Survival isn't child's play
Wonderful beta babe is Roon. As always a great big thanks.
The light of dawn was filtering through the gaps in the faded curtains. Old and shabby like most of the furnishings that decorated the sparse room. A slumbering form lay horizontally draped across the bed, snoring. She sighed when she saw that he was not awake yet, but decided to have a little fun. Creeping closer on tiptoes, she approached the bed. As she neared the edge she crouched down close to his head, the hair mussed by sleep. She loved to study his face while he was unaware, unconscious and relaxed. It didn't happen very often, he was always so alert and in charge these days, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Indeed, their little world was pretty much reliant on him. She reached out tentatively with her index finger to trace over his slightly parted lips. They looked so soft when they weren't angry or pursed in concentration. In fact, his whole face always appeared so much younger and vulnerable while the blanket of sleep claimed his mind.
His lips twitched as her fingertips tickled him. She let out a small gasp of surprise when he playfully nipped at the offending digit without opening his eyes. When he did, she saw laughter dancing in the hazel orbs.
"Good morning. What brings you here as my wakeup call this morning?" Sleep made his voice huskier. She giggled as he grabbed her in a bear hug and rubbed his stubbly growth against the delicate skin of her cheek. Her thin arms wound around him and she snuggled into his side. His heart beat steadily thudded under her ear as she used his chest as a pillow for her head.
"You know what day it is, don't you?" Her voice wavered a little as she let her uncertainty creep in.
"No, let me think." He scratched his chin with his index finger and thumb and pondered on her question. " Nothing special comes to mind."
"But, but…." He couldn't have forgotten could he? Her bottom lip trembled a little before she caught the telltale signs of suppressed laughter. The corner of his mouth twitched as he fought off a grin. She lightly punched him in the shoulder, he was just playing with her. Squirming out of his arms, she stood next to the bed with her hands on her hips. Her impatient look brought the grin even closer to the surface.
"Go on," he indicated the door " you go start without me…I won't be far behind." He lost the battle with that grin and it broke out into a broad smile as he watched her bounce out of the room with nervous excitement. He was sure she would never have been this eager for training at Manticore, but Mole made it that little bit more fun than it had been in that world. Her mood was infectious and he found himself bounding out of bed to go for a shower. He needed to wash and dress to keep up his end of the deal.
***
They had already been divided into teams when she got down to the parade site. She quickly assessed where she was needed and slotted into the crowd. Basic guerrilla tactics and escape and evade all rolled into one were today's training exercise. Never knew when life could throw that curve ball at you, and it had been made policy that all be fully trained and prepared for any eventuality. She milled around like a nervous deer- timid and shy due to her lack of experience in formal training. Taking orders wasn't something she was good at doing. Skirmishes with Authority was the line most likely to be written in her dossier.
Her team unit was first to be dispatched. She closely watched the signals the team leader gave. They were to have a head start before their pursuers began to follow. The aim was to to avoid capture and move through a set of signal points in Terminal City. Setting off at a controlled run her unit moved as one towards a fire-escape on a nearby warehouse. This was where the adventure was to begin.
The team leader- a thick-set X5 with a fair bit of formal Manticore training and several missions under his belt- jogged along beside her. She didn't want special treatment but amongst the transgens she was unfortunately a bit of a celebrity. It sometimes meant though that she found unwanted attention and not all of it good. The expectations that many had for her were much higher than her peers. Something she found frustrating but it spurred her on. They climbed the ladder one by one. Their feet moving rapidly up the rungs and over the edge at the top of the roof. Assembled in a rough circle out of eyesight of their pursuers the leader gave them their new orders. In teams of two they would progress to each check point. He assigned them a partner- she found herself with the team leader as hers- so predictable. Breaking off in all directions they swarmed across the roof and into cracks and crevices- disappearing out of sight within seconds.
Letting her partner take the lead, she followed behind watching their back for any signs of the opposition. She knew a lot about self-preservation but acting as part of a team wasn't so natural for her. She hadn't had all those years of drills that hardened them into the soldiers she now knew. As he halted at a corner she watched for him to signal the all clear. When he didn't move she tried to peer past him. The area seemed clear, but she could sense what he had obviously felt. Something was just a little off about the alley ahead. Looking for an alternative route she pointed at the building opposite. A drainpipe that would provide roof access beckoned them. Taking another peek around the corner and pausing to decide, her partner waved her on.
As she sprinted across the few metres of open ground she felt the air shift. Behind her a half muffled yell broke out. Turning she saw her partner fall. Blood oozed from a bullet wound in his forehead. She still couldn't see the shooter but she could now clearly smell him. Yet she could also sense that there was more than one threat. The shooter was not alone.
Her sense went haywire. Dodging back into the cover of the wall she had been hidden behind, she saw two tall well built figures approach the fallen body of her comrade. Not faces she had ever seen before. Their tight seriousness frightened her. This was more than a game of hide and seek now. One kicked over the body and made certain that he was dead with another bullet straight through the heart. One of the kevlar encased men pointed in the direction of where she was hidden. Instinctively she cowered back, making sure that she was out of sight. Looking behind her she saw that her only path was to retrace her steps.
Then she heard the sirens and her heart sank. The high pitched whirring, out of the sound range of ordinaries but well within the aural capacity of even the most basic transgen. It was something she had only heard once before and the sound brought dread to any transgenic. They were being invaded. The enemy had awoken and had breached their defences. The standing orders were to do exactly what she had been planning to do as an exercise- escape and evade. A rendezvous point had been set...a rundown warehouse that could be barricaded in the furthest corner of T.C., now she just had to get there in one piece.
***
Her heart beat fast and strong in her chest. She had been running for what seemed like hours, skilfully evading her pursuers, looking for ways to escape. Each time she had moved towards her destination she had found her way blocked. Finally she had needed to stop. Ducking down the nearest alley, no different to the dozens of others she had moved in and out of all day, she slowed her pace. Her cat like sixth sense allowed her to almost see them before they got there.
Footsteps reached her ears. The sounds of running feet were moving closer. She shifted her position so that she could see the entrance of the alley but remain unseen. Her petite size had allowed her to crawl into a space in the wall, a tiny crevice really, just above head height, but definitely not an obvious hiding place. Peering out from her little nook, she saw that there were two of them, moving in a sweeping pattern towards her position, carefully checking the debris. Their movements carefully coordinated to cover as much ground efficiently and as quickly as they could.
She could sense them moving closer and held her breath. Remaining as still as a stone stature, she allowed her eyes to track the movements of her stalkers. She almost gasped when one of them paused a few feet below where she was concealed. The long moments before they moved on made her heart beat sound loud to her own ears.
She watched them pass and move away, on to the next search area. The time had come to move, change position, and find somewhere else to hide from those that pursued her. Checking the immediate area she slipped to the ground noiselessly and silently crept to the edge of the wall to scan the street area.
Bodies lined the streets. Faces of those she had known well and those she could barely remember where she had seen them, lay caked in blood and covered in dust and soot. All fallen because they hadn't been ready. She knew that she had been lucky but would her luck hold? Keeping close to walls and hiding in the shadows she made her final approach towards the meeting place. The smoke that filled her lungs dazzled her senses but still she pushed on. Her eyes could make out the staggering figures and outbreaks of fighting but cautiousness made her avoid contact for now. Friend and Foe were hard to distinguish. Until she saw the tall and comforting figure of Alec she knew that she was safer alone.
The abandoned warehouse seemed exactly that- all the rooms were empty. Confused she attempted to reorientate herself. Surely she hadn't gotten lost. As she moved from room to room she saw evidence of recent activity and as her mind cleared she assessed the blockade material sitting ready to secure the premises. She'd made it...but where were all the others?
***
She crouched hidden in the doorway to one of the rooms, she kept a watchful eye on the outside entrance ready to move out of view if her pursuers followed . Her eyes were growing heavy. The much-feted shark DNA that usually kept her going was just about out of juice. The adrenalin she had been running on all day was subsiding and exhaustion was taking its place. Still clinging to the hope that her white knight would save her, she slipped into unconsciousness.
She didn't realise that they had found her till she sensed the shadow crossing her face. The instant that she felt their presence she was wide awake. Startled by how close they had gotten without her senses warning her, she began to back peddle. Her fear unleashed until she looked up into stormy hazel eyes and was shocked by the intense fear reflected in them. Shock at this unexpected sight stopped her backwards flight. Always to her he had seemed to have been fearless. The flicker of fear disappeared as relief flooded across his darkened features. As his arms opened she moved into his warm embrace and collapsed. Tearfully she felt his lips brush across her forehead. Silence reigned in their little cocoon for several minutes. The others keeping a discrete distance allowing them a few moments alone.
"I thought I'd lost you." His harsh whisper fought its way out of a tightened throat. A dampness on her cheek told her how emotionally
Moving back a little to get a better view of his eyes, she cupped his face with her tiny hand and smiled a sad and regretful smile.
"We lost a lot of people today. More than we should have. I need more training, so I'll be more ready next time." Her calmness in the face of such tragedy and despair was unsettling for Alec. She had grown up so quickly, but then she'd had to hadn't she. The harsh truth had caught up with them, training wasn't just a game for the children to keep them amused...it was about real survival. Now that was what they needed to do, survive.
"For now all that matters to me is that you made it home alive...your mother would have been so proud." Alec couldn't help feeling a sense of parental pride swelling in his chest. His daughter had escaped largely unscathed from this unexpected attack by the newest fighters in the Phalanx Wars. He lead her over to the doorway and together they turned towards the burning buildings that for so long they had called home. Their world could be rebuilt but the lives of their fallen friends could never be replaced. They would just have to be ready next time. Alec silently made a promise to Max...