Hazel entered HQ to find Mole with a machine gun in one hand pointed to
someone she couldn't quite see and his hand around another's neck.
"Tell me who you and your friends are and I'll let you go." The lizard said through gritted teeth.
"Well, this isn't really the welcome we were expecting." Said a voice casually. Hazel was sure she recognised the laid back drawl but she couldn't place it. She tried to get closer to see the mystery voices.
"Who are you? That's all we want to know." Said Dix who was holding up his pistol.
"We're X5s." said another voice.
"Designations." Growled Mole.
The voice sighed, "I'm 757, this is 486 and 513."
As soon as Hazel heard those designations she pushed her way past everyone.
"Ember." She said as made her way to the clearing.
Everyone turned to her, "Hazel." cried 513 (Kat) as she came and hugged the younger transgenic tightly.
"You made it okay." Said Ember softly as he took her into a bone crushing hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay." Said 486 (Trigger) as he too took his turn to hug her.
She didn't say anything to them but just hugged them, gripping to them with emotional exhaustion.
"They're cool Mole." Said Hazel, "Meet Alec's old unit, well most of them."
Mole and Dix held down there guns as soon as Alec's name was mentioned.
"Well, where is Golden Boy?" asked Mole.
"Are y'all talking 'bout me again?" asked the handsome transgenic walking to everyone and suddenly stopping. "What's this?"
The three new transgenics suddenly stood at attention.
"Relax, guys." Hazel walking to Alec and then saying, "Alec, meet Trigger, Ember and Kat. Guys this is ."
"494." Said Kat.
"Nope, it's Alec actually. It's great to see you guys." He said man hugging the Trigger and Ember then turning to Kat to give her a full hug.
"We saw you on the news Sir." Said Trigger smiling, "You're all famous."
"Do not call me 'Sir'. ever." Said Alec seriously but soon grinned and asked, "Am I on a t-shirt yet?"
"Not that we've seen." Replied Ember.
"Damn, y'know since this thing's started its been a dream of mine." Said Alec leading them to a table.
"Same old 494." chuckled Ember taking a seat.
"Same old Tomcat. " Hazel said causing Kat to giggle.
"Well, people I think it's time to get re-acquainted. How 'bout we head to Barcode?"
And with that the old friends headed to the resident club. All talking, reminiscing, and laughing...together.
At the club, they all sat round one table, each with a drink in their hand, all of them laughing at something or another.
"So, did you catch up with 657." Asked Hazel leaning forward in her seat.
"Err.yeah we did." Said Trigger as his smile wiped right off his face.
"Why doesn't that sound too good?" said Hazel quietly.
Ember sat up and started to explain, "We met up with him in Chicago.Called himself Peace, got himself a job at some bar and was squatting in an abandoned house. It was all pretty sweet until someone saw his barcode in the bar one night. It was some crazed norm who had just seen the news about the transgenic alert and he jumped him. We were all there but we couldn't do nothing."
".The guy was screamin' that Peace was a trannie. Everyone was on edge from the news and so they didn't stop..." carried on Kat until she couldn't bring herself to talk anymore.
Ember began again, ".The guy tried to get him by crashing a bottle over his head. We were able to get him outta there but we had to split up. It was dark, we thought we could make it."
"Next thing I know, I see this blaze in front of me. I thought I was hallucinating, but it was Peace.they had." Trigger stopped and gulped lost in his memories, "they had."
Alec finally spoke up, "They had what?"
"They had set him on fire. The bottle the drunk broke on him wasn't empty. We didn't notice it then but he was drenched in alcohol and they just.they. . .they set him alight." Concluded Ember sighing, dropping his head and silently shaking it.
Alec's eyes hardened. He sat there not moving, not blinking, not even breathing.
Hazel was a bit more active. She got up and threw a table against the far wall. Everyone in the club ducked underneath their own tables. Alec watched as she stood breathing hard until she went to pick up another chair when he got up and took the chair away from her. She stood there and glared at him whilst he stood rock still, his face tired, worn. The other three were all on their feet but keeping back knowing Alec had to handle her. It was how it had always been. Hazel went to pick up another table to hurl when Alec grabbed her. She struggled shouting and screaming, punching him and pulling away. "Alec, get off me.are they going to do this all the time? When the hell are we going to be free?" Her struggles subsided as she broke down into silent tears, "I'm glad Jophiel didn't survive."
The people closest to her were the only ones who heard and they all stood, wordlessly waiting for her to say why.
"He doesn't have to go through any of this. I'm glad he doesn't have to live through this crap." She whispered.
"It'll stop soon, Haze." Kat said trying to console her friend but as soon as she got near her she stood up, walking away.
"No, it fucking won't." shouted Hazel at her unit.
Ember took a step toward her, "Hazel it will. They can't hunt us forever."
Alec watched Hazel as she paced the floor in front of him, shaking her head and wringing her hands.
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
"Something's brewing." Was her only answer as she continued to fidget.
"What does that mean?" Trigger asked getting up from his seat on a near by chair.
"Something's gonna happen. I can." she paused, "I can feel it. The activity is ringing in the air."
The other three looked at Alec who was still watching Hazel.
He turned his head away and said, "I'll get Mole and Dix to boot up the security."
"It's not gonna be enough." Said Hazel still pacing.
"It will be." Said Alec as he walked away, leaving behind a trashed bar and towards a new fight.
"Tell me who you and your friends are and I'll let you go." The lizard said through gritted teeth.
"Well, this isn't really the welcome we were expecting." Said a voice casually. Hazel was sure she recognised the laid back drawl but she couldn't place it. She tried to get closer to see the mystery voices.
"Who are you? That's all we want to know." Said Dix who was holding up his pistol.
"We're X5s." said another voice.
"Designations." Growled Mole.
The voice sighed, "I'm 757, this is 486 and 513."
As soon as Hazel heard those designations she pushed her way past everyone.
"Ember." She said as made her way to the clearing.
Everyone turned to her, "Hazel." cried 513 (Kat) as she came and hugged the younger transgenic tightly.
"You made it okay." Said Ember softly as he took her into a bone crushing hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay." Said 486 (Trigger) as he too took his turn to hug her.
She didn't say anything to them but just hugged them, gripping to them with emotional exhaustion.
"They're cool Mole." Said Hazel, "Meet Alec's old unit, well most of them."
Mole and Dix held down there guns as soon as Alec's name was mentioned.
"Well, where is Golden Boy?" asked Mole.
"Are y'all talking 'bout me again?" asked the handsome transgenic walking to everyone and suddenly stopping. "What's this?"
The three new transgenics suddenly stood at attention.
"Relax, guys." Hazel walking to Alec and then saying, "Alec, meet Trigger, Ember and Kat. Guys this is ."
"494." Said Kat.
"Nope, it's Alec actually. It's great to see you guys." He said man hugging the Trigger and Ember then turning to Kat to give her a full hug.
"We saw you on the news Sir." Said Trigger smiling, "You're all famous."
"Do not call me 'Sir'. ever." Said Alec seriously but soon grinned and asked, "Am I on a t-shirt yet?"
"Not that we've seen." Replied Ember.
"Damn, y'know since this thing's started its been a dream of mine." Said Alec leading them to a table.
"Same old 494." chuckled Ember taking a seat.
"Same old Tomcat. " Hazel said causing Kat to giggle.
"Well, people I think it's time to get re-acquainted. How 'bout we head to Barcode?"
And with that the old friends headed to the resident club. All talking, reminiscing, and laughing...together.
At the club, they all sat round one table, each with a drink in their hand, all of them laughing at something or another.
"So, did you catch up with 657." Asked Hazel leaning forward in her seat.
"Err.yeah we did." Said Trigger as his smile wiped right off his face.
"Why doesn't that sound too good?" said Hazel quietly.
Ember sat up and started to explain, "We met up with him in Chicago.Called himself Peace, got himself a job at some bar and was squatting in an abandoned house. It was all pretty sweet until someone saw his barcode in the bar one night. It was some crazed norm who had just seen the news about the transgenic alert and he jumped him. We were all there but we couldn't do nothing."
".The guy was screamin' that Peace was a trannie. Everyone was on edge from the news and so they didn't stop..." carried on Kat until she couldn't bring herself to talk anymore.
Ember began again, ".The guy tried to get him by crashing a bottle over his head. We were able to get him outta there but we had to split up. It was dark, we thought we could make it."
"Next thing I know, I see this blaze in front of me. I thought I was hallucinating, but it was Peace.they had." Trigger stopped and gulped lost in his memories, "they had."
Alec finally spoke up, "They had what?"
"They had set him on fire. The bottle the drunk broke on him wasn't empty. We didn't notice it then but he was drenched in alcohol and they just.they. . .they set him alight." Concluded Ember sighing, dropping his head and silently shaking it.
Alec's eyes hardened. He sat there not moving, not blinking, not even breathing.
Hazel was a bit more active. She got up and threw a table against the far wall. Everyone in the club ducked underneath their own tables. Alec watched as she stood breathing hard until she went to pick up another chair when he got up and took the chair away from her. She stood there and glared at him whilst he stood rock still, his face tired, worn. The other three were all on their feet but keeping back knowing Alec had to handle her. It was how it had always been. Hazel went to pick up another table to hurl when Alec grabbed her. She struggled shouting and screaming, punching him and pulling away. "Alec, get off me.are they going to do this all the time? When the hell are we going to be free?" Her struggles subsided as she broke down into silent tears, "I'm glad Jophiel didn't survive."
The people closest to her were the only ones who heard and they all stood, wordlessly waiting for her to say why.
"He doesn't have to go through any of this. I'm glad he doesn't have to live through this crap." She whispered.
"It'll stop soon, Haze." Kat said trying to console her friend but as soon as she got near her she stood up, walking away.
"No, it fucking won't." shouted Hazel at her unit.
Ember took a step toward her, "Hazel it will. They can't hunt us forever."
Alec watched Hazel as she paced the floor in front of him, shaking her head and wringing her hands.
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
"Something's brewing." Was her only answer as she continued to fidget.
"What does that mean?" Trigger asked getting up from his seat on a near by chair.
"Something's gonna happen. I can." she paused, "I can feel it. The activity is ringing in the air."
The other three looked at Alec who was still watching Hazel.
He turned his head away and said, "I'll get Mole and Dix to boot up the security."
"It's not gonna be enough." Said Hazel still pacing.
"It will be." Said Alec as he walked away, leaving behind a trashed bar and towards a new fight.