Cruel Twists of Fate
2020
"All right,
Lori," Lydecker shielded the keypad and typed his password. "I'm
going to be watching the entire thing from a camera in the observation
area. Feel free to do whatever you like to try and bring back his
memory. We want to know if Lethe works, and we all agree that you're the
best test of its efficiency. If you want to pull out for any reason, just
signal the camera."
Lori
nodded. "I can do this, Deck. I *need* to do
this."
"Be careful." Lydecker
warned as he gestured to the opened door.
Loren swallowed hard and entered
the drab cell. Her breath caught in her throat. There, seated not
ten feet away from her, was the man she had believed dead for two years.
Her husband.
She wanted to
run to him, to throw herself into his arms and never let him go. It was
difficult, but she managed to restrain herself. She remained silent until
she had taken a seat beside him on the bed. The man never moved.
"Nick? Can you hear me?" She
whispered.
316 watched his visitor
with a curious stare. She was the one he was supposed to have
killed. He'd failed. Why was she here now? Why was she calling
him 'Nick?' "I am X4-316...not Nick." He stated
simply.
"I named you Nick,
baby. Although, I never told you why. It means 'victorious'.
You may not have killed me, love. But you were victorious...you stole my
heart."
His gaze blanked for a
moment as the pounding in his head started up again.
Nick...Lori...Nick...Lori...Nick...Lori.
Lori glanced at the camera and
leaned into him, positioning her lips near his ear and taking his right hand in
her own. She whispered to him as softly as she dared. "Nick, I don't
know if you can understand what I'm saying to you...but here it goes
anyway. I'm going to get you out of here, my love. They trust
me. They think I'm on their side. I don't really know how I'm going
to get you out yet..." Her whisper halted as she felt something.
Nick's finger was hitting her palm in a discernable pattern. Morse
Code. 'U know better. Need
plan.'
It took every bit of Lori's
self control not to kiss him right there. She couldn't let her excitement
show. They had to think Lethe worked. In that same soft voice she
continued. "You're right, I need a plan. I'm a doctor, not a
soldier. I don't know the first thing about combat. I'll figure
something out. I'm sure I will. I got here didn't
I?"
'How?'
Lori hesitated.
"Well...that poses a problem, Love. We have to get an X5 and a civilian
out in the process."
'Lori, not
good.'
"Don't take that patronizing
tone with me, Nick! I'm doing my best here. Up until a few days ago
I thought you were dead. And, if I don't stop whispering to you, they're
going to know something is up."
'They cannot know.'
"You're
right. They'd kill us both. Give me some time. I'll find some
reason to see you again, Nick. I swear. We can come up with
something. I know we can."
'We
better.'
Lori pulled away from him
and sobbed. "Nick! What have they done to you? Baby, please
come back to me. Baby?"
The
door buzzed as it opened. Lydecker walked in with a grim expression on his
face. "X4-316, report." He
commanded.
316 snapped to
attention. "She revealed to me that she was pretending to be loyal to
Manticore in order to help me escape, Sir. She never planned on working
here, and she wanted to help the X5 and civilian escape as
well."
Lori's face fell. It
had been a trick. All of it. All this time she'd thought she was
playing them for fools...and they'd been playing her. "Deck?" Her
eyes lifted to his imploringly.
"I'm sorry, Lori. I knew you
weren't over him. You loved him. You still do. What do you
expect from me, Lori? You were going to help 316, 452, and the civilian
escape from this lab knowing it might cost me my life. You apparently care
nothing for your godfather, how can you expect me to care about
you?"
"I never did, you heartless
bastard!" She lunged at him, managing to rake her fingernails across his
cheek before 316 pulled her loose. "I know what you did. You're a
murderer, Deck! I know what was in those vitamins you gave
me!"
"X4-316, take her to her
cell. We'll deal with her later."
X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4*X4
Loren didn't struggle in his
grip, she knew better. She'd gone up against this man once before and had
a scar on her throat to prove it. He knew how to fight. "Nick,
darling, I know you're still in there. You have to be. They can wipe
your memory clean, but they can't wipe away your love for me. I love you,
Honey. I love you. You know I do. I'd do anything for
you. Please...Nick, you've got to
remember."
"You're wasting your
breath." 316 interrupted. "I have my orders and I intend to carry
them out. Nothing you say is going to change
that."
Lori could no longer hold
back her tears. "I'm not wasting my breath, Nick. I love you.
Nothing you ever do will change that. This isn't you talking. I know
it isn't." Surprisingly, she managed to shift in his arms and look him in
the eye. "You're still in there somewhere. I need you, Nick. I
can't do this on my own."
316
hesitated for an instant and turned her back around. "Stop calling me
Nick."
"No. That's your
name. Don't you remember the X5s? Don't you remember Max, Tinga,
Zac...Don't you remember?"
316
twisted her arm more painfully behind her back. "Oh, I remember
plenty. In fact...why don't I let you and Max get better acquainted.
I'm sure you have a lot to talk about." He answered with a sneer as he
tossed Lori into a dark cell.
Lori
didn't bother to sit up. Instead, she curled into a ball on the floor and
started crying hysterically.
"What
the...? Loren!" Max's furious voice echoed through the empty
room. "You better have a good explanation for this or I'm going to kick
your ass!"
"Kill me, Max." She wailed.
"Just kill me. I failed Nick...and you...and Logan...and
RX...and...and..."
"What are you
talking about?"
Lori pushed herself
up. "I married that X4 I was telling you about. I married him.
I love him. I love him more anything in this world. I thought he was
dead, Max!" She managed to explain the entire situation to Max between
sobs.
Max sat down beside her on the
floor. "You should have told us, Lori. Logan and I would have helped
you get him out. You didn't have to do
this."
"I don't care if I die.
Life without Nick is worse than death...I just don't want you to end up like
him." Lori started crying
again.
Max hesitated. People
didn't go into hysterical crying fits around her very often, and she was
uncomfortable. "It's all right." Max whispered, finally putting an
arm around Loren's shaking shoulders. "We're going to get out of
here. I don't know how, yet. But, you, me, Logan, Nick, and that
little pervert son of yours are going to get out of here. Manticore hasn't
beaten me yet, do you think I'm going to let them start
now?"