Chapter 2: Tea With the Queen of the Damned
"Welcome home, X5-210."
Under closed eyelids, Jondy snapped to attention. Where was she? Who was talking? How the heck did she get here in the first place? Slowly the pieces fell into place as memories came flooding back. Slinking like a hunted animal. Being afraid Zack would ignore her because they'd parted on bad terms. Arguing with herself in the glass. And the damn taser. She hated tasers with the burning passion of a thousand suns. For some reason the geneticists had never discovered, tasers had a powerful effect on Jondy. When they'd tested them for resistance, it had taken a thirty second jolt at maximum power to knock down Zack and Max, but that was most likely a pride thing. Jondy went down like a sack of bricks almost instantly when she was hit with the lowest setting. Kind of like an allergy. No, sir. Please don't hit me with that. I'm allergic to being electrocuted. She sniggered internally, she'd have to tell that one to Zack when…if she got out of here.
Here. It was Manticore, she could smell it. Uh-oh.
She stretched her arms ever-so-slightly, and found she was strapped to a table. Generally that wouldn't be a problem, except for the other Presence in the room. There was something about that voice that set Jondy on edge – although the owner of that voice was trying to sound almost hospitable, there was a concealed coldness, a sense of darker purpose, that made Jondy want to flinch. She mused to herself that it would probably be better to be yelled at.
"You can stop feigning sleep, X5-210. Your vital signs have returned to normal, and the increase in brainwave activity indicates you are, in fact, conscious."
'X5-210'? Oh dear. Now she was really in it. But, with her genetically enhanced sense of reason, Jondy knew when she was beaten, and snapped her eyelids open to peer at her captor.
A slim woman dressed in a black suit with short, peroxide-blonde hair smiled at her, but she probably couldn't have appeared any less sincere if she'd tried. Reaching out one thin, pale hand, the blonde brushed a recalcitrant strand of Jondy's hair out of her eyes.
"That's better, don't you think?"
Jondy glared at her fiercely.
"My, we have a temper, don't we? Seems to be an X5 trait. Your 'sister,' X5-734…no, what is it you called her? Brin. She was quite a little hellcat when she came back to us as well. But she soon remembered her place, just as you soon will." She twisted the lock of hair around her dainty fingers.
Jondy glared harder. Zack had told her what happened to Brin, despite the fact she'd had to pick a fight to get even that out of him.
"Don't you have anything to say? No 'where am I?' No 'who are you?'" Blondie positioned herself so that the girl strapped on the table had no choice but to look at her.
Inspiration struck, and Jondy grinned ferally, showing all of her teeth. "Sure I do. Nice hair. What number is it?"
The façade the other woman had put up collapsed as her face dropped, and with it the false smile. She scowled, brushed her hands together, and called to the guards at the door.
"Take her for reprogramming immediately." She paused in the doorway, and the hard, cruel bitch that Jondy had felt emanating from her showed its true colours on her face. "You, my dear, have forgotten your manners. It's time we gave them back to you." Without another word, she stormed off down the corridor.
Jondy was hauled unceremoniously to her feet, and escorted out the door in handcuffs, a gun barrel pressed to the back of her neck. As they strapped her into the chair, forced her eyes open and gagged her, Jondy stifled a whimper. Suck it up, soldier. The screen in front of her flickered to life, but she looked through it, lost in memory.
Zack and Jondy stood squared off against each other in the alley behind the block of apartments where she currently lived.
"I just want to know where she is! It's not as if I'm going to jump on my bike and arrive on her doorstep! Despite what you think, I have some restraint and the world doesn't revolve around you and your goddamn rules! You're a heartless prick, you know that?!"
Zack growled, deep in his throat. "Jondy, I'm warning you. Do not start with me."
"Start what? I just want to know where my baby sister is. Is that too much to ask? It is, isn't it?"
He dropped his raised fists and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Max is fine. That's all I can tell you."
Jondy clenched her fists even tighter. "That's not all you can tell me. It's all you will tell me. You're so selfish, Zack. And don't preach at me with that 'phoney sentimentality' crap." She finally dropped her fists and her head, trying to hide the tears of frustration in her eyes.
"You could compromise her position, Jon."
"Oh, snap out of it! We left Manticore eleven years ago and you're still stuck there."
Zack's shoulders stiffened. "I only do it to keep you safe, because I care about you all."
Her eyes blazed with angry fire. "Care about us? Bullshit, Zack. Soldiers don't care about anyone. No feelings, remember? All we are is a burden to you. A responsibility you don't have the guts to shirk. Well guess what, soldier boy? I'm not a soldier any more, and I do have feelings. I hate you, Zack. Go away."
He took a step towards her, attempted to place a hand on her shoulder, which she slapped away violently. "You don't mean that."
"Don't presume to know what I do and don't mean. Now, are you as deaf as you are selfish? Leave me alone unless you want to start something."
"Jon—"
"To put it as you did, do not start with me! Get the hell away from me! I hate you!"
Tears burning her own, she ventured a look at Zack. His eyes were filled with something she could only describe as pain. He blinked, and there was more. Exhaustion, fear and anger, but mostly hurt. An old soul in a young body. Was he letting her see this on purpose? Oh, don't be stupid, Jondy. He doesn't feel a damn thing unless it's beaten into him, and you know it. Now get out of here before he starts talking again.
So she did. She ran away as fast as she could, and left him standing alone in the alley, his eyes full of hurt and his hands in his pockets.
That had been nearly three months ago, and he'd honoured her demand to be left alone. I wish I could take it all back, big brother. I'm so sorry.
