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Generation X [Two]
"New Mission"
by Stefanie
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Jordan was waiting in one of Manticore's briefing rooms for Renfro, Manticore's director.

'And she can't even be on time. What a surprise,' she thought sarcastically.

The door opened, and she snapped to attention. But it wasn't Renfro that entered.

"Colonel Lydecker," she said.

"At ease soldier." Jordan relaxed slightly. "I trust your mission was a success?"

She allowed herself a small smile. "Yes, sir. The house should be burnt to cinders by now, sir, taking Haroldson with it."

"Very good, 989..." he stopped when Renfro walked through the door.

"Deck?" Renfro asked, surprised to see him in the room. "What are you doing here?"

Lydecker's voice clearly displayed his dislike for the director. "X-5/989 had just been de-briefing me on her mission. She's been waiting for you for over an hour, and my kids get…impatient. And when they're impatient, they break things." He paused, looking out one of the barred windows. "Besides, I'm going to need her within the next few days to run an errand for me." With that, he walked out the door.

Renfro got in Jordan's face. "Did you tell him anything about the mission?"

"No, ma'am." Good thing she was able to hide feelings and emotions, otherwise her looks would kill.

"Good, because that could jeopardize everything." She turned and walked away, then turned back again. "As soon as he tells you what he wants you to do, I want you to come and tell me immediately, is that clear 989?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Renfro stared at Jordan's blank, soldier-like face. "You're still loyal to me, 989. You're the best of my soldiers; perhaps the best soldier at Manticore. Don't disappoint me. Dismissed."

Jordan stood to attention, and left.

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'm going to let you in on a little secret about Manticore's genetic creations.

We may be the smartest, fastest, strongest, deadliest soldiers in the world - but it doesn't make us perfect. After the '09 escape, Manticore lost some of it's rigidness. And now that most of the X5 series were in their late teens, early twenties, and not considered risks, they got free reign of the Manticore barracks.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

-------

Jordan sat down across from 445, 777, 658, and 657. It was a reunion of the girls of X5 unit 4.

"Hey," 445 said, "word is that you and 494 went down while you were in Seattle."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and I also brought back the plague, killed a thousand children, and worked the clubs."

657 and 658, the twins of unit 4, raised their eyebrows. "You sure?"

"I mean, it's not like we'd tell anyone," 777 added.

"You know what I think?" Jordan said, leaning forward. "I think we should rename our unit from Unit 4 to Gossip Queens."

They all stared at her. "I resent that, 989," 658 said.

"Yeah, well, I resent having to wait over an hour for a debriefing session, then having to come here and deal with this kind of crap."

"I think you spent way too much time in Common Verbal Usage," 445 said, crossing her arms. "You talk too freely here, and one day one of the TAC leaders, or the director, or even Colonel Lydecker, are going to hear, and are going to send you to psych ops."

"I'm surprised they haven't already," 658 muttered.


"Oooh, I'm scared," Jordan said her voice hard. "Now, listen up. You are *my* team. I am in charge - or did you all forget that small fact? If you'd like, I'll pull rank. Now I'm going to ask that you all show a little respect or I'm going to report your sorry Asses. Is that clear, soldiers?"

"Yes, ma'am." The other 4 female X5s knew they'd overstepped the border. Jordan hardly every pulled rank on them.

--------

Renfro sat at her desk, watching Lydecker like a hawk watches its prey. "Deck, I've heard some rumors about two of your kids who were in Seattle on separate missions.'

'Here it comes,' Lydecker thought.

"It seem they were together for an entire night. Now, I don't know what your kids are playing at, but they were on separate missions."

Sighing, he replied, "And which two would they be?"

"989 and 494."

"And has anyone confirmed that?"

"I intend on querying them both as soon as 494 returns from his mission..."

"How much attention are you paying around here, lately?" Lydecker asked her. "You kept 989 waiting for an hour earlier. Would it surprise you if I told you that 494 arrived not long ago? *And* he did present himself."

Renfro shot him a death look, and called in one of the X5 TAC leaders. "Bring X-5/989 and X-5/494 here."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Why are you making such a big deal about this?" Lydecker asked her. "You have no problems with any of the other X5s."

"X-5/989, in case you hadn't noticed, is the one of the best soldiers Manticore has created. Faster, stronger, smarter - she can take out the damn X7s, which we didn't think she'd be able to. I don't want her falling pregnant. She's too important to have to take leave because of it."

"I thought you'd be pleased with the prospect of having a second-generation X5..."

Renfro stood up from her desk, her eyes shooting daggers. "Deck," she said, her tone low and dangerous. "I want her available for every mission. Understood?"

"Understood," Lydecker said. He moved towards one of the corners and sat down on a chair. "If you don't mind, Director, I'd like to hear what my kids have to say for themselves."

After a few minutes, the TAC leader walked in with both 494 and Jordan, who both stood at attention.

"I've heard some worrying rumors floating around here about you two," Renfro said, pacing in front of them. "But I'd like to hear what you have to say about it." She looked at 494.

"Rumors, ma'am?" he queried, his voice all soldier.

"Yes," she said. "X-5/494, what were your movements for the past twenty-four hours?"

494 looked slightly uncomfortable, and the room was full of tension. Lydecker spoke up, "At ease, soldiers." With that, the two of them relaxed.

"I followed the target, to and from work in sector nine, observing him, and planning my attack. Attack was executed three hours ago, ma'am," 494 said, with moving his eyes from where they were staring in front of him.

Renfro stood in front of Jordan. "And you, 989?"

"When I was first deployed, target was not present at her home. I queried some neighbours, but was unable to locate her. I staked out an apartment across from her house in sector three, and waited until she returned. When you contacted me this morning, target had not yet returned. She did so about half an hour later. Attack was executed an hour after that, ma'am." Jordan kept her eyes averted from Renfro.

"See, Director," Lydecker said. "My kids are good soldiers." He looked at them. "Did either of you two have anything else to add?"

"No, sir." Jordan and 494 stood at attention again.

"989, come with me please," Lydecker said to Jordan, looking smugly at Renfro.

"Yes, sir."

494 gave Jordan a slight smile that both Renfro and Lydecker missed. They also missed his indication to meet him later.

-------

"I'm sorry about all that, Jordan," Lydecker said when they were in his office.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Go ahead."

"What the hell is going on here?" she asked, her tone impatient.

He chuckled. "If you should happen to escape, I'm sure you'd fit in straight away with the outside world. You're different from all the others."

"I'm glad you noticed," she said, before she realised what she'd said. "I'm sorry, sir. I was out of line."

They were both silent for a moment, before Lydecker said, "The truth."

Jordan looked confused. "The truth?"

"About you and 494."

She snapped her head around. "What about us?"

Lydecker waved a dismissive hand. "Was Renfro right about the rumors?"

"Of course she was right about there being rumors. My own unit was asking me about them."

"You're avoiding the question."

"Forgive me, sir, but I answered you question," Jordan said sweetly, fully knowing where this was headed.

Lydecker sighed. Jordan may have been Manticore's best soldier, but she was stubborn, and evasive at the worst of times. "I meant to say were the rumors true, or not."

"What do you want me to say, sir. You heard our replies." She could out-stubborn him, she was sure of it.

"I guess that means that you lied to her?" Lydecker asked Jordan, turning to face her.

Silence.

"I'm taking you out of Manticore."

"WHAT!" Jumbled thoughts ran through her mind. "I thought you said you had a mission for me?" Uh-oh, she was *definitely* panicking.

"This is your mission," Lydecker said, in an irritatingly-calm voice.

"Oh, good, so you mean it's only temporarily?" 'Calm down,' she told herself.

'For as long as it takes,' Lydecker said in his head. "I don't know how long you'll be out of Manticore," he admitted. "Think of it as a recon mission. I want you to integrate yourself into the Seattle population."

"How? And what for?"

"You're a good soldier, Jordan. You ask the right questions," Lydecker complimented her. He stopped the car. "I want you to integrate yourself into Seattle's community. You're a reporter who's moved there for a big break. This job allows you to have a sector pass, though, if you find something else that you like, go for it. A smaller part of your mission is to identify and observe

X-5/452." He handed Jordan a mobile. "When I need to talk to you, I'll call you on that phone. It's a scrambled cell."

"Sir, what is this all about?" Jordan asked, certain that he wasn't telling her everything.

"Let's just say, I don't want you to get involved in any more of Renfro's games at Manticore." He started the car up again. "I've organised an apartment for you, as well as transportation."

Jordan nodded numbly. "Sir, permission to speak freely?" she asked quietly.

"Go ahead, you always do."

"Why am I treated differently?" She looked up and stared him in the eyes. "I don't mean to be impertinent, sir, but I wasn't trained like the others, was I?

Lydecker considered her question, chin resting on his hand. "No. To be truthful, Jordan, you weren't. You were the last X-5 created, and we wanted to try out a different tactic in training you, to see how you compared to the others. I was strongly against it at first, but the results were astounding." He motioned for her to sit in the chair across from him. "I've been softer on you, part of the agreement of the testing. It is very hard to make one of our soldiers angry, nervous, or to feel anything else – that is, every soldier with the exception of you and 494, but his reason is different.

"Jordan, you get angry easily, and occasionally upset and quiet like you are now. All the trainers we told not to be as strict with you – and they weren't, which is why no one ever picks you up for insubordinance."

Trying to hide the frustration growing within her, Jordan kept a blank face, trying to prove Lydecker wrong. She was a good soldier. "Why?"

"As I was saying, when you get angry, you have a tendency to react the way a normal human would – you lash out. The others were trained not to do that. And your anger makes you stronger – you are virtually unstoppable when you're angry. You must remember all the times you critically injured opponents in training exercises."

"I asked you why?"

"I don't know why!" Lydecker stood. "The director at the time ordered it. Now Renfro wants you as her own personal assassin. That's why you have this assignment!" The conversation was over.

Jordan stood, saluted, and turned to leave. "Sir," she asked turning to face him, "could you authorize me a night pass. There's someone I need to talk to." She kept her face neutral, her emotions in check.

She waited while he wrote it out. 


-------

Cold, dark and damp – the best words to describe Manticore at night. Self-consciously, Jordan shivered in her light uniform. Conscious of the guards that saw her, she flashed her pass and continued towards 494's quarters.

Inwardly she was screaming. Outwardly, she looked like the Ice Princess, ready to snap at the next person she saw. The guards all knew her, knew her reputation, knew she was dangerous, and if what Lydecker had said was correct, knew to let her do whatever she wanted. They left her alone. Plus, they were all on 494's payroll and would keep their mouths shut no matter what they saw or heard.

"Open the door," she said softly when she reached his cell. She heard the almost inaudible footsteps as he covered the distance from his cot to the door. It opened and she slipped in, feeling his eyes watching her as she moved. Night vision had its advantages.

Suddenly, she was back against the wall, 494's mouth on top of hers.

Mind reeling from shock, "Simon," rolled off her tongue.

A stinging slap. She punched him back.

"I'm sorry, 494," she whispered, barely audible to a normal person, loud and clear to an X-5. Regretting ever coming here, she stepped back from the wall, and reached for the cell door.

"You're leaving."

"Please, don't even pretend you care, 494," she replied bitterly. Something in her snapped. "I'm not Rachel, Simon. And I never will be. And I can't believe how stupid I was for believing that you knew the difference, that you might actually care."

Roughly he pulled her away from the door, angry and shocked at what she had said. "You're right. You're not Rachel. But I know the difference."

"Do you?" Standing straight she was only two inches shorter than he was. "I'm leaving. Guess you were right, we won't be in town at the same time anymore. No more games. I was there for you after that little re-indoctrination episode last year, in case you didn't remember."

"What do you mean you're leaving? You make it sound like you're never coming back." He gripped her arm firmly and pulled her down next to him on the cot.

"I don't want to come back." A tear started sliding down her cheek. "I'm different, and they all knew it – they encouraged it. I don't know who I am." She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes.