Not Quite Dead – Chapter Seven
Taya Guevera
Gillette, Wyoming – Winter 2009
"Eva."
"Zack? What's wrong?"
"It's Max. Her seizure's are worse."
"We have to cover them up. We don't want what happened to Jack to happen to her."
"I know. That's why I've made a decision."
"What sort of decision Zack?"
"We're leaving. I'm not letting them take Maxie."
Closing her eyes, Eva nodded slowly. She knew that it would eventually come to this. Max was the youngest of them, the one that they all loved the most and would do anything for. Even if she disagreed with Zack, he was their CO, and as the 2IC, it was her job to back his decision. Sitting up on her bunk, she swung her legs across the bed so her feet met the floor. Silently, both Zack and Eva made their way from bunk to bunk, motioning frantically with the hand signals that Manticore had taught them, that they were about to leave.
Silently, yet quickly, their entire unit of twelve was assembled at the door to their barracks, Max between Jondy and Zack. Quietly opening the door, Eva peered out into the corridor and saw that it was empty, her enhanced hearing picking up nothing close by. Signalling to the rest that it was all clear, she stayed by the door while the rest of them jogged out and down the corridor. Because Zack's attention was busy with Max, it was her job to be the lookout and to plan the best way of getting out of there. Rounding a corner, Eva was surprised by a Soldier on his hourly rounds. Stunned, but not frozen, Eva executed a perfect roundhouse kick to the soldier's shoulder and a solid punch to his ribcage, knocking him to the ground. Crouching next to the soldier, Eva took his head between her arm and slightly applied pressure to his windpipe, just enough to knock him unconscious. She may have been trained to be a killer, but it wasn't something that she felt was necessary at this point.
Standing again, and nodding into the darkness, the green-mirrored eyes of her brothers and sisters reflected back at her as they rounded the corner and came towards her. Not wanting to take any chances, Eva took the pistol from the unconscious soldiers holster and quickly checked the magazine and safety. Everything was ready to go. If need be, Eva was ready to shoot their way out of this Manticore hell.
A few more meters down the dark corridor, Eva heard the telltale footsteps of four soldiers. Holding her hand up, fist closed, she motioned for everyone to stop and wait. She knew that somehow, the alarm had been risen that they were out of their barracks. This was the Manticore 'brigade' on it's way to retrieve them. Seeing their number one enemy, Lydecker, leading the group walking down the corridor, Eva decided to play on his sentimentality that they were his 'children'. Bringing the stolen pistol in front of her, she aimed it at Lydecker, wishing for just a moment that she could kill him without a second thought. She knew that they were the best of Manticore's creations to date, and she was counting on Lydecker's feelings towards them. He wouldn't kill her.
Feeling her brothers and sisters beside and behind her, she didn't have to glance at any of them to know that they weren't going to back to their barracks to play perfect soldiers anymore. They had past the point of no return. Looking straight into Lydecker's eyes, she saw him take note of who was there, and saw his eyes falter on Max, her seizures no longer able to be hidden. When Max had followed Jack out of the barracks that night when they took him away because of his seizures, she had come back with the horrible story of what she had seen them do to him. They had taken him apart, piece by piece looking at everything they could to determine where they went wrong – why their perfect soldier was now broken. It had taken Zack 4 hours to get the story out of her that night. She also mentioned that Lydecker had been there, watching, and comfortably drinking a cup of coffee during the surgery. From that moment on, our mutual hate of him grew stronger.
Lydecker knew what would happen to his favorite X5 – Max – if they took her away. There was no way he would be able to save her. Eva saw the moment he made his decision, it reflected in his eyes. The pistol in his hand seemed to have a mind of it's own, raising slowly towards her. She knew that he had called his own bluff, yet at the same time, had decided to let her family live, if they could, for the time being.
In what seemed like slow motion, Eva saw the flash of the gun powder from the pistol and had slowly positioned herself into a different pose so as to absorb the bullet, but not fatally. However, it still got her in the chest. Falling backwards, she watched as Zack, Max , Jondy, Zane, Tinga, Krit, Syl and the others watched her lying there, bleeding, realizing that they thought she was dead. She wanted to show them somehow that she wasn't, but she felt paralysed by the pain. She caught Zack's eye movements as he pushed back his emotions over her 'death' and lead the rest of them to freedom. At least, that was what she hoped as the blackness enveloped her and the pain started to dull on the cold, dark, linoleum corridor.
6 months later
"What is your designation?"
"Eva!"
ZAP! The electrodes attached to her body sent a bolt of electricity through her body. Genetically engineered she may be, but superhuman, she wasn't.
"What is your designation?"
"EVA!"
ZAP!
"What is your designation?"
"E-V-A!"
ZAP! ZAP!
On and on and on, all with the same response. For a 10 year old, she was extremely stubborn. The scientists doing the torturing continually reported back to Lydecker, who told them to up the voltage of the electric current. Even though the Scientists stressed how dangerous it was, he was adamant.
After months of 'electro therapy' Lydecker and the Committee decided that perhaps they had made the X5's too independent, something that was proven through the continual psy-ops results from the remaining X5's and especially the clones of the escaped 09ers. Running Eva through the same rigorous psy-ops procedures that the clones were exposed to, the Committee felt that the independence of each of them could be suppressed possibly eliminated altogether through a barrage of mental images and commands that were imposed on the X5's through months of long procedures.
On day, it became too much. She was in continuous pain, but that was what they wanted her to be in. She didn't flinch when they brought the laser machine to the side of her chair, and she didn't blink when they put the wire cage in her eye, forcing it to stay open. She didn't make a sound as the laser began to burn into the back of her head, showing images of her family, laying dead on the snowy grounds outside of Manticore.but she couldn't control the lone tear that ran down the side of her face. Her last sign of independence and rebellion
The flashes of her designation – X5-766 were replaced with X5-391, the faces and designations of her brothers and sisters flashed in her mind, alongside words like TRAITOR, BETRAYAL, TURNCOAT, ALONE. As the months went on, the electrodes were removed, and other forms of torture were used, poison, injury, and isolation with the Nomalies. Slowly, the memories of her family and their sense of unity began to fade after the months of re-indoctrination began to take root in her mind. She could feel herself slip away.
For a 10 year old, it was easier to give in than to keep fighting.
1 year later
"What is your designation?"
"X5-391 Sir!"
"What is your unit?"
"I have no unit Sir!"
"What is your name?"
X5-391 stood to attention, her hair once again cut short to military style, and her fatigues immaculately kept. The cell that she now called home was spotless, her bunk crisply made. Staring straight ahead, she didn't blink as Lydecker stood infront of her, repeating the same question.
"Soldier, I asked you a question, and I expect a response. What is your name?"
"Sir, X5-391 Sir!"
Standing at full attention, X5-391 didn't notice the triumphant smile that flashed on Lydecker's face. It had taken a while, proving to himself that she was one of the best they had created, but here was proof that everything could be broken, in time.
"Good work Soldier. Report to Barracks 9 Alpha for your training."
"Yes Sir!"
Watching X5-391 leave the cell, Lydecker walked a few paces behind her, watching her to her destination. He had plans for this one. Her brothers and sisters might think she was dead, and since he had removed her from circulation with the remaining X series, she had been used as an example of what happens to those who don't play by the rules. They had accomplished a lot of work thanks to 391. He paused by the windows of 9 Alpha, seeing her stand at attention, and salute the officer. Watching their interaction, Lydecker remembered that he had a meeting with the Committee in 20 minutes. Glancing into the room, he saw that the Officer was treating her no different than he would his other kids. Nodding once to him through the window, he walked away and made his way to the Conference Room in the Command Center.
Finally, some positive news to give The Committee.
I wanted to do a little background information for the next chapter. If I've gotten some of the information wrong, I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me:D
You know the drill, please read and review!