Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Alec, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (Wayne/X5-369, etc.).

X6-405's P.O.V.

I sat patiently in the same waiting room in Psy Ops that I had been waiting in when Colonel Lydecker had first taken me here…how long ago was it? It couldn't have been more than one or two months…I think. However long it had been, I was finally going to be getting out. I'd had one last round of Manticore psych tests before they'd pronounced me ready for active duty again. I couldn't care less about what hell they were going to put me through day after day at that point, I just wanted to see my family again. I knew that they were worried about me. I had no worries about how they were doing. I had complete confidence in 115 to make sure that they were fine. Jace sat next to me. She had no clue that I knew her name and I didn't think that I should let her know.

"Glad to be getting out?" I said.

"Absolutely," she said. "I wonder which unit they'll be assigning me to since my old unit turned traitor and left."

That didn't sound good. "I don't know. I think at least two of the other X5 units were light by one or two soldiers before we got put in here. I think it was units 1 and 7. They always seemed like good units to me."

"Yeah," Jace agreed. "I wouldn't mind getting put into one of those units." We turned our heads towards the door when we heard footsteps and a few moments later, the door opened and Colonel Lydecker entered the room. We immediately jumped to our feet and saluted him.

"At ease, soldiers," he said. Jace and I immediately fell into the position. "I'm glad to be returning the two of you to active duty. Your continued loyalty to your home makes me and all of us very proud."

"Thank you, sir," we said.

"Follow me," Lydecker said. We followed him out of the door. I noticed that we weren't heading in the direction of the barracks.

"Sir, permission to speak?" I said.

"Granted," Lydecker said.

"Where are you taking us, sir?" I asked.

"Lecture hall 2," Lydecker replied. We reached the room before I could ask him any more questions and a guard opened the door and we went inside. "Stand next to the podium."

I stood next to Jace next to the podium and looked around and I was surprised. All of the X6 units as well as all of the remaining X5 units were sitting in the hall. I quickly found my own unit and gave them a quick smile. They all looked relieved and 115 gave me a thumbs-up. That was one thing off of my mind! Now I had to figure out how and when to get us all out of here.

"As you all know, it has been six months since the desertion of Manticore by the majority of X5 Unit 2," Lydecker said.

I was flat out shocked. Six months? I had been in Psy Ops for six whole months? That wasn't possible! How could I have been stuck in that hell for six whole months? Why had they put me in there for that long?

"You have all been briefed and updated on the situation," Lydecker said. "As of now, I am officially making it a standing order for any of you when you are out on a mission for those of you who are currently qualified to do so as well as those of you who aren't currently qualified, to notify command immediately if you see one of these rogue X5s.Of course, the mission that you would be on would always remain of the higher priority and should be accomplished first." He cleared his throat and then continued. "All X5 and X6 commanding officers, as well as X5-798, were taken to Psychological Operations for precautionary reindoctrination and evaluation after X5 Unit 2 left. X5-798 was kept in Psychological Operations for six months purely for precautionary reasons. While she was a member of X5 Unit 2, she remained loyal and did not make any attempt to leave after I had confronted the unit and warned them against it." Translation: after you killed a member of their unit in cold blood because she was doing the right thing, you monster. "X5-798 made the right decision. Remember that after I place 798 with her new unit. Do not treat her any differently from any other soldier. That is a direct order. Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" they all said.

"X6-405, commanding officer of X6 Unit 1, was also kept in Psychological Operations for a time of six months," Lydecker continued. "405 is one of our most promising soldiers and commanding officers. If she continues at the rate that she has been progressing so far, she will be a top candidate for commanding officer of our entire X6 group here in Gillette when we run those trials in ten years." His eyes hardened and he glared out at the others. I could see some of them shake a little bit, just enough for someone like me or Jace to notice. "405 was kept in Psychological Operations for that long as an example to all of you. If we put one of Manticore's best and brightest in there for six months only on a precaution, do not even think that we will hesitate to punish any of you if you so much as show the slightest hint that you are falling out of line. Is that clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

I couldn't help feeling a little suspicious. Something about that didn't sound quite right. I might not have had as much training in psychological warfare and subterfuge as even the youngest X5s have had, but I still had the feeling that Lydecker was leaving something out about exactly why I was in Psy Ops for that long.

"You are all to return to your activities," Lydecker said. "X5-355, I need to speak to you before you leave the room. You may join up with your unit at your class after I am done." He turned to me. "405, you may return to and retake command of your unit. Report to Room 8 tomorrow at 0500 hours so that we may begin to catch you up on your training."

"Sir, yes sir!" I said. I saluted Lydecker and went up the rows of seats and met up with my family again. "It's been so long! I can't believe they kept me in there for that long."

"Neither can us," 115 said. "It's good to have you back again. Colonel Lydecker did put you back in command of the unit, right?"

"Right," I said. "So, did I miss anything important while I was in Psy Ops?"

"No," 691 said. "Nothing that I would deem as extraordinary happened while you were away from us. They were watching us extra closely for the first three months after that X5 unit left and then they loosened up a little bit."

"It wasn't anything we couldn't handle," 367 said. "We all worked really hard while you were away. We wanted to make you proud of us. You are proud, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," I said. "I'm always proud of you. So, what have they been saying about X5 Unit 2?"

"They're traitors," 367 said sadly. "I can't believe it. They seemed like they were so good."

"They were so nice to us, too," 773 added. "Remember how after they made us spar against them they had them help us with our martial arts? They never lost their patience with us, even when 956 had trouble getting that one move down."

"I don't get it," 570 said. "Why would they want to leave here? Isn't this our home?"

"Yeah," 392 said. "How could they leave?"

I looked around and I felt my heart sink. I could see it in their eyes. None of them wanted to leave. It wouldn't be fair of me to force them to escape with me. I'd also known what Lydecker would do to them if I'd left. They just threw me in Psy Ops for six months for reasons that I'm not completely sure about. What would they do to my family? I don't know how I managed to keep the tears from my eyes. I had to stay. I knew that I had to stay for them. I couldn't escape yet, not until they came to the same realizations that I had. I looked around the room and I caught Lydecker's eye and he gave me a look and it took every bit of willpower that I had to keep my jaw off of the floor. He knew. He could tell that I wanted to make a break for it somehow and he knew that my family wouldn't want to and he knew that I would stay behind for them. He knew that as much as I wanted to leave, I wouldn't. I couldn't leave. I felt my eyes harden and I glared at Lydecker and I was surprised to see him look so nervous that he almost looked scared. He should be nervous. He should be scared. The monster was essentially keeping me hostage here. You're going to regret this one day, Lydecker. One day, you will wish that you had never had Jack killed and that you never killed Eva and that you didn't have the guards kill the other members of that family that failed in their escape attempts. You're going to regret using my family to keep me in the place that I would like nothing more to be free from. I swear.

TBC