Chapter 2: Cry in the dark

2027, Headquarters of Manticore

NOTE: in this story Manticore was never burned to the ground and Lydecker is still in charge of his duty as Manticore Colonel.

With a pale face, the X9 was laying on the bed, the head shaven; cold and quiet. Her eyes were open; following every move in the room. The gaze in her eyes was filled without emotion; a brave little girl with dark eyes. Her muscles were trained and strong; her head was overwhelmed with words such like 'loyalty, duty, know your enemy', and other sorts of things. She had no idea that what was happening to her was really wrong. That she was an innocent child who was abused by a secret agency, how could she know? Or did she?

Lydecker was waiting outside while the girl was forced to undergo a new series of tests; they were designed to mark the amount of emotions on the subject and if possible; it could be used as a tool to take away human emotions. He knew the tests results already; this X9 was doing well and there didn't seem to be any reason to simplify her or to take away emotions; X9-734 was on schedule and on of the best X9's in the X9 series.

When the doctor opened the door, Lydecker was able to sense some sort of relieve; she reported exactly what Lydecker had hoped for; X9-734, the offspring of his escapee Jace was doing very well for a mixed DNA subject. He nodded and the X9 was taken back to the barracks. In the meantime, Lydecker thought about the escape of Jace; he knew he shouldn't think of her as Jace but as a X5 but he couldn't; she was one of his kids.

It was nearly three years ago now. Jace had showed signs of total integration of the project and she was back on duty again; she'd done a few assignments and she hadn't failed. But then, when she was send out to cancel one the escaped subjects from the basement, she didn't return; neither did the X2 and though Lydecker had started a huge search with X7's on the loose... He never found a trace of the basement transgenic or Jace. Lydecker was surprised; not about the fact that Jace had been able to play along but about the fact she had abandoned her offspring. Not that he was bothered by it, he couldn't find the reason why Jace left without taking her daughter. Not that Jace would have had the chance to walk in to the barracks and take her daughter with her... But Lydecker had figured that Jace would come back for a rescue mission on her daughter. But no Jace was sighed anywhere; and Lydecker wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing...

In the barracks, Maxie relaxed her muscles; she had 5 minutes to prepare for another training. She was tired, not physically but mentally; her strong headed idea's of freedom, which she had heard from another X9 who was also brought back in, began to bow under the huge metal pressure. She knew her mother was out there; she knew she wasn't a good soldier like Case or Nancy; they were much stronger but for now Lydecker didn't seem to be unsatisfied about her and Maxie wanted to keep it that way. Once again she had past through the tests; she had locked her mind and it worked again; the results showed that she didn't had any unneeded human emotions and she appeared to be loyal. But all of that was a game and Maxie knew it was a dangerous game; if she'd lose she would lose not only her last hope but also her last strength to fight Manticore.

Case, one of the other X9's was brought in when Maxie was about three years old but from the beginning he had watched over her and he had told her stories about his mother, who he could still remember. He'd also told stories about her mother but she doubted about how true they were, he'd never met her mother. He'd seen Jace a couple of times and those times he came up with huge stories and though Maxie didn't believe all of them, she wished they were true and she wanted to believe it so she did. Case had told that her mother was a fighter, just like his mother and that she would take both of them out... One day. So both Maxie and Case kept dreaming about being free, whatever that exactly was... And it was the only thing that prevented them from becoming real soldiers. Their bodies might be soldiers but their minds were human and Maxie was glad she could take that as a fact. But is became harder and harder every day to play along and then there were to other things she was bothered about; she and Case hadn't seen her mother in years and now, since two months, Case was transferred to another part of the training center and Maxie was afraid that they had found out about him being less a soldier the planned... So she was scared. But before she could come up with the most horrible idea's of what happened to Case, she was ordered to join the training and of course; she obeyed.