Whatever gets you through.
The trainer stood in front of them with his hands on his hips.
"Well? Explain your faces." He ordered the two of them.
Max stood to attention, ignoring the pain in her arm and tried to set her gaze at just past the trainers ear. It was hard because of the swelling in one eye that caused it to almost close. Her lip had just stopped bleeding and she was glad that she couldn't feel the bruises over her body yet.
"Sir, minor altercation between 452 and myself sir." 261 barked out. Max glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and noted with no small sense of satisfaction that he hadn't gotten off lightly either. He sported a black eye, a bruised face and if she wasn't mistaken maybe a broken nose courtesy of her fists. It would have been more if it was a fight fair but to have two of his unit hold her down while he hit her wasn't exactly fair.
It had been like this since she had joined the Unit 6 over ten months ago now. 261 had become the bane of her existence and she had named him Bulli, because that's what he was- a bully.
He wasn't a patch on Zack and she missed her big brother so badly that at times she wanted to cry, but soldiers didn't cry. She had to deal with what she was given and what she had been given was unit 6- The biggest bunch of bullies and spiteful backstabbers that had graced Manticore. She avoided them as much as possible, managing to somehow spend more time in punishment than she did with them. Something that actually came as a blessing.
Her first week out of Psy-ops was indelibly printed on her brain as the worse week of her life ever. And that was saying something in the place that thought adversity was character building, if that were true then her character was built at ten years of old. After the first attack by Bulli and his cronies the standard had been set. She was a traitor and therefore an enemy. Every time they got her alone they would attack, starting verbally and when she retaliated, and even when she didn't, then the physical abuse would start. Not just beatings but practical jokes. Everything from hiding all her clothes and tearing her bed linen to putting mud in her shoes just before inspection and barbed wire in her bed. Each was designed to get her into trouble and sent to solitary and punishment detail. Max took this from the trainers without hesitation and almost looked forward to the time away from the unit.
They were all mean and cruel and she had no family feelings towards them at all.
"It's always you isn't it 452?" the trainer sighed, not even questioning the C.O as to who had started the altercation. It was always her who was blamed and no amount of explanation would change their minds and she didn't even try. She had been an Oh niner and that automatically counted against her, even with the staff. She had probably been in reindoctrination more than all the other X5's put together.
"Do two laps of the field and then one round of the obstacle course before you retire." The trainer ran a hand over his eyes and dismissed them.
Bulli smirked as he walked away.
Max ignored him. What he didn't realise was that she had taken the Colonels' words to heart. When the enemy hands you lemons make lemonade.
Max had gotten great at making lemonade. The punishment that her tormentors thought she hated and endured through no other choice she had turned to her advantage. She was going to be better. A better soldier, a stronger, faster, smarter soldier and they were helping her to do it.
Every time she was dealt a hand she would use it to push herself in a way that the trainers didn't. Each period spent in solitary Max would use to pour over her course texts and read ahead. She had visited Manticore's library and was steadily furthering her knowledge. Each time she was sent to do laps or the course, she would challenge herself to be faster, more graceful- pushing herself to her limits; and every time she was getting faster and that much better. Not that she showed her trainers or her unit the improvements, she wouldn't give them another reason to ostracise her and beat her. But she wouldn't stop pushing herself and that was how she had come across her biggest advantage- Bill.
Bill was a forty year old lab technician with dreadlocks and a beaming smile set into his dark features.
She remembered the first time that she had met him. It had been about three weeks after she had rejoined the main base and she had to wait for the others to go to bed and fall asleep before she could return to the barracks and do the same. This was standard procedure by now. She avoided them so that she wouldn't have to see their faces whilst they waited for her to react to their practical jokes- Apple-pie bed, drenched pillows or barbed wire between the sheets. You'd think after almost a year they would get tired of their behaviour.
She walked down a corridor wondering what she could do to pass the time when she suddenly heard music and singing coming from one of the labs.
She peered around the door and watched carefully.
There was a tall African American in a lab coat with his long dreadlocks swaying as he moved to the beat playing on the mini radio next to his work station.
He turned quickly and spotted her, his eyebrows rising in surprise.
"Well hey there. Don't be shy honey, come on in and hang." He smiled "Come keep me company."
Max slowly walked in and watched him warily.
"Couldn't sleep huh? Me neither, I'm a night owl myself." He picked something up from the table and offered it to her "Cookie?"
Max took it, wondering what she was supposed to do with it when he picked up another and bit into it. She did the same and her eyes widened at the unfamiliar yet tantalising taste.
"Good huh? He beamed at her expression. "Ain't nothin' like a choc chip cookie to cure what ails ya."
"It has medicinal properties?" she asked curiously at the rest of the sweet confection.
"Only for de heart." Max smiled as he offered her another one.
"So who are ya then sweetheart?"
Max swallowed "X5-452 sir." She knew the answer to that one.
He paused for a second and then continued to mess with his test tubes.
"452 huh? I'm Bill, Bill Maclay. I'm a lab technician….well DNA geneticist actually. I diced and spliced your animal traits into ya."
"Oh." She wasn't sure what to say to that.
"452, you were one of those that escaped."
Max shrugged, suddenly feeling hostile. She had been having a nice talk with this man and now he would treat her like her unit and the trainers did. Like she was poison.
"Attempted escapees. I obviously didn't make it and Colonel Lydecker has cleared me for reissue and standards." She bit out, not caring at her tone.
"Whoa, defensive little thing aren't ya?" he held up his hands in mock surrender "I wasn't judging sweetheart." He looked at the bruises on her face "But I guess others have been. How did you get those?"
Max shrugged again, not wanting to go into it.
"Wait, lemme guess. It was a pygmy and his dog?" her lips twitched "Nah, maybe a rampaging squirrel or Peter Pan."
"What's that?"
Bill blinked "Peter Pan? Uh, popular culture reference- The boy who never grew up."
"Well it wasn't him, I've never met him."
This time it was Bills turn to smile.
"He's not real honey, a story."
"A morality tale? Like Aesops fables?" Max had heard of such things. "What is the conclusion of his story?"
"Say what now?"
Max frowned "I don't understand what you just said."
"That makes two of us." He shook his head "Let's start again. Who hit you?"
"Some boys from my unit." She confessed. He was a nice man, who sort of reminded her of Jack,
"How many?" he asked and was impressed when she responded "three."
"I bet you gave as good as you got huh?" she nodded and he laughed, a melodic sound that filled her with the first good feelings she had since Zack had sent them away. "That's cool."
"Cool? It seems average temperature in here."
"Nah, cool is slang. It means that something is good or great."
"Cool." She repeated "I haven't done common verbal usage yet. That doesn't start until we are cleared for solo missions." She gestured to the mini radio "What is that playing?"
"Golden pre-pulse oldies. Uh I think this is Shania Twain, before it was a band called Matchbox twenty. You heard of them?"
"No." she admitted and he nodded.
"Well if you are a night owl like me, I'm in the lab four nights a week. You could drop by and keep me company and maybe you'll learn something. Deal?"
"Affirmative." She shook his outstretched hand and sat next to him on the stool.
"Okay 452, 452 isn't there something else I can call you?"
"Max." she said trusting him with her most precious secret "You can call me Max."
So from then on, for four nights a week to avoid her unit she went and hung out with Bill and he'd tell her about the world outside Manticore. The other three nights a week she spent in the gymnasium perfecting her fighting techniques. But it was the time with Bill that she cherished. He explained about the pulse that had happened while she had been in Psy-ops and regaled her with stories of popular culture and colloquialisms and she came to see him as her saving grace; the one thing that made Manticore bearable.
He was the only one who knew about the progress she was making and her reasons for not advertising the fact that she was quicker, stronger and smarter than the rest of her company.
She finished the course and checked her time, delighted that she had completed it in 3minutes and 5 point 4 seconds. That was her fastest time ever. Even Bulli had only ever managed 4 minutes ten seconds. She grinned to herself and went to shower before going to see Bill.
"Hey Max, what's up?"
"Ceiling, sky." She sassed as she sat down.
"Smart Alec." He groused.
"What's that?"
Bill shook his head. Sometimes she was so normal that he forgot that she wasn't a regular girl who had been bought up with language like everyone else and was unfamiliar with slang that he took for granted. Not that he minded teaching her. She picked things up at an astronomical rate which was one of the reasons why he forgot so often.
"A smart Alec is someone who uses sarcasm to be funny. Or not." He mock glared "Also known as a wise ass, clever dick, smart ass."
Max loved the fact that he never complained about explaining the most basic things to her.
When she nodded he knew that the information had been assimilated and taken on board.
"What has got my favourite transgenic in a good mood?" he paused "did you finally kick Bulli ass?" he gestured to her bruised face half hidden by the fine dark hair that had grown almost to her collar now.
"Like I don't do that anyway. The guy is a serious loser." She waited for him to nod to show that she had used the colloquialism correctly. "I beat my track record."
"Yeah what you got now?"
"Three point five." He looked impressed.
"Way to go Maxie!" she beamed at his praise.
"I just wish I could show them all what I am capable of." She said hesitatingly "But if I did they'd just be on my case even more. Not that I care about punishment detail."
Bill laughed, he knew her feelings on that subject "I bet you are the only girl that would prefer to be squashed in a dark hole than talk to her team mates."
"Gives me time to think." She stated impishly.
"Speaking of time alone. You won't be seeing me all next week."
"How come?" Max slumped at the thought of even a week without his teasing and smiling at her.
"It's the holidays; I get to spend sometime with my family."
Family. The word bought to mind the brothers and sisters of hers that had left her alone here. Zack, Ben, Tinga, Krit, Syl, Zane, Jace, Brin, Jondy, Seth and Ash. Her family were scattered out there somewhere.
"Which reminds me." Bill continued unaware of her depressing thoughts. "Here. Merry Christmas Max." he held out a box and pushed it into her hands.
"Merry what?"
She looked down at the box. It was covered in red shiny paper and a bow. It was so pretty and shiny.
"Uh Christmas, it's a holiday that has its roots it…something that will mean absolutely nothing to you. It's a time to spend with family and celebrate all the things that make you happy. It's traditional to give gifts too."
"It's pretty." She offered.
"It's wrapped Max, you have to open it."
"Oh." He didn't laugh at her but felt extremely sad that a ten year old girl didn't even know what a present was.
She peeled away the tape and the bow and gently opened the paper.
It was two books.
"I know you're not supposed to have contraband so I got you something that you could easily hide if ever someone came in."
They were books. Bright and shiny and never read by anyone else, not touched by military hands or soldiers fingers. It belonged to her. She actually owned something herself. That was a big a revelation as anything.
"Weapons and arms through the ages and Grimm's fairy tales." She read.
"Something useful and something nice." He shrugged "What do you get for the transgenic that has never had anything?"
"I like them." she said fingering the covers of her books.
"I'm so glad." He sighed with relief "Oh and Kelly baked you these."
He handed her a small box with four pies in.
"Mince pies." He explained.
"Why? I've never met her." Max opened the box and ate one.
"I've talked about you."
"Is that allowed?" she asked around a mouthful not wanting him to get into trouble.
"Probably not but me and Kelly are trying for a baby and there are no secrets between us. Besides it's not like she would tell anyone."
"I like these too."
"I'll tell her." He grinned "Although the correct response when someone does something you like is say thank you." He mock corrected.
"Thank you." She grinned back at him.
"So what will you do when I'm gone?"
"Go to the gym, read." She touched her books again.
"Let's listen to some Christmas music and I'll tell you about the holiday." He offered.
That night after she left him she stopped by one of the rooms that they used for her during her solitary confinement and pried one of the bricks out of the wall. Inside there she lovingly placed her two books and her treats before going to bed with a smile.
The trainer stood in front of them with his hands on his hips.
"Well? Explain your faces." He ordered the two of them.
Max stood to attention, ignoring the pain in her arm and tried to set her gaze at just past the trainers ear. It was hard because of the swelling in one eye that caused it to almost close. Her lip had just stopped bleeding and she was glad that she couldn't feel the bruises over her body yet.
"Sir, minor altercation between 452 and myself sir." 261 barked out. Max glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and noted with no small sense of satisfaction that he hadn't gotten off lightly either. He sported a black eye, a bruised face and if she wasn't mistaken maybe a broken nose courtesy of her fists. It would have been more if it was a fight fair but to have two of his unit hold her down while he hit her wasn't exactly fair.
It had been like this since she had joined the Unit 6 over ten months ago now. 261 had become the bane of her existence and she had named him Bulli, because that's what he was- a bully.
He wasn't a patch on Zack and she missed her big brother so badly that at times she wanted to cry, but soldiers didn't cry. She had to deal with what she was given and what she had been given was unit 6- The biggest bunch of bullies and spiteful backstabbers that had graced Manticore. She avoided them as much as possible, managing to somehow spend more time in punishment than she did with them. Something that actually came as a blessing.
Her first week out of Psy-ops was indelibly printed on her brain as the worse week of her life ever. And that was saying something in the place that thought adversity was character building, if that were true then her character was built at ten years of old. After the first attack by Bulli and his cronies the standard had been set. She was a traitor and therefore an enemy. Every time they got her alone they would attack, starting verbally and when she retaliated, and even when she didn't, then the physical abuse would start. Not just beatings but practical jokes. Everything from hiding all her clothes and tearing her bed linen to putting mud in her shoes just before inspection and barbed wire in her bed. Each was designed to get her into trouble and sent to solitary and punishment detail. Max took this from the trainers without hesitation and almost looked forward to the time away from the unit.
They were all mean and cruel and she had no family feelings towards them at all.
"It's always you isn't it 452?" the trainer sighed, not even questioning the C.O as to who had started the altercation. It was always her who was blamed and no amount of explanation would change their minds and she didn't even try. She had been an Oh niner and that automatically counted against her, even with the staff. She had probably been in reindoctrination more than all the other X5's put together.
"Do two laps of the field and then one round of the obstacle course before you retire." The trainer ran a hand over his eyes and dismissed them.
Bulli smirked as he walked away.
Max ignored him. What he didn't realise was that she had taken the Colonels' words to heart. When the enemy hands you lemons make lemonade.
Max had gotten great at making lemonade. The punishment that her tormentors thought she hated and endured through no other choice she had turned to her advantage. She was going to be better. A better soldier, a stronger, faster, smarter soldier and they were helping her to do it.
Every time she was dealt a hand she would use it to push herself in a way that the trainers didn't. Each period spent in solitary Max would use to pour over her course texts and read ahead. She had visited Manticore's library and was steadily furthering her knowledge. Each time she was sent to do laps or the course, she would challenge herself to be faster, more graceful- pushing herself to her limits; and every time she was getting faster and that much better. Not that she showed her trainers or her unit the improvements, she wouldn't give them another reason to ostracise her and beat her. But she wouldn't stop pushing herself and that was how she had come across her biggest advantage- Bill.
Bill was a forty year old lab technician with dreadlocks and a beaming smile set into his dark features.
She remembered the first time that she had met him. It had been about three weeks after she had rejoined the main base and she had to wait for the others to go to bed and fall asleep before she could return to the barracks and do the same. This was standard procedure by now. She avoided them so that she wouldn't have to see their faces whilst they waited for her to react to their practical jokes- Apple-pie bed, drenched pillows or barbed wire between the sheets. You'd think after almost a year they would get tired of their behaviour.
She walked down a corridor wondering what she could do to pass the time when she suddenly heard music and singing coming from one of the labs.
She peered around the door and watched carefully.
There was a tall African American in a lab coat with his long dreadlocks swaying as he moved to the beat playing on the mini radio next to his work station.
He turned quickly and spotted her, his eyebrows rising in surprise.
"Well hey there. Don't be shy honey, come on in and hang." He smiled "Come keep me company."
Max slowly walked in and watched him warily.
"Couldn't sleep huh? Me neither, I'm a night owl myself." He picked something up from the table and offered it to her "Cookie?"
Max took it, wondering what she was supposed to do with it when he picked up another and bit into it. She did the same and her eyes widened at the unfamiliar yet tantalising taste.
"Good huh? He beamed at her expression. "Ain't nothin' like a choc chip cookie to cure what ails ya."
"It has medicinal properties?" she asked curiously at the rest of the sweet confection.
"Only for de heart." Max smiled as he offered her another one.
"So who are ya then sweetheart?"
Max swallowed "X5-452 sir." She knew the answer to that one.
He paused for a second and then continued to mess with his test tubes.
"452 huh? I'm Bill, Bill Maclay. I'm a lab technician….well DNA geneticist actually. I diced and spliced your animal traits into ya."
"Oh." She wasn't sure what to say to that.
"452, you were one of those that escaped."
Max shrugged, suddenly feeling hostile. She had been having a nice talk with this man and now he would treat her like her unit and the trainers did. Like she was poison.
"Attempted escapees. I obviously didn't make it and Colonel Lydecker has cleared me for reissue and standards." She bit out, not caring at her tone.
"Whoa, defensive little thing aren't ya?" he held up his hands in mock surrender "I wasn't judging sweetheart." He looked at the bruises on her face "But I guess others have been. How did you get those?"
Max shrugged again, not wanting to go into it.
"Wait, lemme guess. It was a pygmy and his dog?" her lips twitched "Nah, maybe a rampaging squirrel or Peter Pan."
"What's that?"
Bill blinked "Peter Pan? Uh, popular culture reference- The boy who never grew up."
"Well it wasn't him, I've never met him."
This time it was Bills turn to smile.
"He's not real honey, a story."
"A morality tale? Like Aesops fables?" Max had heard of such things. "What is the conclusion of his story?"
"Say what now?"
Max frowned "I don't understand what you just said."
"That makes two of us." He shook his head "Let's start again. Who hit you?"
"Some boys from my unit." She confessed. He was a nice man, who sort of reminded her of Jack,
"How many?" he asked and was impressed when she responded "three."
"I bet you gave as good as you got huh?" she nodded and he laughed, a melodic sound that filled her with the first good feelings she had since Zack had sent them away. "That's cool."
"Cool? It seems average temperature in here."
"Nah, cool is slang. It means that something is good or great."
"Cool." She repeated "I haven't done common verbal usage yet. That doesn't start until we are cleared for solo missions." She gestured to the mini radio "What is that playing?"
"Golden pre-pulse oldies. Uh I think this is Shania Twain, before it was a band called Matchbox twenty. You heard of them?"
"No." she admitted and he nodded.
"Well if you are a night owl like me, I'm in the lab four nights a week. You could drop by and keep me company and maybe you'll learn something. Deal?"
"Affirmative." She shook his outstretched hand and sat next to him on the stool.
"Okay 452, 452 isn't there something else I can call you?"
"Max." she said trusting him with her most precious secret "You can call me Max."
So from then on, for four nights a week to avoid her unit she went and hung out with Bill and he'd tell her about the world outside Manticore. The other three nights a week she spent in the gymnasium perfecting her fighting techniques. But it was the time with Bill that she cherished. He explained about the pulse that had happened while she had been in Psy-ops and regaled her with stories of popular culture and colloquialisms and she came to see him as her saving grace; the one thing that made Manticore bearable.
He was the only one who knew about the progress she was making and her reasons for not advertising the fact that she was quicker, stronger and smarter than the rest of her company.
She finished the course and checked her time, delighted that she had completed it in 3minutes and 5 point 4 seconds. That was her fastest time ever. Even Bulli had only ever managed 4 minutes ten seconds. She grinned to herself and went to shower before going to see Bill.
"Hey Max, what's up?"
"Ceiling, sky." She sassed as she sat down.
"Smart Alec." He groused.
"What's that?"
Bill shook his head. Sometimes she was so normal that he forgot that she wasn't a regular girl who had been bought up with language like everyone else and was unfamiliar with slang that he took for granted. Not that he minded teaching her. She picked things up at an astronomical rate which was one of the reasons why he forgot so often.
"A smart Alec is someone who uses sarcasm to be funny. Or not." He mock glared "Also known as a wise ass, clever dick, smart ass."
Max loved the fact that he never complained about explaining the most basic things to her.
When she nodded he knew that the information had been assimilated and taken on board.
"What has got my favourite transgenic in a good mood?" he paused "did you finally kick Bulli ass?" he gestured to her bruised face half hidden by the fine dark hair that had grown almost to her collar now.
"Like I don't do that anyway. The guy is a serious loser." She waited for him to nod to show that she had used the colloquialism correctly. "I beat my track record."
"Yeah what you got now?"
"Three point five." He looked impressed.
"Way to go Maxie!" she beamed at his praise.
"I just wish I could show them all what I am capable of." She said hesitatingly "But if I did they'd just be on my case even more. Not that I care about punishment detail."
Bill laughed, he knew her feelings on that subject "I bet you are the only girl that would prefer to be squashed in a dark hole than talk to her team mates."
"Gives me time to think." She stated impishly.
"Speaking of time alone. You won't be seeing me all next week."
"How come?" Max slumped at the thought of even a week without his teasing and smiling at her.
"It's the holidays; I get to spend sometime with my family."
Family. The word bought to mind the brothers and sisters of hers that had left her alone here. Zack, Ben, Tinga, Krit, Syl, Zane, Jace, Brin, Jondy, Seth and Ash. Her family were scattered out there somewhere.
"Which reminds me." Bill continued unaware of her depressing thoughts. "Here. Merry Christmas Max." he held out a box and pushed it into her hands.
"Merry what?"
She looked down at the box. It was covered in red shiny paper and a bow. It was so pretty and shiny.
"Uh Christmas, it's a holiday that has its roots it…something that will mean absolutely nothing to you. It's a time to spend with family and celebrate all the things that make you happy. It's traditional to give gifts too."
"It's pretty." She offered.
"It's wrapped Max, you have to open it."
"Oh." He didn't laugh at her but felt extremely sad that a ten year old girl didn't even know what a present was.
She peeled away the tape and the bow and gently opened the paper.
It was two books.
"I know you're not supposed to have contraband so I got you something that you could easily hide if ever someone came in."
They were books. Bright and shiny and never read by anyone else, not touched by military hands or soldiers fingers. It belonged to her. She actually owned something herself. That was a big a revelation as anything.
"Weapons and arms through the ages and Grimm's fairy tales." She read.
"Something useful and something nice." He shrugged "What do you get for the transgenic that has never had anything?"
"I like them." she said fingering the covers of her books.
"I'm so glad." He sighed with relief "Oh and Kelly baked you these."
He handed her a small box with four pies in.
"Mince pies." He explained.
"Why? I've never met her." Max opened the box and ate one.
"I've talked about you."
"Is that allowed?" she asked around a mouthful not wanting him to get into trouble.
"Probably not but me and Kelly are trying for a baby and there are no secrets between us. Besides it's not like she would tell anyone."
"I like these too."
"I'll tell her." He grinned "Although the correct response when someone does something you like is say thank you." He mock corrected.
"Thank you." She grinned back at him.
"So what will you do when I'm gone?"
"Go to the gym, read." She touched her books again.
"Let's listen to some Christmas music and I'll tell you about the holiday." He offered.
That night after she left him she stopped by one of the rooms that they used for her during her solitary confinement and pried one of the bricks out of the wall. Inside there she lovingly placed her two books and her treats before going to bed with a smile.