Chapter 15
AN: Yuck. Screaming kids, freezing weather, and a nasty cold. Sums up my trip. Oh and then there was eight inches of snow and the flooding of my bedroom that I got to come home and clean up…anywayz on with the amazingly long saga that doesn't seem to want to wrap up anytime soon.
"X-5452 has been taken down." Lydecker growled angrily. Hitting the rewind button, he watched the action backwards until he came to what he wanted.
Zack watched the video, trying to express as little emotion as possible, Lydecker would be watching him this time and not the video.
"A hover drone caught the whole thing." Lydecker offered, trying to judge Zack's lack of obvious emotion. " I need someone out there. Someone who will find 452 and bring her back. Someone to finish the job she obviously failed to do." Lydecker gave one last evaluation, then judged Zack as worthy. "You are going to be that someone. However I do realize that this job may require someone else's assistance. 452 may not want to come willingly. I trust you will take care of that little detail. I advise you to choose wisely. If the mission is a failure, I can assure you, responsibility will lie solely on your head." Zack nodded, knowing that Lydeckers threat was more then legitimate.
After being dismissed, Zack headed toward his bunk but ran into Tinga five steps from Lydecker's door.
"Is it true?!" Tinga cried in alarm. Zack didn't answer, just grabbed her by the arm and hurried her down the hall away from Lydecker's door. Tinga wouldn't be swayed however, and continued to prod for information about her sister. "What they are saying about Max…" she clarified.
Tinga's reaction was one of Zack's greatest fears. He too worried about his baby sister but no one else had, or needed to know. It would be better if they didn't know. Tinga was acting far to irrational, and if anyone saw her then there would be more then a little trouble. He had to get her to calm down.
"Calm down. What have you heard?" he ordered, bringing Tinga back to her senses with a sharp look at their surroundings.
"Two different stories. One claiming she's dead and another claiming she's defected." Tinga stated clearly and emotionlessly. Much as she wished she could be out there now instead of Max, she knew that if she let anyone know her concern for her sister, she would probably never get the chance to see the outside world again. Not after this, not after Max.
"Max has been shot. Lydecker's ordered me to go out and get her and to finish her mission." Zack clarified; relieved to see that Tinga shared his concern for Max but that she too was wise enough to cover it.
"I want to go with you." Tinga stated calmly but with a light in her eyes that betrayed her emotion.
"No!" Zack ordered "I can't risk it." He spit harshly. Finding he had put a little too much emotion in his reply he softened his tone. "When I saw her last…" finding his emotions rode to close to the surface he changed his tone once more to reflect the cool and collected soldier he was supposed to be. "Tinga, it might not end the way we want it to. Max doesn't want to come back and she is in no position to run. If things go wrong I don't…I don't want you there." he'd softened again for the last part.
Tinga looked at her brother; yes he still was her brother, in awe. He really wanted Max to run. He really didn't want to go after her. Coldhearted Zack hadn't lost it after all. Tinga was just beginning to realize that inside him somewhere lived the little boy who had promised to get them out, and that little boy was still busy scheming. Lydecker hadn't broken him after all.
Smiling and quickly realizing the danger their conversation could put them both in; Tinga changed the subject.
"Good Luck then soldier." She saluted expecting Zack to have some comment on luck but instead was surprised when he merely nodded, silently thanking her.
Zack continued on toward the bunks to look for Alec. Working with him before, Zack found that despite his annoying habits, Alec had the ability to keep a cool head, something that would be invaluable if this was going to work. Zack only hoped that Max would cooperate when they found her.
