The solider walked down the cold gray halls, heading to the director's office. He knocked shortly on the door.

"Enter!" a harsh voice snapped.

"Ma'am, 494 reporting." He replied quickly as soon as he had entered the room.

"494, you've been briefed on your mission at this point?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Summarize."

"Yes, ma'am. I am to track down and capture the X5s in their collective residence in Canada. We're positive this house is the correct one. I am to appear to be 493, Ben, who we've eliminated, ma'am."

"Good, 494. Who was 'Ben'?"

"Ben. X5-493, considered a brother of the group, ma'am." He spit out the word brother as if it burned his tongue. "According to recovered security tapes, ma'am, and interrogation pre-elimination he was found often amusing the females of his group with frivolous stories and hand shadows, ma'am."

"Names of escapees?" Madam Renfro began to pace.

"Max, Tinga, Syl, Jondy, Brin, Krit, Zane, ma'am."

"All escapees, not just those living in known house."

"Zack, died in escape, revived and put into permanent psy-ops care. Ben, re-captured and terminated. Jake, Lauren, and Becca: killed in escape."

"Good, 494. Report to room 69 for editing of your barcode."

"Yes, ma'am. Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"

"Denied, 494. Dismissed."

He spun on his heel and walked briskly out of the room, not giving it a second thought.

***

She let out an indignant high-pitched scream, falling back to lie on the floor.

"Damn it! Why do you always—oomph." She was cut off as the source of her annoyance sat on her stomach.

A guy looked in, wearing just his boxers. "Come on, you guys… it's 3 in the morning. The rest of us need to sleep, you know."

"Oh, come on yourself, Krit," Max teased. "Your coffee addiction makes up for our shark DNA… stop moving!" she cried as the other girl adjusted herself. "Get up!"

Krit peered closer at the two. "Tinga?" he asked, sleepy and confused. "Why are you sitting on Max?"

Tinga grinned and scooted up, readjusting her black tank top and shorts as she waved her control in the air. "Because I'm triumphant! I beat her!"

That got Krit's more competitive nature going. "You know I can kick both your skinny butts."

Max coughed and attempted to sit up. "Speaking of skinny butts, I'm in serious pain here. Krit, will you get bony-butt off me? Then we can do a three way version."

Krit grabbed Tinga's hand and hauled her off Max. Max grabbed her controller, smoothed down her oversized t-shirt and settled back into her original position; Krit grabbed another off the floor and sat next to her; Tinga settled with her head in his lap, still triumphantly holding her original controller.

While the other 4 X5s slept, three of them sat around in a room lit only by the dim light of the TV, watching their computer-animated cars zoom around the track.

A couple hours later, Krit moaned. "It's just cause I'm tired." He yawned and curled up on the floor. The sun was rising outside, and Max was getting antsy. Tinga had ran out half an hour ago, ranting about finding her bike and going for a ride. Max smiled as she lifted herself off the floor, fully intent on hitting the basement for a workout.

She jogged down the stairs into the kitchen, grabbing a chocolate doughnut on her way to the basement.  She slipped inside another narrow hallway. Max pulled the door closed behind her and let her eyes quickly adjust to the darkness. She ran lightly down yet another long flight of stairs and emerged into a large room. Reaching up to flip the switch on, an enormous basement was illuminated by many bare bulbs.

The walls were padded, the floor covered in chalk and scattered with weights and equipment. There was a dugout in the garage, right next to the basement, where they had a small area for keeping junk. The basement was solely for fighting.

Max stretched, humming to herself. She walked over to the wall, and pulled open a box that looked like a generator control. Inside was a small control panel—Max flicked two switches, twiddled a knob, and hit a third button. Max groaned as Zane's Grateful Dead CD began, quickly popping it out and putting in her own mix. Rock began to play as she started to smile and nod her head.

Resuming her stretches, she quickly finished and ran around the large room; once, twice, three times… she began to loose count. She just kept running, letting loose all her energy.