AN: A lot of dialogue in this chapter you may recognise as a variation from "Designate This." Basically, from this chapter onwards, is very Alternate "Designate This," and yeah.
Thank you so much to la-angele321 and Rose. Rose, this won't be a Jondy/Alec fic. Jondy/Zack is pretty much all I write (except Syl/Krit …).
---
As Jondy faced off with the Nomalie, she held her hands up. It was at least 6"5 and Jondy knew that if it decided to attack her, she wouldn't stand a chance, he was just too big…
"Relax, big fella," Jondy said softly, trying to inch away from the wall.
The Nomalie paused. "You relax, little fella," It said.
"Whoa, you can talk," Jondy said, her arms falling to her sides.
"Whoa," It echoed. "Whoa."
"Sorry. I just haven't seen a Nomalie up close before," Jondy said, staring at him. "What did they do? Add to much canine to your cocktail, or something?"
The Nomalie stared at her for a second, and then sniffed the air. "Cat. Cat in your cocktail."
"Yeah," Jondy shrugged. "Hope you want hold it against me or anything."
The Nomalie growled at her, baring his teeth.
"I totally dig your teeth. Can I have a look?" Jondy took a step closer. The Nomalie glared at her for a second before snapping at her. "Um, okay, it's okay! I can see them from a distance! Distance is good. Distance means less blood shed…"
"You're X5," the Nomalie growled at her.
"Yeah. Jondy."
"Jondy… Jon-dy. Did Father name you, Jon-dy?"
"Nope. My brother did," Jondy said, looking around the basement.
"Father named me," the Nomalie said almost proudly. "Joshua."
"You mean Lydecker?" Jondy asked, examining a crate.
"No," Joshua said with force. "Father - Sandman."
"Oh," Jondy said, looking at Joshua. "Sandman named you."
"Yes."
"Um, okay!" Jondy nodded. "Sandman. You guys must sleep a lot, huh?"
Joshua didn't reply. He was peering through a small hole in the wall. "Guard." Jondy went silent. "Guard come."
Jondy blinked. "Do they know you're down here?" she whispered.
"No," Joshua replied.
"Well, where's this Sandman dude?" Jondy asked, leaning on a box.
"Left me here. Here I am," Joshua replied.
"What?" Jondy stared at Joshua. "He just left you here, in this basement?"
Joshua nodded once. "Made me, left me. True enough."
"That's pretty whacked out," Jondy shrugged. "But since when have Manticore employees ever been model citizens?"
"He made us all. I was first--special. Then more like me...more like you...more people -up there people," Joshua gestured at the ceiling. "Father lost in all the people. I'm here, waiting."
"Well," Jondy said after a pause. "It's a shame you didn't get an ocean view room. Like, a window? So I can get out of here."
"Ah, wait," Joshua replied, looking back through the hole and opening a panel underneath and smiled at Jondy, motioning for her to follow him.
As Jondy followed Joshua down a dimly lit basement hallway, they passed multiple doors with barred windows; caging different Nomalies. Jondy flinched, remembering some from her childhood…
"Looks like that father of your was a busy guy," Jondy said softly.
"Some like me… some not so good," Joshua replied. Jondy peered into one cage, as something inside gave a groan.
Joshua began barking at him.
"Hungry," Joshua explained to Jondy.
"Well, maybe they should be fed by someone," Jondy said.
"They do … sometimes. I do sometimes," Joshua said, as they arrived in a room with storage crates are piled up by the wall, some cans balanced on top. Joshua lent over, pulling the cans away to reveal a barred window.
"Ocean view," Joshua told Jondy. Jondy nodded, standing on her toes to tug at the bars.
"This could take a while," Jondy sighed. "Okay with you if this becomes my exit?"
"Uh-uh. No exit. X7s in the forest," Joshua warned.
"How many?" Jondy asked, thoughtfully.
"One," Joshua said, as they both gazed out the window.
"Yeah, I see him. It doesn't matter, I can take him," Jondy said.
"Uh-uh," Joshua shook his head.
"There's only one," Jondy said sceptically.
"Uh-uh. Lots of one," Joshua pointed as more X7s appeared from the forest … X7 clones.
"Oooh. Clones. Lots of one. I get it," Jondy replied.
"Uh-huh. Pretty whacked," Joshua said.
The X7s began forming two straight lines, standing perfectly still.
"What are they doing?" Jondy asked softly.
"Talking," Joshua said.
"But I don't hear anything," Jondy replied, confused.
"I do."
"Huh. Must be in the ultrasonic range or something," Jondy shrugged.
"Bat in their cocktail," Joshua explained.
The X7s suddenly scattered in all directions and Jondy looked up at the sky. "Damn. Sun's almost up. I gotta go. I'll be back tomorrow, Joshua. Thanks!"
---
Zack and Zane stood in front of the others, in Logan's penthouse, looking grim.
Zack swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. "Jondy's back at Manticore."
Max leapt to her feet. "What?" she said, in a deadly voice.
"They recaptured her," Zane interjected. "And we know who."
"Manticore," Syl said. "You said that already."
"No, we mean exactly who the soldiers were, that grabbed her," Zack managed, a distant expression on his face.
"And that matters how?" Max snapped.
"It was Justin," Zane retorted.
Silence.
"Justin?" Tinga whispered.
Krit shrugged. "Sometimes you've just got to be impressed with what Manticore managed to do. Bringing a kid back from the dead is up there on the Impressive Things To Do list."
"We need to get Jondy out of there," Max said firmly.
"Duh," Syl replied.
"A raid on Manticore?" Logan asked doubtfully, unable to keep quiet any longer.
"Hell yes," Zack grunted.
---
Wow. This is almost writing itself. Please review, just so I know someone is still reading thi
Thank you so much to la-angele321 and Rose. Rose, this won't be a Jondy/Alec fic. Jondy/Zack is pretty much all I write (except Syl/Krit …).
---
As Jondy faced off with the Nomalie, she held her hands up. It was at least 6"5 and Jondy knew that if it decided to attack her, she wouldn't stand a chance, he was just too big…
"Relax, big fella," Jondy said softly, trying to inch away from the wall.
The Nomalie paused. "You relax, little fella," It said.
"Whoa, you can talk," Jondy said, her arms falling to her sides.
"Whoa," It echoed. "Whoa."
"Sorry. I just haven't seen a Nomalie up close before," Jondy said, staring at him. "What did they do? Add to much canine to your cocktail, or something?"
The Nomalie stared at her for a second, and then sniffed the air. "Cat. Cat in your cocktail."
"Yeah," Jondy shrugged. "Hope you want hold it against me or anything."
The Nomalie growled at her, baring his teeth.
"I totally dig your teeth. Can I have a look?" Jondy took a step closer. The Nomalie glared at her for a second before snapping at her. "Um, okay, it's okay! I can see them from a distance! Distance is good. Distance means less blood shed…"
"You're X5," the Nomalie growled at her.
"Yeah. Jondy."
"Jondy… Jon-dy. Did Father name you, Jon-dy?"
"Nope. My brother did," Jondy said, looking around the basement.
"Father named me," the Nomalie said almost proudly. "Joshua."
"You mean Lydecker?" Jondy asked, examining a crate.
"No," Joshua said with force. "Father - Sandman."
"Oh," Jondy said, looking at Joshua. "Sandman named you."
"Yes."
"Um, okay!" Jondy nodded. "Sandman. You guys must sleep a lot, huh?"
Joshua didn't reply. He was peering through a small hole in the wall. "Guard." Jondy went silent. "Guard come."
Jondy blinked. "Do they know you're down here?" she whispered.
"No," Joshua replied.
"Well, where's this Sandman dude?" Jondy asked, leaning on a box.
"Left me here. Here I am," Joshua replied.
"What?" Jondy stared at Joshua. "He just left you here, in this basement?"
Joshua nodded once. "Made me, left me. True enough."
"That's pretty whacked out," Jondy shrugged. "But since when have Manticore employees ever been model citizens?"
"He made us all. I was first--special. Then more like me...more like you...more people -up there people," Joshua gestured at the ceiling. "Father lost in all the people. I'm here, waiting."
"Well," Jondy said after a pause. "It's a shame you didn't get an ocean view room. Like, a window? So I can get out of here."
"Ah, wait," Joshua replied, looking back through the hole and opening a panel underneath and smiled at Jondy, motioning for her to follow him.
As Jondy followed Joshua down a dimly lit basement hallway, they passed multiple doors with barred windows; caging different Nomalies. Jondy flinched, remembering some from her childhood…
"Looks like that father of your was a busy guy," Jondy said softly.
"Some like me… some not so good," Joshua replied. Jondy peered into one cage, as something inside gave a groan.
Joshua began barking at him.
"Hungry," Joshua explained to Jondy.
"Well, maybe they should be fed by someone," Jondy said.
"They do … sometimes. I do sometimes," Joshua said, as they arrived in a room with storage crates are piled up by the wall, some cans balanced on top. Joshua lent over, pulling the cans away to reveal a barred window.
"Ocean view," Joshua told Jondy. Jondy nodded, standing on her toes to tug at the bars.
"This could take a while," Jondy sighed. "Okay with you if this becomes my exit?"
"Uh-uh. No exit. X7s in the forest," Joshua warned.
"How many?" Jondy asked, thoughtfully.
"One," Joshua said, as they both gazed out the window.
"Yeah, I see him. It doesn't matter, I can take him," Jondy said.
"Uh-uh," Joshua shook his head.
"There's only one," Jondy said sceptically.
"Uh-uh. Lots of one," Joshua pointed as more X7s appeared from the forest … X7 clones.
"Oooh. Clones. Lots of one. I get it," Jondy replied.
"Uh-huh. Pretty whacked," Joshua said.
The X7s began forming two straight lines, standing perfectly still.
"What are they doing?" Jondy asked softly.
"Talking," Joshua said.
"But I don't hear anything," Jondy replied, confused.
"I do."
"Huh. Must be in the ultrasonic range or something," Jondy shrugged.
"Bat in their cocktail," Joshua explained.
The X7s suddenly scattered in all directions and Jondy looked up at the sky. "Damn. Sun's almost up. I gotta go. I'll be back tomorrow, Joshua. Thanks!"
---
Zack and Zane stood in front of the others, in Logan's penthouse, looking grim.
Zack swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. "Jondy's back at Manticore."
Max leapt to her feet. "What?" she said, in a deadly voice.
"They recaptured her," Zane interjected. "And we know who."
"Manticore," Syl said. "You said that already."
"No, we mean exactly who the soldiers were, that grabbed her," Zack managed, a distant expression on his face.
"And that matters how?" Max snapped.
"It was Justin," Zane retorted.
Silence.
"Justin?" Tinga whispered.
Krit shrugged. "Sometimes you've just got to be impressed with what Manticore managed to do. Bringing a kid back from the dead is up there on the Impressive Things To Do list."
"We need to get Jondy out of there," Max said firmly.
"Duh," Syl replied.
"A raid on Manticore?" Logan asked doubtfully, unable to keep quiet any longer.
"Hell yes," Zack grunted.
---
Wow. This is almost writing itself. Please review, just so I know someone is still reading thi