Chapter 20: The Hunt
X-7's ASSEMBLE!"
Max shouted. Quick as could be the X-7's arranged themselves in a line. Today was the day the X-7's were going to work on a cadaver. Or soon to be cadaver. Max shook the feeling off of her like an unwanted chill. She could still remember the time when her group did this. Only when her group did it, something went terribly wrong that only her and the other X-5's could ever understand. She pushed the memory aside.
"X-7's YOU ARE NOW READY FOR YOUR FIRST TIME TRIAL ON COURSE 6. ARE YOU READY?"
"YES SOLDIER X5-452!"
Turning a door that led into Manticore. She said through an intercome,
"They are ready. Bring out the cadaver."
Max prepared the artillery display as the X-7's waited in silence. She heard the door open and four figures came out. Two were gaurds that Max did not know by name, and the other two she knew by heart. Renfro, and.
"Cindy?" Max asked in a quiet voice that only the X-7's would be able to hear. Cindy was being brought out side by the two gaurds. With Renfro in the lead. Then it all clicked in Max's mind. This was a test. A test to see how loyal Max was to Manticore. If Max could kill Cindy then she passed, but if she didn't. Max didn't want to think of what would happen to her. She had to think of a plan. Finaly she decided she would just have to make it up as she went along. Max, now finished with her display, started to pace infront of the X-7's.
"SOLDIERS ASSEMBLE!"
The sound of feet coming together was heard. Out of the corner of her eye Max could see Cindy watching in puzzlement and wonder. Max knew Cindy had no idea what she was here for.
"SOLDIERS, HERE IS WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. THIS SOON TO BE CADAVER WILL BE LET LOOSE. SHE WILL HAVE HER CHOICE OF WEAPON. YOU WILL HAVE NONE. TREAT HER AS YOU WOULD TREAT A SOLDIER THAT HAS GONE ASTRAY. YOU WILL HUNT HER DOWN AFTER HER 30 SECOND START. YOU MUST FIND HER, AND DESTROY HER. THAT IS YOUR OBJECTIVE. IT MUST BE AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE. CERTAIN DISIPLINARY ACTIONS WILL BE TAKEN FOR EVERY SPOT OF BLOOD THAT IS FOUND. DO YOU UNDERSTAND X-7S?!"
"YES SOLDEIR X-5452!"
"HOWEVER, IF THE 'TRAITOR' REACHES THE PERMITER, YOU ARE NOT TO DESTROY. YOU ARE TO COME BACK TO BASE IMMEDIATELY. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!"
"YES X-5452!"
Max walked towards Cindy. Max then escorted her friend to the artiliery display. Max told Cindy.
"Choose your weapon."
"Max. wh."
"Choose your weapon cedaver or you will become one sooner than is to be expected." Max could feel Cindy's fear. It was Max's cat instinct that told her that Cindy was frightened and merely putting on a badd ass look. Max almost winced when she saw that Cindy was about to go for the biggest gun in the case. Max stopped her with a few words.
"Do not underestimate these soldiers. You will have to run more than shoot."
Cindy took the hint and grabbed the smallest hand gun she could find. Cindy nodded and turned towards the woods. Cindy crouched down ready to run on Max's count.
"GO!"
Cindy took off down the hill. It was day time so it was easy to see where she was headed. Max turned to the X-7's and proceeded to count.
".24.23.22.21.20."
Max continued to think. She could not see where Cindy was headed but a horrible feeling told her it was in the wrong direction.
".9.8.7.6.5.4.2.1.GO!"
At the sound of her voice, the X-7's took off running at full speed. Max watched them run and smiled. It was a fake one, but hopefully a beleivable one. Max tried to make her face look as if she was proud to be a soldier and proud to watch her troops doing so well. And they were doing well! They started to spread out and branch off. Just as they were trained. But Max, when enhancing her vision, could see that they soon grouped together. They were hunting like a pack. Max knew it to. She knew that if they continued to go the way they were going, that Cindy wouldn't make it. She glanced at Renfro, noticing that she wasn'r looking, Now! Her mind told her as she took off. Their plan was in motion. Max took off. She ran as fast as her body would allow. She could hear the alarm go off at the base and Renfros angry shouts. She could hear the 'ping' of bullets hitting surrounding rocks. Max kept running.
She was soon on the trail of Cindy. A mud slick here and a broken branch there indicated that Cindy was getting tired and clumsy now. Max kept running. She hadn't even broken a sweat yet. There was no sign of the X- 7's.Yet. Although Max knew that this could be because of one or two things, either they hadn't caught on to Cindy or they were doing better than Max expected. She continued to run. She soon spotted more broken twigs. Running over a hill she spotted Cindy sitting down by a creek. She was exhausted Max could see. She ran over. Cindy startled by Max's sudden arrival raised her gun and aimed, Max was faster though. She ran over and kicked the gun out of Cindy's hand. And handed it back to her.
"Chill!" Max whispered glancing around. She sensed one of the X-7's closing in.
"Max? Damn girl you scared the hell out of me!"Cindy whispered back.
Max rolled her eyes and asked her in another hushed voice, "Girl, can you run anymore? Never mind. Don't answer aloud. If you can just nodd your head. Girl you were going in the wrong direction. This brings you out to a dirt road and some trees. You should have gone north, it would have brought you out to the main road. Someone would have picked you up."
Cindy looked like she was going to ask a question, but thought better of it. She merely shook her head no to Max's question. Max nodded. Glancing around she noticed movement in the trees. Cindy jumped up in alarm and raised her gun again. Max shot around, "Ready for a piggy-back ride?"
Before the OC could ask what the hell was happening, she was swept off of her feet and riding on Max's back. Max meanwhile was blurring through the trees. She could easily carry someone of Cindy's size and still blurr.
Max grabbed Cindy and threw her over her shoulder when she saw them. Troopers. Cindy was completely surprised by what was happening.
"They're on us!" Max shouted, "Get ready to shoot!"
Cindy fumbled with the gun. Soon Cindy could see three of the troopers chasing her and Max. Cindy yelled in a shaky voice as Max ran, "BOO GO FASTER DAMN IT!!! GO FASTER!!!"
"I BETTER HEAR SOME SHOOTIN' SOON!!!!" Max shouted back.
Cindy muttered, "Damn it, shit shit shit, damn it.Son of a bitch. Fu. ha!" Cindy raised the gun ready to fire then said in a worried voice, "MAX, WE GOT PROBLEMS."
"WHAT NOW?"
"WELL. THEY SEEMED TO HAVE DISAPPEARED."
"THEY HAVEN'T DISAPEARED. THEY ARE HIDING IN THE TREES. START SHOOTING ANY WHERE. YOU GOTTA HIT ONE OF THEM. THERE ARE TEN OF THEM OUT THERE.."
"TEN!!!! TEN!!!! WHAT THE HELL!?!?! I ONLY SAW THREE.. WHO THE HELL TOLD THEM TO HIDE IN THE TREES!?!?!"
Cindy started to shoot at every brach that moved.
Max stopped. They were just inside of the trees. She was panting. But still not a drop of sweat broke through her skin. Setting Cindy on the ground, she prepared her fighting stance.
Cindy got up quickly and whispered to Max, "What do I do?"
Her reply was simple and true."Run."
X-7's ASSEMBLE!"
Max shouted. Quick as could be the X-7's arranged themselves in a line. Today was the day the X-7's were going to work on a cadaver. Or soon to be cadaver. Max shook the feeling off of her like an unwanted chill. She could still remember the time when her group did this. Only when her group did it, something went terribly wrong that only her and the other X-5's could ever understand. She pushed the memory aside.
"X-7's YOU ARE NOW READY FOR YOUR FIRST TIME TRIAL ON COURSE 6. ARE YOU READY?"
"YES SOLDIER X5-452!"
Turning a door that led into Manticore. She said through an intercome,
"They are ready. Bring out the cadaver."
Max prepared the artillery display as the X-7's waited in silence. She heard the door open and four figures came out. Two were gaurds that Max did not know by name, and the other two she knew by heart. Renfro, and.
"Cindy?" Max asked in a quiet voice that only the X-7's would be able to hear. Cindy was being brought out side by the two gaurds. With Renfro in the lead. Then it all clicked in Max's mind. This was a test. A test to see how loyal Max was to Manticore. If Max could kill Cindy then she passed, but if she didn't. Max didn't want to think of what would happen to her. She had to think of a plan. Finaly she decided she would just have to make it up as she went along. Max, now finished with her display, started to pace infront of the X-7's.
"SOLDIERS ASSEMBLE!"
The sound of feet coming together was heard. Out of the corner of her eye Max could see Cindy watching in puzzlement and wonder. Max knew Cindy had no idea what she was here for.
"SOLDIERS, HERE IS WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. THIS SOON TO BE CADAVER WILL BE LET LOOSE. SHE WILL HAVE HER CHOICE OF WEAPON. YOU WILL HAVE NONE. TREAT HER AS YOU WOULD TREAT A SOLDIER THAT HAS GONE ASTRAY. YOU WILL HUNT HER DOWN AFTER HER 30 SECOND START. YOU MUST FIND HER, AND DESTROY HER. THAT IS YOUR OBJECTIVE. IT MUST BE AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE. CERTAIN DISIPLINARY ACTIONS WILL BE TAKEN FOR EVERY SPOT OF BLOOD THAT IS FOUND. DO YOU UNDERSTAND X-7S?!"
"YES SOLDEIR X-5452!"
"HOWEVER, IF THE 'TRAITOR' REACHES THE PERMITER, YOU ARE NOT TO DESTROY. YOU ARE TO COME BACK TO BASE IMMEDIATELY. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!"
"YES X-5452!"
Max walked towards Cindy. Max then escorted her friend to the artiliery display. Max told Cindy.
"Choose your weapon."
"Max. wh."
"Choose your weapon cedaver or you will become one sooner than is to be expected." Max could feel Cindy's fear. It was Max's cat instinct that told her that Cindy was frightened and merely putting on a badd ass look. Max almost winced when she saw that Cindy was about to go for the biggest gun in the case. Max stopped her with a few words.
"Do not underestimate these soldiers. You will have to run more than shoot."
Cindy took the hint and grabbed the smallest hand gun she could find. Cindy nodded and turned towards the woods. Cindy crouched down ready to run on Max's count.
"GO!"
Cindy took off down the hill. It was day time so it was easy to see where she was headed. Max turned to the X-7's and proceeded to count.
".24.23.22.21.20."
Max continued to think. She could not see where Cindy was headed but a horrible feeling told her it was in the wrong direction.
".9.8.7.6.5.4.2.1.GO!"
At the sound of her voice, the X-7's took off running at full speed. Max watched them run and smiled. It was a fake one, but hopefully a beleivable one. Max tried to make her face look as if she was proud to be a soldier and proud to watch her troops doing so well. And they were doing well! They started to spread out and branch off. Just as they were trained. But Max, when enhancing her vision, could see that they soon grouped together. They were hunting like a pack. Max knew it to. She knew that if they continued to go the way they were going, that Cindy wouldn't make it. She glanced at Renfro, noticing that she wasn'r looking, Now! Her mind told her as she took off. Their plan was in motion. Max took off. She ran as fast as her body would allow. She could hear the alarm go off at the base and Renfros angry shouts. She could hear the 'ping' of bullets hitting surrounding rocks. Max kept running.
She was soon on the trail of Cindy. A mud slick here and a broken branch there indicated that Cindy was getting tired and clumsy now. Max kept running. She hadn't even broken a sweat yet. There was no sign of the X- 7's.Yet. Although Max knew that this could be because of one or two things, either they hadn't caught on to Cindy or they were doing better than Max expected. She continued to run. She soon spotted more broken twigs. Running over a hill she spotted Cindy sitting down by a creek. She was exhausted Max could see. She ran over. Cindy startled by Max's sudden arrival raised her gun and aimed, Max was faster though. She ran over and kicked the gun out of Cindy's hand. And handed it back to her.
"Chill!" Max whispered glancing around. She sensed one of the X-7's closing in.
"Max? Damn girl you scared the hell out of me!"Cindy whispered back.
Max rolled her eyes and asked her in another hushed voice, "Girl, can you run anymore? Never mind. Don't answer aloud. If you can just nodd your head. Girl you were going in the wrong direction. This brings you out to a dirt road and some trees. You should have gone north, it would have brought you out to the main road. Someone would have picked you up."
Cindy looked like she was going to ask a question, but thought better of it. She merely shook her head no to Max's question. Max nodded. Glancing around she noticed movement in the trees. Cindy jumped up in alarm and raised her gun again. Max shot around, "Ready for a piggy-back ride?"
Before the OC could ask what the hell was happening, she was swept off of her feet and riding on Max's back. Max meanwhile was blurring through the trees. She could easily carry someone of Cindy's size and still blurr.
Max grabbed Cindy and threw her over her shoulder when she saw them. Troopers. Cindy was completely surprised by what was happening.
"They're on us!" Max shouted, "Get ready to shoot!"
Cindy fumbled with the gun. Soon Cindy could see three of the troopers chasing her and Max. Cindy yelled in a shaky voice as Max ran, "BOO GO FASTER DAMN IT!!! GO FASTER!!!"
"I BETTER HEAR SOME SHOOTIN' SOON!!!!" Max shouted back.
Cindy muttered, "Damn it, shit shit shit, damn it.Son of a bitch. Fu. ha!" Cindy raised the gun ready to fire then said in a worried voice, "MAX, WE GOT PROBLEMS."
"WHAT NOW?"
"WELL. THEY SEEMED TO HAVE DISAPPEARED."
"THEY HAVEN'T DISAPEARED. THEY ARE HIDING IN THE TREES. START SHOOTING ANY WHERE. YOU GOTTA HIT ONE OF THEM. THERE ARE TEN OF THEM OUT THERE.."
"TEN!!!! TEN!!!! WHAT THE HELL!?!?! I ONLY SAW THREE.. WHO THE HELL TOLD THEM TO HIDE IN THE TREES!?!?!"
Cindy started to shoot at every brach that moved.
Max stopped. They were just inside of the trees. She was panting. But still not a drop of sweat broke through her skin. Setting Cindy on the ground, she prepared her fighting stance.
Cindy got up quickly and whispered to Max, "What do I do?"
Her reply was simple and true."Run."
