Following The Footsteps
Chapter Four - back from the dead
Fifteen years after Xin Ru Si Hui, Max and Zack's daughter goes off on an adventure of her own, and finds out some startling news.
~~
"Jondy?"
"That would be my name. Come in here Jonay, so I can talk to you. Oh and Dom's on his way back now Krit, he should be here in about five minutes."
"Thanks Jondy." Krit replied.
Jonay got up from the couch and walked over to the room that Jondy had walked back into. It was a bedroom, but the bed didn't look like it had ever been slept in. Jondy was sitting on the windowsill on the opposite side of the room, looking out of the window.
"Come in Jonay. You don't need to be afraid of me."
"But you died. You threw yourself off the Space Needle 15 years ago. My mum saw your body. You're supposed to be dead!"
"I did throw myself off the Space Needle, but it didn't kill me. It just threw me into an extremely deep coma, and the coroner didn't realize that I was actually alive. And when Maxie came to see me, she was too shocked by grief that she didn't notice either. I can hardly blame her for not noticing though. She'd had a rough couple of days."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, first there was the wanted poster, framing her for a murder she didn't commit, so she had to get out of Seattle. Zack helped her with that. Then her friend Logan was sick, and she had to go help him. But she got caught, Zack gave himself up to the police and was taken back to Manticore, and then Logan died. Then she thought that Zack had died too, and was really upset about that, because Zack had just told her that he loved her. But Zack came back, and they left. Then I threw myself off the Space Needle."
"Why?"
"Why? I know why, but I'm not about to tell you. You should never have to know why."
"Why not."
"Because. I don't think you should."
"You loved him."
"What?"
"You loved Zack. That's why you did it."
"No. That's not..."
"Don't deny it Jondy. It's the truth isn't it? You still do love him."
"How... You don't know that, you can't."
"I can and do. It's obvious."
"Who told you?"
"No one had to tell me. I figured it out myself. Don't worry Jondy, I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"But... how? How do you know?"
"I don't know. I just know that you do."
"You promise you won't tell anyone?"
"I promise Jondy. Now, can you please answer some of my questions?"
"That depends on what you want to know."
"How do you know so much about me? I mean you know my name, where I live, where I go to school and even where my locker is. How?"
"I have been watching you. I was there on the day that you were born, two months and nine days early. You were so tiny, and you weren't moving. Maxie held you against her chest, thinking you were dead. You didn't make a sound until ten minutes later when your twin was born. Then you screamed your lungs out."
"I have a twin? Where is he or she? Are they dead or something? And why hasn't mum or dad told me anything about them?"
"Your twin's name is Regan. She's alive, but she was taken away from Maxie when she was only two days old. The doctor said she had breathing problems, and that he was going to put her onto a breathing apparatus. The next day the doctor said she was dead, but Maxie never got to see the body. All she saw was the body bag."
"But if the doctor said she was dead, then how is she alive?"
"Because Manticore took her. They paid the doctor a lot of money for her too. If only Doctor Carr had been available. He wouldn't have let that happen."
"What is this Manticore place that you and Krit keep going on about?"
"Manticore? It's the hellhole that made us. The place that we keep trying to stay out of. The place where nightmares are made. That's what Manticore is."
"Made. What do you mean made?"
"So I see that Zack and Max haven't told you anything about our past, have they? No, I didn't think so. Go over to that mirror and lift your hair. Good. That barcode that you see, the one that says 33015994520210, that is a Manticore barcode. Did you know that your parents have barcodes just like that on the back of their necks?"
"They do? What do theirs say?"
"Maxie's is 332960073452, and Zack's is 330417291599."
"452, and 599. That's part of my barcode. And so is the 33 part. Do you know why?"
"Yes. All Manticore barcode start with 33. Then the 01 is your birth order. Your sister Regan would have 02. Then it's your fathers designation, your mothers designation and then your own designation."
"But my designation. It's...it's yours too."
"Yes 0210 is the last part of my barcode too. I don't really know what it means, but haven't you noticed that you don't really look like Max or Zack. I mean you have long straight blonde hair, not to mention the purple tips in it, and light blue eyes. Max has dark brown hair and brown eyes. Zack has light brown hair and dark blue eyes. Plus Maxie and Zack both have curly hair, and yours is dead straight, even when it's short."
"I know that. Mum said that I looked kind of like... Oh my god. I look just like you, and I have your designation. What's that mean?"
"I don't know Jonay. I would like to find out though."
"What does my twin sister look like?"
"Regan? I don't really know. I only saw her when she was born, but I do know that she has Maxie's brown eyes."
"What else do you know about her, or me for that matter."
"I know nothing else about Regan, but I know more about you that you know about yourself."
"How?"
"I told you, I've been watching over you for most of your life. I saw you when you were born, when you were taken home, your first day of school, your first date, you finding the note, and everything in between. I made a promise once, and I kept it."
"What was the promise?"
"When Maxie and I were younger, we made a promise to each other. We promised that if we ever had a family, and the family was in danger, then we would look out for them."
"But our family isn't in danger, are we?"
"You are in danger simply by living. You are the first born daughter of two transgenics, and Manticore is after you. They are after all of us who escaped, and all of our families."
"Trans-what? And what escape?"
"Sit down Jonay, and I'll tell you a story."
"A story. But I asked you to tell me about the trans-things."
'And that's what I'm about to do. Tell you our story. So sit down."
Jonay sat down on the floor in front of Jondy, and listened as she told her the story of the X-5's. Jondy told her about everything from her very first memory, to the escape and all that happened after. Just after she finished telling Jonay about Lydecker and Manticore, Jonay fell asleep.
Jondy picked her up, and placed her in the bed. She pulled the blanket up to cover her, and then sat down at the windowsill to watch over her.
~~
So. What do you think? Do you think the twin thing was a bit too much? Should I keep going with Regan, or should I drop it?
Please review.
Chapter Four - back from the dead
Fifteen years after Xin Ru Si Hui, Max and Zack's daughter goes off on an adventure of her own, and finds out some startling news.
~~
"Jondy?"
"That would be my name. Come in here Jonay, so I can talk to you. Oh and Dom's on his way back now Krit, he should be here in about five minutes."
"Thanks Jondy." Krit replied.
Jonay got up from the couch and walked over to the room that Jondy had walked back into. It was a bedroom, but the bed didn't look like it had ever been slept in. Jondy was sitting on the windowsill on the opposite side of the room, looking out of the window.
"Come in Jonay. You don't need to be afraid of me."
"But you died. You threw yourself off the Space Needle 15 years ago. My mum saw your body. You're supposed to be dead!"
"I did throw myself off the Space Needle, but it didn't kill me. It just threw me into an extremely deep coma, and the coroner didn't realize that I was actually alive. And when Maxie came to see me, she was too shocked by grief that she didn't notice either. I can hardly blame her for not noticing though. She'd had a rough couple of days."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, first there was the wanted poster, framing her for a murder she didn't commit, so she had to get out of Seattle. Zack helped her with that. Then her friend Logan was sick, and she had to go help him. But she got caught, Zack gave himself up to the police and was taken back to Manticore, and then Logan died. Then she thought that Zack had died too, and was really upset about that, because Zack had just told her that he loved her. But Zack came back, and they left. Then I threw myself off the Space Needle."
"Why?"
"Why? I know why, but I'm not about to tell you. You should never have to know why."
"Why not."
"Because. I don't think you should."
"You loved him."
"What?"
"You loved Zack. That's why you did it."
"No. That's not..."
"Don't deny it Jondy. It's the truth isn't it? You still do love him."
"How... You don't know that, you can't."
"I can and do. It's obvious."
"Who told you?"
"No one had to tell me. I figured it out myself. Don't worry Jondy, I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"But... how? How do you know?"
"I don't know. I just know that you do."
"You promise you won't tell anyone?"
"I promise Jondy. Now, can you please answer some of my questions?"
"That depends on what you want to know."
"How do you know so much about me? I mean you know my name, where I live, where I go to school and even where my locker is. How?"
"I have been watching you. I was there on the day that you were born, two months and nine days early. You were so tiny, and you weren't moving. Maxie held you against her chest, thinking you were dead. You didn't make a sound until ten minutes later when your twin was born. Then you screamed your lungs out."
"I have a twin? Where is he or she? Are they dead or something? And why hasn't mum or dad told me anything about them?"
"Your twin's name is Regan. She's alive, but she was taken away from Maxie when she was only two days old. The doctor said she had breathing problems, and that he was going to put her onto a breathing apparatus. The next day the doctor said she was dead, but Maxie never got to see the body. All she saw was the body bag."
"But if the doctor said she was dead, then how is she alive?"
"Because Manticore took her. They paid the doctor a lot of money for her too. If only Doctor Carr had been available. He wouldn't have let that happen."
"What is this Manticore place that you and Krit keep going on about?"
"Manticore? It's the hellhole that made us. The place that we keep trying to stay out of. The place where nightmares are made. That's what Manticore is."
"Made. What do you mean made?"
"So I see that Zack and Max haven't told you anything about our past, have they? No, I didn't think so. Go over to that mirror and lift your hair. Good. That barcode that you see, the one that says 33015994520210, that is a Manticore barcode. Did you know that your parents have barcodes just like that on the back of their necks?"
"They do? What do theirs say?"
"Maxie's is 332960073452, and Zack's is 330417291599."
"452, and 599. That's part of my barcode. And so is the 33 part. Do you know why?"
"Yes. All Manticore barcode start with 33. Then the 01 is your birth order. Your sister Regan would have 02. Then it's your fathers designation, your mothers designation and then your own designation."
"But my designation. It's...it's yours too."
"Yes 0210 is the last part of my barcode too. I don't really know what it means, but haven't you noticed that you don't really look like Max or Zack. I mean you have long straight blonde hair, not to mention the purple tips in it, and light blue eyes. Max has dark brown hair and brown eyes. Zack has light brown hair and dark blue eyes. Plus Maxie and Zack both have curly hair, and yours is dead straight, even when it's short."
"I know that. Mum said that I looked kind of like... Oh my god. I look just like you, and I have your designation. What's that mean?"
"I don't know Jonay. I would like to find out though."
"What does my twin sister look like?"
"Regan? I don't really know. I only saw her when she was born, but I do know that she has Maxie's brown eyes."
"What else do you know about her, or me for that matter."
"I know nothing else about Regan, but I know more about you that you know about yourself."
"How?"
"I told you, I've been watching over you for most of your life. I saw you when you were born, when you were taken home, your first day of school, your first date, you finding the note, and everything in between. I made a promise once, and I kept it."
"What was the promise?"
"When Maxie and I were younger, we made a promise to each other. We promised that if we ever had a family, and the family was in danger, then we would look out for them."
"But our family isn't in danger, are we?"
"You are in danger simply by living. You are the first born daughter of two transgenics, and Manticore is after you. They are after all of us who escaped, and all of our families."
"Trans-what? And what escape?"
"Sit down Jonay, and I'll tell you a story."
"A story. But I asked you to tell me about the trans-things."
'And that's what I'm about to do. Tell you our story. So sit down."
Jonay sat down on the floor in front of Jondy, and listened as she told her the story of the X-5's. Jondy told her about everything from her very first memory, to the escape and all that happened after. Just after she finished telling Jonay about Lydecker and Manticore, Jonay fell asleep.
Jondy picked her up, and placed her in the bed. She pulled the blanket up to cover her, and then sat down at the windowsill to watch over her.
~~
So. What do you think? Do you think the twin thing was a bit too much? Should I keep going with Regan, or should I drop it?
Please review.