Mouthing the Words
Jondy rested her head against the cell wall, curled up in a ball.
"Her condition hasn't changed, ma'am," a doctor said. "Unresponsive, violent tendencies and hasn't reacted to her meds at all."
Renfro gazed at the girl. She'd been here almost a week. After being 'introduced' to 494, she'd become so violent, that they had had to sedate her. Her sister, 'Brin', was still in solitary confinement, after attacking some orderlies.
"Give her another week on this drug program," Renfro scribbled her signature on the authorization papers. "Then we'll start shock treatment. Also, place 734 on the three-day shock program today. Her loyalties are wavering."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Also – in the breeding lists – switch 650 with 210. I believe that arrangement may be beneifical."
"But 650's breeding partner is 494…and we know 210's response to him," the doctor said.
"By the time the breeding program begins, 210 won't even answer to her name," Renfro smirked. "And, if I'm correct, her white knight, 599 will waltz in here to save her. This time I'm getting both 210 and 599. No questions asked."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Fetch 210 80mg of psycho actives, Doctor. I'm going to check on 734."
"Yes, ma'am."
Jondy watched as the doctor and Renfro walked away from her cell – in the basement. She felt bruised and gritty – dressed in one of those bloody hospital gowns. Her hair needed redying, the natural colour was beginning to show through.
She let out a shuddering sigh and stretched out a little. She was with the nomalies. Ben had been there. Her big brother Ben. But Maxie had murdered Ben in cold blood several moths before. Zack had told her, and Zack would never lie to her.
She could hear the other nomalies crying out from their cells, and she curled back into a ball. She hadn't seen the sun in so long and you didn't get fed when you were on psychoactives…
"Okay, 210," the nurse entered her cell, a soldier with a taser behind her. "I just need to give you this needle and then we'll leave you alone."
Her voice was soothing and Jondy knew that fighting against them was pointless – she'd become a permanent member of the basement if she tried to fight against them.
"My b-brother," she whispered. "493…I saw him earlier."
The nurse frowned. "No you didn't 210, 493 has been dead almost six months."
The soldier cleared his throat. "That was 494, 210. 493's twin brother."
Jondy tried to nod, but her limbs were too heavy and her head was spinning. "O-okay."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Zack pulled up in front of Zane's place- he'd just moved in and agreed to accompany Zack to find Jondy.
"I don't exactly know why you're bothering Zack," Zane said. "Jondy is hardly helpless."
"I got a call almost a week ago," Zack said. "From an apartment around here. I called to find out who exactly it was – because they used my direct line – and they said a girl named Jordan Hanover was living here but she hadn't been there for a few days."
"What do you think happened?" Zane asked, suddenly concerned.
"Manticore, again."
"Again? What the hell are you talking about?" Zane demanded, glaring at Zack.
"Last year…before I found Maxie…" Zack said, clutching the steering wheel. "It was my fault and she got caught. She got dragged back there and taken to psy-ops and I got her out. She's like a magnet to Manticore."
Zane nodded. "I kinda worked that out, with everything that's going on."
"This is it – first floor." Zack pulled up in front of some second-rate apartment building. Zack grabbed a gun, hoping her wouldn't be forced to use it…
What he found was the apartment in shambles – broken glass, blood smear on the floor, an empty syringe, aspirin and trytrophan spilt all over the floor, the phone lying in a pile of twisted plastic and wires and Jondy's necklace, the chain broken.
Zack swallowed hard, and picked up the necklace. "I…This is…Manticore.
Zane nodded. "We should probably straighten this place up or the cops will be called in."
Zack nodded and saw something outside, on the verandah table. He slid out the backdoor and picked it up. A wallet. X soldiers weren't good at keeping track of personal things like cell phones or wallets on missions.
"Zane!" Zack called out, flipping open the wallet to reveal a passport, a credit card, a licence, a sector pass and a library card all in the name of Mr Jason Renfro. "I know that face…do you recognize him from somewhere?"
Zane took the wallet and gazed at the picture. "Fuck. Get the others on the phone. Tell them we'll meet in Seattle tomorrow morning," Zane ordered, having gone slightly pale.
"Zane." Zack snapped.
"Zack, that's Justin. X5-211. Jondy's twin. Remember? The first time any of us cried," Zane said. "Remember? You all said he went to the Bad Place."
Zack's eyes widened. "I guess we were right – he did go to the Bad Place."
Jondy rested her head against the cell wall, curled up in a ball.
"Her condition hasn't changed, ma'am," a doctor said. "Unresponsive, violent tendencies and hasn't reacted to her meds at all."
Renfro gazed at the girl. She'd been here almost a week. After being 'introduced' to 494, she'd become so violent, that they had had to sedate her. Her sister, 'Brin', was still in solitary confinement, after attacking some orderlies.
"Give her another week on this drug program," Renfro scribbled her signature on the authorization papers. "Then we'll start shock treatment. Also, place 734 on the three-day shock program today. Her loyalties are wavering."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Also – in the breeding lists – switch 650 with 210. I believe that arrangement may be beneifical."
"But 650's breeding partner is 494…and we know 210's response to him," the doctor said.
"By the time the breeding program begins, 210 won't even answer to her name," Renfro smirked. "And, if I'm correct, her white knight, 599 will waltz in here to save her. This time I'm getting both 210 and 599. No questions asked."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Fetch 210 80mg of psycho actives, Doctor. I'm going to check on 734."
"Yes, ma'am."
Jondy watched as the doctor and Renfro walked away from her cell – in the basement. She felt bruised and gritty – dressed in one of those bloody hospital gowns. Her hair needed redying, the natural colour was beginning to show through.
She let out a shuddering sigh and stretched out a little. She was with the nomalies. Ben had been there. Her big brother Ben. But Maxie had murdered Ben in cold blood several moths before. Zack had told her, and Zack would never lie to her.
She could hear the other nomalies crying out from their cells, and she curled back into a ball. She hadn't seen the sun in so long and you didn't get fed when you were on psychoactives…
"Okay, 210," the nurse entered her cell, a soldier with a taser behind her. "I just need to give you this needle and then we'll leave you alone."
Her voice was soothing and Jondy knew that fighting against them was pointless – she'd become a permanent member of the basement if she tried to fight against them.
"My b-brother," she whispered. "493…I saw him earlier."
The nurse frowned. "No you didn't 210, 493 has been dead almost six months."
The soldier cleared his throat. "That was 494, 210. 493's twin brother."
Jondy tried to nod, but her limbs were too heavy and her head was spinning. "O-okay."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Zack pulled up in front of Zane's place- he'd just moved in and agreed to accompany Zack to find Jondy.
"I don't exactly know why you're bothering Zack," Zane said. "Jondy is hardly helpless."
"I got a call almost a week ago," Zack said. "From an apartment around here. I called to find out who exactly it was – because they used my direct line – and they said a girl named Jordan Hanover was living here but she hadn't been there for a few days."
"What do you think happened?" Zane asked, suddenly concerned.
"Manticore, again."
"Again? What the hell are you talking about?" Zane demanded, glaring at Zack.
"Last year…before I found Maxie…" Zack said, clutching the steering wheel. "It was my fault and she got caught. She got dragged back there and taken to psy-ops and I got her out. She's like a magnet to Manticore."
Zane nodded. "I kinda worked that out, with everything that's going on."
"This is it – first floor." Zack pulled up in front of some second-rate apartment building. Zack grabbed a gun, hoping her wouldn't be forced to use it…
What he found was the apartment in shambles – broken glass, blood smear on the floor, an empty syringe, aspirin and trytrophan spilt all over the floor, the phone lying in a pile of twisted plastic and wires and Jondy's necklace, the chain broken.
Zack swallowed hard, and picked up the necklace. "I…This is…Manticore.
Zane nodded. "We should probably straighten this place up or the cops will be called in."
Zack nodded and saw something outside, on the verandah table. He slid out the backdoor and picked it up. A wallet. X soldiers weren't good at keeping track of personal things like cell phones or wallets on missions.
"Zane!" Zack called out, flipping open the wallet to reveal a passport, a credit card, a licence, a sector pass and a library card all in the name of Mr Jason Renfro. "I know that face…do you recognize him from somewhere?"
Zane took the wallet and gazed at the picture. "Fuck. Get the others on the phone. Tell them we'll meet in Seattle tomorrow morning," Zane ordered, having gone slightly pale.
"Zane." Zack snapped.
"Zack, that's Justin. X5-211. Jondy's twin. Remember? The first time any of us cried," Zane said. "Remember? You all said he went to the Bad Place."
Zack's eyes widened. "I guess we were right – he did go to the Bad Place."