hidden in an old office where no one goes because of the nomalies, so no one should find her. They think she's dead, and that I killed her. They think I'm loyal to them, so getting out shouldn't be a big problem, unless we run into one.' Max took a deep breath and heard footsteps approaching her cell door. 'Nothing to worry about. Just the guy coming to take me to the Director. I just have to act all brainwashed while I'm with her, then she'll let me go and I'll slip to the office, knock two times, pause, then one more knock and Ire'll come out and we'll head to the right of the building and knock out anything in our way, then we'll jump the fence and run like the wind.'
Max ran the plan over and over in head until her cell door was opened and a guard stood there.
"Ready?" He asked.
Max tried to look as reprogrammed soldier-like as possible, but it was hard. She only nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
When they reached Renfro's office, the guard left her and she walked in.
"Ah, X5-452, good to see you." Renfro said. She was now out of her sling, but Max wanted to get her a pretty new one.
"Yes, ma'am." Max said. She hoped she wasn't being overly soldiery.
"How has your training been going? I hear you're on course four, one behind the X7s now?"
"Yes, ma'am." Max said.
"Those X7s do go at an amazing pace, don't they?" Renfro asked, looking down at the X7s from her window.
"Yes, ma'am." Max said, tired of repeating herself.
"Well," Renfro said and sat down behind her desk. "I suppose you're wondering why you're here. Well, after the loss of XS-618 and the mishap with her body, we've been looking for two soldiers to go about the X7s and train them better. We don't want any more defects such as the one XS-618 had, so we're checking for them now. Would you like to know who you are working with?"
"Yes, ma'am." Max said. She was playing an old Pre-Pulse song in her head now and couldn't be bothered with Renfro's mindless babble, so Max just figured the universal response was good to use.
"X5-734." Renfro called. That caught Max's attention and she looked toward the door when it opened.
Brin walked into the room and shut the door behind her, then stood at attention.
'So, that's how brainwashees stand. Okay then.' Max thought and copied Brin's stance.
"X5-452, you will be working with X5-734 on the X7 project." Renfro said. "Now, the X7s are training in the yard. You better get moving."
"Yes, ma'am." Max and Brin said in unison, then left the office.
Max thanked whatever higher power that existed when she saw they were going in the direction of the room Ire was hiding in.
"So," Brin asked as they walked. "Are you truly loyal to Manticore?"
"With every fiber of my being." Max said, then finished in thought, 'I think it's hell and want to get out.'
"Excellent. I'm relieved that you've seen the error of your ways." Brin said. "There is nothing better than being at Manticore."
Max just nodded. When they got to Ire's door, Max paused. She had a very brief inner struggle, then knocked.
"What are you doing?" Brin asked.
"I'm sorry." Max said as Ire came from the door.
"Who is she?" Ire asked. "Is she coming with us?"
"X5-452, what is going on?" Brin asked.
"No, she's not. She never wants to." Max said.
"I'm sorry then." Ire said and walked over to Brin. Brin was still too shocked to react. Ire punched her between the eyes and Brin fell back.
"One punch?" Max said, amazed.
"It's a trick I picked up. Right between the eyes and well...anyway, we have to go now before anyone gets wise." Ire said, stepping over Brin.
"I will get you out." Max whispered to Brin, then joined Ire.
Ire was looking out the door, sizing everything up.
"Now, once we get out there," Ire whispered. "We can walk a few feet safely, but then we have to run for our lives because the X7s will be on us in seconds followed by the dogs. When we get in the woods we just have to keep going because they'll have let the dogs and X7s loose."
"Got it." Max whispered.
Ire held up three fingers, then ticked them down. They both took deep breaths and left the building. They were able to walk five safe feet, then a guard noticed Ire alive and well when she was supposed to be dead.
"Move! X7s assemble!" They heard him yell, then Max and Ire ran for their lives as a loud alarm sounded and booming barks sounded behind them.
"Run!" Max screamed. They both panicked, but kept on going anyway. Their goal was to reach the fence and jump, and nothing would stop them.
"Criss cross!" Ire screamed as bullets whizzed by them, missing only by inches. They both began to criss cross from side to side so that the shooters would have a much harder target. "One two jump!"
They had reached the fence and jumped. For a second Max thought maybe they wouldn't make it, but that was only a second. They had reached the ground on the other side before Max could even finish the thought.
"Split up." Ire said and, before Max could object, ran left into the forest.
Max looked after her, but a gunshot whizzed past her head and she ran for the forest, to the right. Max knew Ire was right about the dogs and X7s when she heard about five pairs of feet rushing along behind her and the occasional bark.
Max ran through the forest, not even caring about the cuts she was getting, all she cared about was getting away from the child demons. Max ran until her legs were numb and felt like they were about to fall off. She ended up in a small clearing and found it quiet. Too quiet.
Max braced herself for whatever would happen next. Max heard footsteps behind her, then the cocking of a gun. This felt a little too familiar for her.
Max slowly turned around, but instead of her clone, she saw Renfro standing there, pointing the gun right at her.
"This is my dream." Renfro said. "I want to kill every single one of 'Deck's kids, but oh you. You are the sweetest kill of them all you know. His favorite. I knew you were never really loyal, but you killing XS-618? That was excellent. I had actually believed that you had done it until I saw her rushing along beside you."
Max just looked beyond Renfro, expecting to see five little clones with guns stampeding through the trees.
"Looking for the X7s?" Renfro said. "I told them to stay back. You were mine. I don't see you're little friend coming to help you. That may be because the dogs have gotten to her, but who knows? I told the X7s that you were mine...and now you are."
Renfro raised the gun and Max closed her eyes, waiting to die. But Max heard the gunshot, but she felt nothing. Dare she open her eyes?
Yes.