~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~flashback

"476, you're weird." says Tease, giving me a disapproving look. I roll my eyes...not this again. I've been called weird by my unit ever since I can remember, which is pretty damn long, considering the enhanced memory and all. Why am I weird? Can someone please explain this to me? Maybe I am weird. I mean, what teenage girl wouldn't want to be sent on government-organized assassinations? What girl wouldn't want to know more about hand grenades than about the outside world?


"I am not." I say defensively, subconsciously getting ready for a fight. You see, it's a favorite pastime of my squadron to gang up on me. One that is obviously very fun for them, but less amusing for me. Sure, they're the people I live with, share my life with, but that doesn't mean that I have to love them. In fact, I don't think that I like them much, for that matter. You see, our generation of Manticore-the X6's- were altered to do whatever told, to not think and to just follow whatever whacked-out assignments Manticore gives them.


"I think that she's brilliant." Amy tells her. Amy's the one X6 that I know that has a backbone. I love Amy to death- she's the one person in this place that I can stand, let alone talk to. We stay up sometimes during the night we both don't need that much sleep, on account of us having shark DNA, just another thing that makes us different from them. Whatever. We walk away from Tease, who sulks and pouts, and goes to flirt with one of the clones in our unit.


I like being with Amy-we can talk about anything. She keeps me on the sane side of the fence, and I don't know what I'd do without her. Probably die. We do things that make us feel normal, like name the other people in our unit. Of course, they don't know that they have names, otherwise we'd be in deep shit with Renfro.

I'm alone most of the time, but I don't mind much. It gives me time to think of what it would be like to get out of here, to be free of the hell that we call home. I don't know why they made me different-I was just supposed to be another mindless soldier.


But I'm not. Somewhere along the line, some scientist decided to mess with the heads of the bug guys and make someone exactly like an X5- I have free will, and I don't have to follow orders to be fulfilled. Just to survive.


The funny thing is that even though I have the qualities of an X5- I don't have any of the X6 lizard genes in my genetic cocktail-I'm not a clone. Now, you're wondering, how do I know this? Well, rule #1: never teach your genetically enhanced supersoldiers to decrypt security measures on databases if the only safety measures you tack is to just crypt the system more. It only took me three and a quarter minutes to hack into the systems. Renfro would be so damn proud.


I don't know how much more of this life I can take. I need out, I think as the lights suddenly go off. We scramble to our beds, and Amy lays on the cot next to mine. "Goodnight." she whispers cheerfully to me.


"Goodnight." I whisper to her and drift off into a dreamless sleep, not knowing the horrors that tomorrow will bring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Max's apartment)


Uuuuuh... I really don't like this mission. Uh uh...not cool. I mean, I haven't even gotten to my mark yet and already I've faced more problems than in all of my missions together. Maybe it's for the better...I got to meet a fellow Manticorian, and-eh, who am I kidding? I'm dead. Literally.


Maybe I can just run, and they won't find me. God, what am I going to do? I know that Max knows who, or rather what, I am now. I don't know how she's going to react, or well, I just don't know anything right now.


I open my eyes, only to find myself in Max's apartment, lying on a couch. Voices in the other room only worsen my killer migrane, but I block them out and look for the best way out. I see a window and decide to start there, forgetting that we're seven stories up.


Don't get me wrong-I could survive the fall, no sweat. I just don't think that a) I'd be in the best mood for a chase afterward, and b) my headache would be helped much be falling six stories. Maybe another time, but it just doesn't seem like a brilliant idea when I feel like I'm going to pass out.


The apartment has a decent view. I look out the window into the fading daylight. The clouds that block out the setting sun make my day- light would aim my eyes right about now. Night has fallen now, and the streets are nearly empty.


I feel safe here, with another person like me. I know I shouldn't let my guard down, but I can't help that the barricades have fallen. I stand by the window for a while, having a war between myself. I know that I can't ever turn her in to Manticore- why should I punish Max for living the life of freedom that I've always dreamed of? No, it just wouldn't be right. But what am I to do if Manticore finds out?


In the middle of my musings, a sudden wave of nausea hits, and I sink into a nearby chair, fighting the urge to throw up the military slop that was my lunch. The coldness of the room is weakening me, and I rub my arms in a futile attempt to warm myself up. I gasp and try not to cry out in pain. Icy air fills me, burning my lungs.


I look into the hallway, scanning for a bathroom. I stand up a little too fast, and crumple to the floor. Wow, this is so embarrassing. Not caring whether Max or Cindy heard, I crawl into the bathroom just as Max, Cindy, and a very familiar looking man enter the room.


The cool tile floor is like ice on my legs, and I shiver violently. I hury to the toilet, making it just in time before I throw up my lunch. ugh....I lie on the floor, freezing to death yet still so warm, and let out a choked cry. The man runs into the room at my strangled and yells, "She's in the bathroom!"


god, my head...everything's blurry. so cold. I'm slowly freezing to death. The man lifts me up, his warm hands burning my skin. My eyes try to close, and the sleep is welcoming, but I fight it. I can't be vulnerable in front of my potential enemies, although I guess I'm too late for that.


My rescuer/captor (I can't really tell yet) runs into a nearby bedroom and lays me on the bed, covering me with as many blankets as he can find. Okay, whoever this guy is I really like him already. Max and Cindy run into the room with more blankets, and the man tucks them around me.


I try to stay awake, but coherent thought is getting harder and harder. The man kneels down and touches my face, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. I flinch at the contact, not used to nonviolent-touch. "It's okay, Andy. I'm one, too."


He turns around and pulls his collar down, revealing a blurred (thanks to my senses freaking out) barcode. "You're okay now. We'll help you stay on the outside." he promises, looking me straight in the eye.


What? My whacked-out body tries to process this information and to keep me from sleeping, but both at once is too hard. As I fall into a deep slumber, all I can think of is 'oh god, there's no going back now.'


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR'S NOTE


Hey guys! Sorry if I haven't updated in a while. I'm in the new musical at my school, so things are hectic. But, whatever. Thank you to all of my reviewers!! I lurv ya forever!!!!!


I would also like to wish everyone with Writer's Block luck, and hope that it goes away, cuz it sucks.


I'll try to update soon!


Molly Jeane :D