Hey guys! Hope you like this chapter. It's the first story in a series that I'm putting out called 'Getting There.' I know, lame name, but whatcha gonna do? So, enjoy and please don't flame!
Thanx a bunch!
Moll :D
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Sometimes things just hit you, and you know that nothing will ever be the same again. It's weird how things can change so fast, but at the same time oddly comforting. Because if things can change so quickly, then if you're unhappy then maybe things won't be that way forever. Unfortunately, this can work both ways.
All I know is that sometimes I wish that I hadn't really thought about it, that I hadn't done anything about it. I should've just been the good little G.I. Jane that they wanted me to be. But I know that I could never have done that, because I'm different from the others. They wanted to have the best time for escape and evade, perfect mission status and to have been Renfro's favorite. I wanted to be normal, or to at least have a chance of normalcy.
My choice is made, and I'm happy with it-really, I am. Or at least I think that I am. But sometimes, I wish that they would have made me as emotionless as the others, because then nothing would matter. But I was made with feelings, and here I am, having a pity party.
Whatever. Just listen good, because I'm only saying this once.
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(In a conference room with Renfro)
"Do you understand your mission, soldier?" Renfro asks me coldly.
"Yes, ma'am. Infiltrate the group as a wealthy socialite, form a relationship with Davis' son. Find out about the family, their connections with French genetic research groups, and Davis' son's adoption. Then terminate." I say, trying not to feel the emotion inside. I have to get romantic with a guy and then kill him? Wow, Manticore's made up of a group of hopeless romantics, all right.
"This will be a long-term mission, 502. You will be there for at least nine months. Get intel on the family business as well as any friends or business partners. You will not contact the base until you have completed your entire mission. It is essential that the family is terminated, or they will almost certainly sell any information that they have to spite Manticore. Is that clear?" she says icily. Jeez, maybe they took the soul out of her instead of me.
"Yes, ma'am." I bark. Well, at least I will be cut off from Manticore. It sure as hell isn't worth killing innocent people over, but at least I'm temporarily free from Manticore.
"Get your civilian clothes and report to the van at the entrance."
"Yes, ma'am." Finally, briefing is over. I hate having to go over the same things over and over. It's stupid, really. They give us these amazing memories and then just have us repeat the same stuff over and over, when we remember it as clear as day.
This mission must be really important, I think as I change into loose army green cargo pants and a tight white t-shirt. I mean, I'll be gone for almost a year. Usually Manticore tries to get us in and out as soon as possible. Whatever. I grab my backpack, filled with a first aid kit, some clothes, a wad of money, and a piece of Manticore-issue nightgown. I don't know why I keep it, but it helps remind me of Amy.
I walk to the van and get in. I don't know where I'm going, but the boys in front don't tell me, or anything else for that matter. Well, these boys are sure talkative. After about forty minutes of insanity-inducing silence, the van slows to a stop in front of an old, dilapidated apartment building. Pre-pulse, never finished, covered with graffiti tags-yup, it sure as hell didn't cost the guys in charge a lot to set me up with this place.
The drivers finally acknowledges that I'm alive by casting a glance in my direction. Ooh, the driver's kinda cute. "Thanks, boys," I say and wink at the cute one. He blushes a bit. Aww, he's embarrassed!
"Good luck on your mission." he says, once regaining composure. I nod and walk into the building.
It's a dump, but kind of homey. I look around the lobby with its old, rickety benches and dirt-covered windows. Ok, given that the U.S. is now a third world country, I'll give you that it's better than most have it. But that doesn't mean that it's clean.
I pull the room key out of my pocket and head towards the elevator. Hmmm...floor seven, room 14. All right, it shouldn't be that hard to find. Just as the doors start to close, I hear a woman's voice yell, "Wait!"
The doors stop closing and immediately open again. Please, please don't let her have a little kid who likes pushing every button. Between that and the utter silence in the van, I seriously think that I'd go crazy.
Oh, thank god. It's just a girl and her motorcycle. She has raven hair and chocolate-colored eyes, and is oddly familiar. Hmmm...where have I seen her before? Ok, this is seriously going to bug me all day. Think, Andy, think. She wheels in the bike and looks at me.
"Thanks. It wouldn't have been fun if I had to drag my baby up seven flights of stairs." she says.
"What baby?" I ask. I don't think that it's a good idea to drag a child somewhere. Maybe it's just me. But she doesn't have a kid with her. Okay, what the hell is she talking about?
"The bike." she says, smiling. Wow, I feel stupid.
"I'm Andy." I introduce myself, not really knowing why I'm drawn to this girl.
"Max."
Then it hits me.
