Part twenty

Bad case of mission creeps



"Max..."

"Max, get up!"

"X5-452, on your feet!"

Max woke with a start. Her upper body reflexively moved forward and several muscles protested when they met with the resistance of solid leather handcuffs. Her senses flared with a flood of information as her brain kickstarted itself into action. She was lying in a hospital-type bed, needles and IV lines poking out of her, the pungent smell of chemicals invading her nostrils. The nagging hunger she felt in her stomach only added to her already darkening mood. To top it all off, she felt dizzy and her limbs weighed a ton.

At her right side, a metal bed screeched as its occupant woke in a similarly abrupt manner. Zack. Just when she thought this nightmare couldn't get any worse, a man entered her limited range of vision and leaned over her and Zack. It was her own personal Antichrist: Lydecker.

"You!" she rasped, still slightly groggy. "It's good to know they taught resurrection classes at Manticore."

"Not my fault you butted out early," Lydecker snarled.

But Max had better things to do than let his snide comments distract her. "Care to enlighten us on why we're here?"

Lydecker pressed his lips together in a grimace that could have been described as half a smile. But before he could respond, an orderly entered and pulled him aside.

Max dared to glance towards Zack, although she knew it was tactically unwise to divert her eyes from the enemy even for one second. Right now it didn't matter, though. Lydecker seemed to have forgotten about them and was all caught up in a whispered discussion with the newcomer. Weird. Just moments ago he was yelling at her to get up.

She yanked herself off the metal bed she was restrained to, but the shackles didn't give way. One look at Zack told her that he hadn't had any luck with his either.

She had to wonder how much her thick-skulled brother remembered.

"Zack ?"

While she tried to get a response from him, Max could almost see a blonde woman's head flashing in front of them, thin lips curled in disgust:

"State your designation, soldier!"

As if he had had the same flashback, Zack blurted out in a reflex:

"X5-599."

Max cringed, thinking of the last time she had heard that. "Cut the Manticore crap! It's "Zack" and I could care less if you believe me or not. All that matters is getting out."

Catching herself return to bitch mode, Max wasted only one moment feeling sorry for Zack. She promised herself she would show him all the sisterly feelings she had for him once they were clear of this mess.

The bitch might have been back, but one glance at her fellow X5 told her Zack was still the better soldier, with or without his memories of Manticore. While she had spent the time mulling over things, he had managed to yank one arm free: the metal one. The soft, lost look of Adam was gone. His eyes were piercing cold again, those of a soldier through and through. Max sighed inwardly. What the heck had she expected? One of those eyes was bionic anyway.

Her musings were abruptly interrupted by the sound of a disturbance. She could discern gunshots, yelling, and the smell of smoke, all coming from somewhere outside the windowless room. Lydecker was back, too, looking thoroughly pissed.

"Max, Zack, you need to take it easy."

Zack remembered enough to know this man was the enemy, but one second of hesitation was all it took for Max to cut in.

"Then why don't you just tell us why we're here?"

Lydecker looked genuinely disappointed: "You still don't trust me?" "Must be a part of my kick-ass genes".

"White was about to capture you. You wouldn't have been able to escape, not with your bout of seizures and his faulty memory."

Max was not about to silently swallow all the lies he dished out.

"You couldn't have known about the seizures until you caught me. So what's really up?"

"White wants his son back, and then he wants you dead. You and everybody else from Manticore, me included. As I've already said more than once: the enemy of my enemy..."

"I think I've heard that one once too often. But I still don't get it. I'm the only one that knows where his kid is, now that Logan's gone. White needs me alive. Where do you fit in the picture?"

"I want to stay alive and maybe salvage something of my life's work in the process." Lydecker's cold eyes were puzzling, even to Max.

"Right. If that's all there is to it, then I'm the queen of Manticore. So if you're not going to tell us the truth, at least you could untie us."

The noises outside seemed to get louder and Lydecker grew impatient. He bent over Max, getting uncomfortably close for her taste.

"You need to do the unthinkable, Max, you need to trust me. You've done it before."

"And look where it got me."

The cocky grin Max sported irked him to the point of rage. "Max, I went through a lot of trouble to get rid of your implant. Renfro wanted it there as means to track you down. I took it out. Why would I do that if I had a hidden agenda?"

She instinctively reached for her neck and felt the tender spot under her barcode.

"How? It's impossible."

He had known this would faze her; in fact, he had been saving it as the last argument in this complicated game they had been playing. Too bad it had stopped being a game a while ago. "I don't have time for this. It was complicated, but we had the right motivation. You were both sedated for the ten days it took to pull out the implant and stabilize your nervous system. At one point we even had to transfuse you with Zack's blood, letting the nanocytes do the rest. But anyway, bedtime stories are for obedient little soldiers. Who do you trust more, me or White ?"

For a moment, Max was too caught up in her confusion to answer and then it all went down in a blur. Lydecker's walkie-talkie beeped and he rushed out, shouting an order at them: "Stay put!"

What the hell was going on ? He had removed the implant? He could have killed her in the process! How could she trust him when he hadn't even asked her if she wanted to die yet? On the other hand, it was good to know there would be no more seizures. While the tryptophan problem had been solved during her last stay in Manticore, the seizures generated by the implant had been worse than any of her other health issues.

Now Lydecker had just disappeared, ordering them around like in the old times. Damn him! Who knew what else he had done to them in ten days. Ten days! They needed to get out. This instant!

Zack kept his gaze on her as he worked on freeing his other arm. She glared back, challenging him and only peripherally taking note of the additional leather straps at his ankles and the electrodes dangling over his bed.

"You are reckless. I don't trust you", he coldly whispered.

Had he ever ? This kept getting better and better. At this rate she'd have her old, bitchy CO back in no time. She hid her frustration expertly.

"Hate to disappoint you, bro, but you have to. At least until we get out of this mess."

Max decided it was easier to break off the bed handles than the shackles. One last yank and she was free. Well, there were the metal hinges dangling at her arms, but those didn't count.

She approached Zack and looked him in the eyes as she helped him pull free, too: "I'm in your unit, remember ?"

With that, the matter was settled for both of them. There was a fight raging on outside. Whoever the fighting parties were, this looked like the perfect opportunity for an escape and evade scenario.

Regardless of the shackles, the room appeared to be more of an infirmary than a cell. The door was solid, but all things considered, Max felt incredibly calm. She had been in worse situations.

As if on cue, both X5s took three steps back and rammed full force into the door. Only Max winced when her shoulder connected with the hard surface and a slight dizziness made her stagger. Though neither of them stopped their assault. Still, Max would have gladly traded her aching shoulder, the spinning room and the Neanderthal op methods for a decent lock picking kit.

The door finally gave way with a loud crash and the two transgenics had to duck to dodge a few flying bullets.

"Wish I knew what they're fighting for so fiercely."

"I'd say they took a look at you and decided they wanted a piece", she quipped. Seeing his dumbfounded look, she elaborated: "I'd bet they're fighting over us. I wish I knew whose side we're on."

"Our side", Zack cut her short and led the way down a corridor towards a large door.

Max tried to take a look at the few fallen men they were passing, but Zack was pushing her onward and unfortunately, he was right. Whoever had been keeping them hostage, probably Lydecker's men, were losing the fight. It looked like Lydecker's side was wearing regular army clothing, while the other had more sophisticated combat equipment. She couldn't help wondering how her nemesis had gotten hold of the men, the guns and the two helicopters she could see outside.

Zack stopped to swipe a gun from a dead body as Max feverishly tried to do an inventory of her enemies: White, Behrens, the senator, and whatever was left of Manticore, if there was even anything worth mentioning. Who would have the firepower? And the motivation? For all she knew, all those enemies could be working together.

And why would Lydecker want them alive? Besides fatherly pride that is. The only solution she could see was that Lydecker had some hidden agenda. There was no way for him to deploy at least two dozen men to fight unless there was a substantial gain. And now Lydecker was fighting White or Behrens or some special force at the senator's heel for two measly transgenics. It all meant they were worth it. That was good enough for her ego. They would have to help their nemesis, at least until they could find out more.

When Zack shoved a gun in her hand she dropped it as if it had been melting hot. She didn't care about his angry look. She didn't pick it up, either, but followed her former CO as he gave her fire cover and they stealthily made their way out. Since when had he become the CO again and she the rebel thinker ?

The blast of a nearby explosion threw her forcefully into a metal door, cutting short all thoughts not related to the situation at hand. The door handle had painfully buried itself into her. Time to kick some ass and leave the deep thinking to someone else. Too bad there was no one to help her piece the puzzle together. Not anymore.

Zack suddenly stopped at a corner and signed to her to get ready. That she did, almost becoming one with the concrete surface she leaned on. The helmeted man approaching at a fast run never saw it coming. She effortlessly kicked the gun out of his hand and sent him flying into the next wall.

This time it was Zack who approached the soldier in an effort to find out more.

"Who are you working for?"

Incoherent mumbling was the only response.

"For the last time tell me who you're working for!" He picked up a large package out of the man's backpack.

"Colonel ... Behrens..."

That threw her one step back in her reasoning. Lydecker had said White wanted them. But these men were working for Behrens. She was missing something in the picture and she didn't like it, not one bit. They needed to talk to Lydecker again.

Zack kicked the soldier again and the man passed out.

"What did you do that for?" Max spat at him. Instead of an answer, Zack threw the package at her. It was a state of the art bomb with a timer. Set to three minutes and counting down.

Damn! They needed Lydecker! Too bad Zack had other ideas. He started sprinting towards an emergency exit door and she had no choice but to follow him or be left behind. They half ran, half stumbled out, several soldiers on their tail.

Zack kept shooting as they ducked for cover behind a tree.

"Zack, stop right now!"

"What?" he barked. "Can't you see I'm busy ? I'd like to get out of here alive, if that's all right with you." . Max ignored his failed attempt at a rebuff. "We need to get back to Lydecker. There are too many questions. If we help him, he might..."

Her plea was cut short by several explosions resounding from the building they had just left. As Max could see, the explosions had grown in number as well as in intensity.

"You want back, Max? Be my guest. I'm heading to that chopper over there before everything falls on our heads." He had wanted to add that he would forcibly carry her over his shoulder to their ride. But something told him to stop his bark right there and let her decide for herself. He could still knock her out if she didn't make the right decision. Or so he thought.

This time, she accepted the gun he handed her and started shooting in the general direction of their pursuers while Zack warmed the big bird up. But time was running short. More men came running out of the building, or what was left of it, and headed for the chopper in a mad sprint. Quite a few of them kept shooting.

"Max, the chopper is secured to the ground ! Get those ropes untied--now!"

She fired a few more shots and bent to detach the ropes from the rings embedded in the cement. She missed her mark, though, when two bullets hit simultaneously and propelled her to her knees.

"Max? Max, get in!" Four of the helmeted soldiers had almost reached them when another explosion shook the ruins of the building.

She was cradling one arm to her chest while her other unfastened the rope securing the chopper to the ground.

"Max, grab my hand!"

Noticing that she was unresponsive, Zack extended his arm out of the cabin and yanked her in as the vehicle took off.

"Max? Are you OK?" Looking at her slumped over at his side, he felt a pang of guilt and despair. They had taken off in time. But now what? Where could they go?

"Max?"

She barely heard him. She could however hear the rush of blood in her ears, could feel it leave her body in spurts. Her head slid downwards on the cold, damp glass of the window, while her mind wandered off to happier moments from long ago.



AN: Sorry to have you waiting for such a long time with this story. The whole thing will be taking a sharp turn soon and I had to make sure I got everything right. Once again, a huge box of virtual chocolate and lots of thanks go to my awesome beta, Dancinstar. Apart from that, she also deserves all the credit for the Z/M transfusion idea. Thanks!