And Then I Rolled A Five And A Two

Disclaimer: Anything you could sue me for isn't mine

This is an AU story


The church was a small forsaken building outside of the city, surrounded by foreboding dead trees and rotting wooden fences. The gravestones crumbled and those buried long forgotten. Only one being sought solace within its walls, sat on the floor in a dark corner at the back of the building.

The sunlight shone through the broken windows, casting vivid colours across the floor due to the remnants of a shattered stained glass arch. He looked at the colours, watching the way they moved as the clouds crept over the sun. After such a long time of having nothing but pain he always found himself getting pleasure from the simplest of sources, the noise of birds, architecture, all the stupid things he would never have paid attention to before. In the pitch black of the corner he was in the only light came from his own eyes, their fiery glow licking around his face. He sat against a large wooden cross leaning into the corner. He thought it ironic, because by all means any contact with such an effigy should ignite him anyway, so his eye's flame like aura suited the scene well. His legs where crossed and he stared at his ragged boots, the steel caps showing through from being over worn, most off his clothes were rags, the scarf over his mouth itself was sown together from about 3 different pieces of material. His tan trench coat was frayed at the edges and the breast pocket hung off as the stitches had been torn, but this mattered not to him because everybody who came to pay attention to these details he had slaughtered.

The big wooden double doors of the church splintered as they flew into the rows, the explosion more than sufficient to allow entrance. But entrance wasn't why they had blown the doors off, that was the distraction. He had heard their vehicles driving up, heard their footsteps, whispered orders, those X7's slipping in through the back door, everything. They had come to collect their specimen again; he had lost count of how many attempts he had been made to endure. No, wait, endure? That made it sound like killing was a chore. No, no, it was what brought him the most pleasure, because it was what he is, a killer. Sitting still in the same position with his arms crossed he moved his head up burning holes into the eyes of the 5 X7's surrounding him. They looked only about 12 years old, surrounding him in a semi circle. They had never known an enemy they couldn't take down with ease, until now.

"Specimen 57 on your feet, you are to accompany us back to Manticore" the center X7 said in a toneless drone.

"Doth thee really think thou'st will comply?" he said cockily, a slight almost unnoticeable gleam appearing in his enflamed eyes.

"Specimen 57, if you..."

"Thy namest Rumandello" he butted in, he always had hated this verbal collar they gave him.

"Specimen 57, on your feet or we will use the necessary force" he droned again, the X7's face emotionless and dead.

"Be'eth that an invitation?" he laughed as the furthest right X7 dropped to the floor crying in agony, both his feet severed at the ankle by their targets sword. Moving like a blur the 4 remaining X7's spread out in the small construction, scanning for their target who had moved so quickly they barely saw him disappear into the shadows. They began to panic when they heard a sinister cackle ring out, and spooking an X7 was not the easiest of tasks. They're eyes darted around, scanning the area with advanced military precision. It did them no good.


Life bled into Logan like a blood transfusion, is eyes flickered in the blinding morning sun. His head was ringing like a large alcohol fuelled bell, and his memory of the previous night hazy at best. A face was piecing together in his head, an attractive face. Audrey? His redheaded ex girlfriend? No, that wasn't it, all thought he did have the misfortune to have seen 'it' last night. Lying on the verge of regaining consciousness, Logan strained his mental vision at the person residing behind his mind fog. Max? Who? That? Her? When? Shit! His eyes bolted open in mute distress, did he really? Nah, no way...

Turning his head ever so slowly to his right he looked across the empty expanse of white bed. Nobody there. He sighed in relief, or was it disappointment? He remembered most of it now, but there was no signs of her anywhere, it just looked like Logan had had a rather large spasm in his bedroom, the sheets thrown everywhere and his exoskeleton laying on the floor next to the bed in a heap of steel. No she had been here, but she had already gone. His mind clearing more and more by the minute, he had two questions on his mind.

1: How could a cripple like him pull her?

2: Was that barcode for real? Was she one of those kids that escaped in '09?


Hearing cries of agony echo from within the building Zack and colonel Lydecker watched the church, Zack grimacing at the fate of the X7's with his enhanced vision. Lydecker knew what was happening to them, he trained 57 to do this, slaughter without thought. Ever since that small boy was brought in crying and scared half to death...

Zack stepped forward; he couldn't let this go on any longer. Just about to speed into combat he felt his superior's hand on his shoulder.

"No my boy, I have told you. This is what needs to be done." Stated Lydecker emotionlessly.

"But he's killing them all, he needs to be stopped, that was the last group of X7's in Manticore. We are all but out of troops sir!" urged Zack, knowing that after 6 years of trying to capture specimen 57 and his unpredictable attacks on the Manticore HQ his group of X5's were the only enhanced soldiers left in the whole establishment.

"My dear Zack, I am so sorry for this. But I lied when I told you you're the best"

"Sir?"

From out of the shadows of the church blurred a flash of silver in the corner of Zack's eye. He turned to see what it was and that was all he saw before he dropped to the floor. Lydecker looked down at the extended katana protruding from between Zack's forehead. Out of the doorway of the church came Rumandello, or specimen 57 as he was once known. Walking straight towards Lydecker who was stood next to his hummer surrounded by his elite human bodyguards, Rumandello stamped on the corpse's chest before retrieving his blade.

"This must endth soon" He growled as he stared into Lydecker's eyes.

"I'll tell her your coming"