Chapter 22: Rescue
Elizabeth and Lara, and then groped for her gun in the bedside table. Making sure it was loaded, she moved silently through the house, checking each room in turn. In the living room, she found a broken vase. ((A shame...that one I could have sold for five thousand...))
Max hid in the shadows, watching the stealthy movements of this woman. Gary and his men were outside, waiting for her signal if she needed backup. She got Lucy first.
Making her move, Max leaped from the corner of the room, landing behind Lucy with a yell. She whirled her around and punched her once, hard, to the face. To Max's surprise, Lucy recovered quickly, but dropped the gun, and returned Max's punch with a kick of her own. Then ensued a fast and furious fight.
Hearing crashes from inside, Gary and a few selected fellow inmates, broke down the door and swarmed through the house, finding Lucy and Max in the middle of what looked like, a fight to the death.
Max licked her lips, as she and Lucy circled one another, and was taken aback when she tasted blood. ((She has to be...no, I'm just out of practice...that's all...))
"Why did you take my daughter bitch!?" Max shouted, placing a kick to Lucy's stomach, but failing when Lucy grabbed her leg and twisted her. Max spun in the air and landed on her feet, leaping over Lucy and hitting her in the back before she turned towards her.
"She's mine. She was never yours!" Lucy screamed, blood streaming from a cut above her eye.
"The hell she wasn't!" Max responded, delivering a kick to Lucy's knee, and grinning inwardly when she heard a loud crack. Lucy fell to the floor grimacing and blinking back tears.
"You bitch!" she spat out, "You'll never get them! They will always love me!"
"Why would they love someone who stole them away from their par...mother." Max questioned, some of her anger worked off by the vigorous fight.
"I believe you've heard of it...and experienced it in fact Max. It's called brainwashing X5-452."
Max gasped audibly, and Lucy laughed.
"Yeah, I know who you are. And so does headquarters by now." Lucy smiled and glanced at the clock on the wall. "They should be here...just about now."
Max kicked Lucy across the room, then, going over to her, she checked the back of her neck. A barcode.
"Well, I know you're not an X5...and you look so old. What are you, an X4?" Max asked, sneering at her.
"You don't look so young yourself." Lucy commented, then added, "X4-623"
"Hmm. Coulda fooled me."
"Apparently I did. And Logan too. He must have a thing for genetically engineered killing machines...he married one, and slept with another..." Lucy taunted, but Max would have none of it.
"To hell with you." she said, kicking her again, then running off to find Lara. Max stood outside the last room she had to search. ((Oh God, let her be here...please...)) She pushed open the door and gasped. No..it couldn't be...
"Elizabeth?" Max said tentatively, walking closer to the girl on the bed.
"My name isn't Elizabeth anymore. It's Y1-001." the little girl shouted out, standing at attention.
"Oh God...no! Not you too! Elizabeth! Don't you know who I am? It's your mommy! It's me! Max!?" Max shook Elizabeth forcefully, bouncing the long ponytail around so Max caught a glimpse of something on her neck. Pulling her daughters hair aside, this time the gasp was accompanied by a cry of anguish. A barcode. Her daughter...one of them now.
Max stood up and looked around, finding Lara in a hard, cold steel crib. Going over to it, Max picked Lara up, and was relieved to find the back of her neck smooth and normal. No barcode.
"Thank God." Max breathed, holding Lara close. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Then, going over to Elizabeth, she held her hand out to her.
Elizabeth looked at her strangely, turning Max's hand over to see if she was hiding something. When she found nothing, she looked up at Max, her eyes questioning.
"Take it."
"What ma'am?"
"My hand Lizzy. Take my hand."
Elizabeth frowned, but did as ordered. Max looked down at her, smiled, and squeezed her small hand comfortingly.
"We need to get out of here." she said, leaving the house with Gary and the others following. "Now." she added, making eye contact with Gary. He nodded, and they made their way into the woods once again.
end chapter 22
Elizabeth and Lara, and then groped for her gun in the bedside table. Making sure it was loaded, she moved silently through the house, checking each room in turn. In the living room, she found a broken vase. ((A shame...that one I could have sold for five thousand...))
Max hid in the shadows, watching the stealthy movements of this woman. Gary and his men were outside, waiting for her signal if she needed backup. She got Lucy first.
Making her move, Max leaped from the corner of the room, landing behind Lucy with a yell. She whirled her around and punched her once, hard, to the face. To Max's surprise, Lucy recovered quickly, but dropped the gun, and returned Max's punch with a kick of her own. Then ensued a fast and furious fight.
Hearing crashes from inside, Gary and a few selected fellow inmates, broke down the door and swarmed through the house, finding Lucy and Max in the middle of what looked like, a fight to the death.
Max licked her lips, as she and Lucy circled one another, and was taken aback when she tasted blood. ((She has to be...no, I'm just out of practice...that's all...))
"Why did you take my daughter bitch!?" Max shouted, placing a kick to Lucy's stomach, but failing when Lucy grabbed her leg and twisted her. Max spun in the air and landed on her feet, leaping over Lucy and hitting her in the back before she turned towards her.
"She's mine. She was never yours!" Lucy screamed, blood streaming from a cut above her eye.
"The hell she wasn't!" Max responded, delivering a kick to Lucy's knee, and grinning inwardly when she heard a loud crack. Lucy fell to the floor grimacing and blinking back tears.
"You bitch!" she spat out, "You'll never get them! They will always love me!"
"Why would they love someone who stole them away from their par...mother." Max questioned, some of her anger worked off by the vigorous fight.
"I believe you've heard of it...and experienced it in fact Max. It's called brainwashing X5-452."
Max gasped audibly, and Lucy laughed.
"Yeah, I know who you are. And so does headquarters by now." Lucy smiled and glanced at the clock on the wall. "They should be here...just about now."
Max kicked Lucy across the room, then, going over to her, she checked the back of her neck. A barcode.
"Well, I know you're not an X5...and you look so old. What are you, an X4?" Max asked, sneering at her.
"You don't look so young yourself." Lucy commented, then added, "X4-623"
"Hmm. Coulda fooled me."
"Apparently I did. And Logan too. He must have a thing for genetically engineered killing machines...he married one, and slept with another..." Lucy taunted, but Max would have none of it.
"To hell with you." she said, kicking her again, then running off to find Lara. Max stood outside the last room she had to search. ((Oh God, let her be here...please...)) She pushed open the door and gasped. No..it couldn't be...
"Elizabeth?" Max said tentatively, walking closer to the girl on the bed.
"My name isn't Elizabeth anymore. It's Y1-001." the little girl shouted out, standing at attention.
"Oh God...no! Not you too! Elizabeth! Don't you know who I am? It's your mommy! It's me! Max!?" Max shook Elizabeth forcefully, bouncing the long ponytail around so Max caught a glimpse of something on her neck. Pulling her daughters hair aside, this time the gasp was accompanied by a cry of anguish. A barcode. Her daughter...one of them now.
Max stood up and looked around, finding Lara in a hard, cold steel crib. Going over to it, Max picked Lara up, and was relieved to find the back of her neck smooth and normal. No barcode.
"Thank God." Max breathed, holding Lara close. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Then, going over to Elizabeth, she held her hand out to her.
Elizabeth looked at her strangely, turning Max's hand over to see if she was hiding something. When she found nothing, she looked up at Max, her eyes questioning.
"Take it."
"What ma'am?"
"My hand Lizzy. Take my hand."
Elizabeth frowned, but did as ordered. Max looked down at her, smiled, and squeezed her small hand comfortingly.
"We need to get out of here." she said, leaving the house with Gary and the others following. "Now." she added, making eye contact with Gary. He nodded, and they made their way into the woods once again.
end chapter 22
