Chapter 11

Authors Note: YAY Chap 11. After this, there may not be an update for a few weeks. See…I'm moving into University and I won't have time…but never fear I will finish.

All around the room, dancers twirled in an intricate pattern of dresses and suits. Men and women, all dressed in the colours of the conclave, danced in front of Max's eyes. She could feel the blood soaking through her jacket as she watched the dancers slash at Logan with their long knives. She screamed, but there was no sound.

"Quiet 452," said Ames, "Soon, you and I will be joined and then nothing will stop us."

"Logan," whispered Max, "Logan, I love you."

"Shut up," shouted Ames as he back-handed Max, "No one cares."

"I don't," said Frankie, appearing out of the side f the room, "I hate you Max. You abandoned us. You made them hurt me."

"I didn't mean to."

"I sure as hell could care less about you," said Trigs, "You're weak, 452. You let Tinga and Ben die."

"I'm sorry Trigs."

"I was Raped," said Dragon, "And it was by a guard brought into watch us after you ran."

"I couldn't help that."

"I sure don't care," said Finn, "I mean, you're not one of us, you were never one of us. How could we ever like you."

"Finn…"

"You were always so high and Mighty," added Cree, "You and Zack and Jondy. You thought you were the greatest thing in the world, just because you were a little faster and a little stronger. You weren't. We held back, not pushing ourselves. You were a nine year old burnout Max."

"I wasn't," said Max, the words of her siblings burning a whole in her heart.

"Don't listen to them Max," said a soft voice. Max looked around and saw that everyone was frozen. The cruel smiles were frozen on their faces, the insults like frost on their lips. The blurred images suddenly began to face away to reveal the barracks of Max's childhood.

"Who's there?" Max shouted, walking down the bunks. She could see the faces of a few children, none of which she knew. They were a little older than she was when she escaped, but they looked like X5's.

"Max?" said a voice. One of the children sat up, her eyes wide in terror. It was Mika, one of the X5's who didn't make it. She was about 14, her hair just growing out.

"Hush," said another voice. Max ran over and saw Frankie was looking angrily at the younger girl.

"It's not just her," said another soft voice. Max looked over to see Adam sit up and look around, "I heard her. Max was here."

"Hey," said Finn, "Where's Dragon."

"Get in there," shouted a cruel voice. The door banged open and in was thrown Dragon, the back of his pants seeped with blood.

"Again?" said Frankie, "No!"

"It's not fair," said Mika, "It's just not fair."

"Hush," said Jace, "Nothing WE can do about it."

"It's just not fair," said Mika, running to the window and up the pipe. Adam, thin and limber as she was, was out the window a split second later, followed by Trigs, then a still bleeding Dragon. Max was intrigued. She wasn't sure where she was, but something told her to follow. The world around her didn't seem like a dream anymore, more like a memory, like she was inside someone's memory.

"Mika," said Adam as she skittered up the pipe after her sister.

"Leave me alone," she said, removing a revolver from the back of her gown. Adam, Trigs and Dragon all recoiled as their placid sister held out the shining gun.

"Mika," said Dragon, "Do you really want to shoot us?"

"No," said Mika, turning the gun on herself.

"Stop that," said Adam, her eyes pleading for the life of her sister, "Mika this is crazy."

"No," she said, "Being raped is crazy. Outside they have rights, they have FREEDOMS! What do we have? Guards who rape little children."

"We're not children," said Trigs, "You gotta be ready for anything."

"See!" said Mika, her eyes welling up with tears, "See what I mean. She doesn't understand, they won't let her. We're people, not machines. They can't seem to understand that and I can't take it anymore!"

"No," said Trigs, "Please, Mika…don't do this…You don't wanna die."

"I do," she said, "That's the thing. I've just wanted to die for six years, Since the escape things have gone from bad to worse and I want out!"

"No," said Trigs, "No Mika, this is not right."

"It's fine," said Mika, raising the gun to her temple and firing.

"Back down, back down," screamed Trigs as Mika fell.

"Mika…" whimpered Dragon as he disappeared down the shaft. Max watched and Adam walked over and picked up Mika's head and cradled it in her arms, then picked up the gun and held it to her own head. Out of nowhere, a figure dressed in black walked out and took the gun from Adam's hands, dropping it to the ground. She looked at Max, then walked back to the shadows.

"The black one," said Max, following the darkened lady into the shadows as the tiny teenaged Adam ran back to the pipe and disappeared.

"She won't know who that was until later," said the voice, "She'll realize at about the age of nineteen that she herself is the Dark Lady."

"Adam," said Max, looking into the face of her sister. Adam was a striking girl with blond hair and clear blue eyes. Her blond hair was still cropped short to her face, but it was layered and made her look like a pixie. Her blue eyes still seemed to look into Max's soul, but the brightness was duller than Max remembered.

"Yeah," she said, "Welcome to my world."

"You're world? Where are we?"

"We're in your dream, but you're dreaming using my memory. You dream up some weird shit man," said Adam, smiling.

"Good to see you," said Max, walking forward and trying to give Adam and hug, but instead she seemed to pass right through her.

"You're in a dream. None of this is real."

"How?"

"You think this is hard? Not a chance," said Adam, "My brain was made to pick up and alter brainwaves."

"So this is my dream, but your memory has become my dream."

"It's all very scientific."

"I bet," said Max as Adam swished around in her large trench-coat and walked to the edge of the roof.

"So how is everyone?" asked Adam hesitantly.

"Fine," said Max, "Now that they know you're not dead."

"I wanted them to think that," said Adam, "But I couldn't."

"Why?"

"Look at Cree's wrist. He's been cutting himself again. I don't know if he would've lived with me dead."

"Where are you?"

"Underground," said Adam, "And that's where I'm going to stay, which is why I'm talking to you now."

"Why?"

"You know the whole 'Adam can't change the future' thing that Finn talks about."

"He mentioned it."

"It's shit," she said, "I can change the future through someone else. In this case, you."

"Me," said Max, "When did I become the responsible one?"

"When Sandeman made you," said Adam, "You know why this cult is only looking for you now?"

"Why?"

"Because my DNA was made to fool them till you were old enough. They knew I was an easy target and let me live as to not arouse suspicion. You're job was to grow and be strong, which you are. Now your destiny begins Max."

"Why? Why me?"

"Why was I cursed with future sight. No one knows why anything happens this way. Maybe Sandeman drew the number 452 out of a hat and made YOU the savior of Humanity."

"Savior?" said Max, "How?"

"I can't say," said Adam, looking back at her sister with her large scarred eyes.

"Why?"
"I just don't want to," said Adam, sitting down on the edge as the sounds of the guards storming onto the roof filled the air.

"Why?"
"You'll hear others say I'm gifted, but I'm not. This gift of mine is a curse cause I can't control what I see. Something's I see help me, but others…"

"Like what?"

"Ben…"

"You…You knew what he would become?" said Max, "Back then…You knew he was going to hurt people."

"I found out something about myself when I was thirteen. During a test it was revealed I was an experiment using fish DNA. The fish had pre-cognitive abilities. I had the abilities, I just didn't tell them. They said it would be a gift…"

"So you won't tell me."

"No," said Adam, "But there are other things you need to know."

"Like what?" said Max.

"When you fight Rose Willard tomorrow, you need to be the one to check to see if she's dead…and you need to lie."

"What?" said Max, "NO. That bitch killed 583."

"No…THAT was Thula," said Adam, "Rose was bluffing. Rose doesn't want to kill Trannies, she just doesn't want to be branded a traitor by the council."

"And why would she be worried."

"Let me show you something," said Adam, standing up and taking Max's hand in her own. Max felt Adam's fingers intertwine with her own like she had when she was young…and it made Max feel comfortable.

"What?" asked Max, looking around as suddenly Max was dragged from the roof of Manticore to the sewer where 583 died.

"One more step and she dies Max," said Rose Willard looking out with disgust at the assembled people. Her hand was outstretched in a simple gesture meaning get back to any trained soldier.

"Spot the problems Max," said Adam, standing back.

"What?"

"I'm not telling you what's going on, but if you figure it out…maybe I'll explain."

"Rose is a stupid bitch."

"What is wrong with this picture?" asked Adam, "THINK…Max."

"She called me Max. How would she know that was my name?"

"Righto," said Adam, "She's Ex-Manticore, like me. She's a Tranny hater, but she doesn't want us killed. She's the daughter of an X1."

"She's…on our side."

"Yeah. She's real good."

"So what?"

"Be prepared to be hated," said Adam, "Cause you're going to need to spare her."

"Spare her?"

"Yeah. You're going to check her pulse and Lie."

"She had a hand in 583's death."

"She knew what she was getting into when she joined me," said Adam, "I told Duke that she could die. She knew it and still she went. She said she was sorry not to you, but to me."

"You were there?"

"Yeah," said Adam, "I was there."

"Where."

"Don't look for me," said Adam, "It's complicated."

"Fine," said Max, "So after I spare this Rose Willard are you coming home?"

"No," said Adam, "I don't have a home anymore."

"You're brothers and sisters miss you."

"And I miss them, but things are just plain complicated. If I come home now…I speed up the coming."

"The coming? The thing the conclave??"

"No," said Adam, "The coming of something bad, something really bad that has little to do with the conclave."

"What happens?"

"No Max, I don't want you involved anymore than you're going to be."

"I deserve to know how I'm involved," said Max, "All this 'I can see the future and tell you only what I see fit' isn't good. I'm involved in all this, and from what I can tell from your cryptic speech, I'm in this waist deep and I don't even know it."

"Max," said Adam, "My job is to protect you from a future that I don't understand. I'm not about to show you this and make you paranoid. Something similar could happen and major badness would happen."

"Listen," said Max, "I'm a big girl now. I don't need you protecting me."

"Like hell you don't," said Adam, "I saved your ass time and time again with my abilities. Who told Zack you and Tinga were in trouble? That was me. Who sent Lydecker on the wrong trail so you'd have enough time to escape after killing Ben? Me. Who told you they were coming? ME! I did. My and my own little freakish powers."

"You've changed," said Max, "You used to be so timid and shy. You never spoke and when you did Jondy and I had to strain our super-sensitive hearing to catch a few words."

"I've been through a lot," said Adam, "And I'm beginning to wonder if any of the powers I had were given to me by Manticore, or if I was just doomed before I was born."

"Don't think like that."

"You really wanna know what the Coming I talk about it?"

"Yeah."

"Be prepared," said Adam, waving her hand to reveal a scene of Carnage. Trigs, Frankie and Cree were laying on the floor writhing in agony, Frankie's hand reaching out to her screaming lover. Four figures, three of them male and one of them obviously female were standing to the back, each holding a gun in one hand as another figure, this one not obviously male or female was laying on the floor being held by another figure.

"My god."

"I know," said Adam, "And it gets worse."

"How?" asked Max, looking around until she saw Cindy, Logan and Sketchy all laying on the floor already dead.

"The Coming," said Adam quietly, "The coming of the end of my world."

"Do Frankie Cree and Trigs make it?"

"Don't know," said Adam, "I don't even know if this future is going to happen."

"You don't know? You see the future."

"No. I see the most likely thing to happen in the future, not the thing that's going to happen."

"Who are the figures?"

"I don't know," said Adam as the scene froze around her, "I only know the female one is you."

"That's me?"

"As far as I can tell, I know who the six are…I think."

"Who?"
"Well, the girl is you. And I'm assuming I'm in here somewhere. That leaves four. Finn, Dragon and Alec are nowhere to be found, as is Cory."

"Cory?"

"You'll meet him soon," said Adam, "I don't know exactly what happens, but the person on the floor is the shooter. I think he or she went nuts and killed everyone."

"This is bad," said Max, "But why is this the end of…"

"You understand," said Adam, "That my mind is fragile. With all the strain on it, the doctors said that it's a wonder I haven't already gone insane. I think I might end up the shooter."

"Fight it," said Max, "You can change the future."'

"No," said Adam, "If I go nuts this will seem like a reasonable thing to do. Ben thought he was doing the right thing."

"No," said Max, "This isn't right."

"As far as I can tell, the shooter bursts in, shoots Logan, Cindy and Sketchy, then turns the gun on Trigs, Cree and Frankie. I think the shots get fired off after someone shoots the shooter in the back, so they're off their mark. That means that the person on the floor is comforting the shooter as they die. I think that would likely be Dragon if I'm shot."

"Does the shooter die?"

"Yeah," said Adam, "Yeah they do."

"Adam," said Max.

"Listen to me," said Adam, "You can change this too you know. When the shooter bursts in, raise your gun and shoot to kill."

"I don't carry a gun."

"Start," said Adam, "Else this happens."

"No," said Max, "Not after Eva."

"I was there too and pick up a gun everyday."

"So?" said Max.

"Don't be such a little baby," said Adam, "You're the only one who can stop this."

"Alec, Dragon, Finn or this Cory could shoot you."

"No," said Adam, "None of them could raise a gun to me. They love me too much. I support them. You, you barely know me."

"We're sisters."

"Then you won't let me do this," said Adam.

"Is this right," said Max, "You see the future and decided to tell me about it to change it."

"I'm not showing you this," said Adam, "This is in your mind."

"What?"

"Member I told you about the DNA thing how it made me look like one who could stop them, well the ability to see the future comes with the package. Get used to this Max, cause there will be things you'll want to change."

"I have to deal with this?" said Max.

"Remember," said Adam as she stepped back towards the shadows, "Rose Willard must live."

"What?"
"Max!"

"Adam come back here!"

"MAX!"

"NO! GET BACK HERE! DON'T TELL ME I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SHOOT YOU THEN RUN!"

"MAX GET UP!"

"ADAM!"

*+*+*

"Max," said Finn, shaking Max awake, "Max it's all just a bad dream."

"What?" said Max, looking around the room where she had fallen asleep.

"You were screaming about Adam."

"She was in my dream," said Max.

"She tends to do that," said Finn, "It's her thing. She talked to me a few nights ago."

"She does it a lot?"

"She's in deep cover."

"Right."

"What time is it."

"Time to cause a world of Hurt to Rose and get Brin back."