Author's Note: Sorry took so long with an update especially since this is already completed.
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No Escape
Chapter 8: Consequences
"I didn't say at ease, 656."
"Zack, cut the crap."
"Tinga!"
"Come on, Zack. I know you know what's going on. Tell us
already. Where is Max?"
Zack inspected the line of faces all staring at him with wide
eyes. They wanted answers. As C.O. he was supposed to provide those
answers. But this time he couldn't. And this was the time when he
should have known the answer more than any other time because this
time it had to do with Max. But he didn't know. Zack sighed.
"I don't know where she is."
"A mission?" Jhondy asked hopefully.
"I would know if that were the case."
"Maybe it's confiden-"
"Fall in!" A voice barked from the doorway. The X5s
immediately straightened their rows and snapped to attention.
Escaped. The word floated around in Zack's mind banishing
everything else out the moment he first heard it. Escaped.
Abandoned. Left. Left me! She left me. No no no. It wasn't true.
Something wasn't adding up. Max would never leave without telling him
which meant they were lying. They did something to her. They took
her away. The same way so many of their siblings had disappeared in
the middle of the night never to be heard from again. But then again
those who vanished before were never heard from again. Those left
behind were never told to report to the assembly room three days after
one of their own disappeared to be questioned about when they last saw
that person. They were never interrogated for ten hours straight
about the person until finally they were told that person had escaped.
Why Max?
"X5-210 step forward." Zack's head cleared immediately at the
mention of a designation other than 452. He was so surprised that he
almost looked over in Jhondy's direction rather than keeping his eyes
forward.
"Remove your shirt." Jhondy did as she was told. Only those
like her with their enhanced senses noticed her slight hesitation.
"Soldiers, do you agree that 452 should be punished for going AWOL.
"Sir yes Sir!" Twenty voices responded immediately
"Very good soldiers. But as you all know the problem with a
soldier going AWOL is that the soldier is not present to receive the
punishment! Isn't that right?"
"Sir yes Sir!"
"Treachery is the worse crime a soldier can commit. It is a
crime so horrible that no matter what the circumstance, punishment
must be doled out." The TAC leader continued, his voice rising and
falling every so often. "Soldiers, isn't in the best interest for
X5-452 to be found in order to receive punishment rather than the
member of the traitor's unit deemed closes to 452."
"Sir yes Sir!"
"X5-656 step forward."
"Yes Sir!" The TAC leader handed Tinga a whip before
continuing. "Do you have any information on the whereabouts of 452?"
"No sir!"
"Strike 210 with the whip." This time there was no question
whether or not there was hesitation. "Now!"
Tinga raised the whip and followed orders.
All nineteen teenagers were called up. No information on
Max's whereabouts equaled one lash whip to Jhondy's bare back. She
was hunched over on her knees by the time the last member of her unit
was called.
The next day, they all found themselves in the same room
again. When Jhondy was called up to the front again, twenty chests
painfully constricted at once. They couldn't believe they had to do
this again. Wasn't it obvious by now that they didn't know anything.
Did those norms in charge think they liked watching one of their own
being beaten almost to death? They didn't know anything. Hadn't they
made that clear?
Zack stepped forward. "Sir, 452 is my second in command. We
worked together in just about every aspect of our lives for the past
fifteen years. I'm just as close to her if not closer than 210. As
C.O. it is also my responsibility to know the whereabouts of those in
my unit. For this I failed. I should be punished. Not 210."
"You're right, you did fail 599." Lydecker's voice broke in
from the platform overlooking the assembly room. He had remained
silent and simply watched them through their entire ordeal yesterday.
He hadn't been present for any of their interrogations either. This
was the first time he was intervening.
They had searched the compound and everything within a twenty
mile radius for two days straight. They used helicopters, man power
on foot and on wheels and canines. He had trained them well and this
latest incident went to show how well. There had only been a
thirty-six minute time frame in which X5-452 had been unaccounted for.
At 13:24 she had excused herself from the cafeteria. At 14:00 her
whole unit was to report to the main training room. A scout, usually
an X6 or 7, was immediately dispatched to look around for her when she
didn't answer for role call. Of course this wasn't the first time one
of them had been late. But this was the first time that someone
didn't make it to the training room before the scout returned. The
TAC leader had radioed to the surveillance room. There were monitors
that showed every room in the compound and a heat sensor monitor that
displayed little dots for the area outside the facility. When she
wasn't seen on any of the indoor monitors they had to call everybody
in. The monitor for outside didn't pick up anything which meant she
was either too far out of the monitor's range or dead.
A big part of Lydecker, a part he wished he didn't have, was
thoroughly relieved that her lifeless body hadn't been found.
However, the soldier in him knew that the alternative was much worse.
Escape was serious. All it took was for one of them to get out for
the whole project to be compromised. Why did it have to be Max?
Having faced the fact that she had gotten a way, he had to make
sure it would never happen again.
"452 is a disgrace to your entire unit which is why I need for
you to tell me where she is."
"I do not know, sir."
"Very well. O'Neil give 599 the whip. 210 remove your shirt.
You, 599, are right about being responsible. You won't take the
lashes for every time one of your unit members refuses to give
information on where 452 is, you'll give the lashes. Begin."
Jhondy tried her best not to cry out. She knew that would make
Zack stop. She would still be whipped and Zack would suffer and even
worse fate. Zack knew this too. Jhondy would bear the marks but they
all felt it. As the sound of the whip slashing through the air to land
brutally on Jhondy's mutilated back continued, each member except one
was growing to hate Max more and more.
Chapter 9: Changes
"Mission accomplished, Sir."
"Good job soldier. At ease." Lydecker went to his desk and
picked up a file. "I know you've only just returned from your last
mission today and still have yet to be debriefed. But we plan on
sending you out again tomorrow at 1500 hours." Lydecker handed Ben
the file. "You have until 0700 to turn in the parameters report for
this mission."
"Sir, yes sir!"
"You are to be commended, 493. Your performance as Second in
Command over this past few months has been exemplary. Your success in
solo missions has always made you first choice for such matters."
"Thank y-"
"However, it has come to my attention by more than one source
that your performance in group settings has yet to improve since the
incident in Germania three months ago. I don't need to remind you
that if it hadn't been for 599, the entire unit probably wouldn't have
made it out of there. I'm telling you this now, 493, because the
committee has decided to bring Manticore into phase three. Meaning
there will be a lot less solo missions and a lot more small
contingents sent abroad. Our focus is changing, 493. More and more of
those in power here are understanding that you soldiers are the key to
bringing America back to what it once was before the pulse; the most
powerful country in the world. But it's a group effort. If that is
something you can not handle, we would no longer have any use for
you."
"No sir."
"I have confidence in you, 493. You will be successful from
here on out."
"Yes sir!"
"Dismissed."
Ben tossed his finish report aside and opened his journal.
The others were still out training in various places in the facility.
Since he had just finished a mission and had another one to go on
tomorrow, he had the barracks to himself for another couple of hours.
Dear Blue Lady
I need your guidance in helping me figure out a way to spend more time
with Max. My faith in you has given me the strength to be the best
soldier I can be. I've been on more solo missions than any other
member of my unit. But the Colonel says we won't be doing those for
much longer. You have to help me. You know I use the extra time I
allot myself to complete the mission to spend with Max. Those days I
spend with her before I go on my mission are what I live for. Going
back to only seeing her for a few minutes a few times a day won't be
enough. We need to be with each other more. Especially now. I've
allotted a whole extra week for this next mission. Please keep the
Colonel from getting suspicious. This time is important. Not only
because it may be the last time of me and Max spending days together
but I need to spend time in the place I feel closes to you. I hope
you can show me what to do next blue lady.
Ben headed for the infirmary after dropping off his report. He
always came during the morning hours when the place was buzzing with
activity. Soldiers of all ages were constantly parading in and out
picking up their meds. Lab techs and doctors were setting up
equipment, briefing each other on the day's projects, and reading over
data from work that was left over night. It was easy for an X5 to
slip in unnoticed and grab a few syringes, sedatives, and any other
miscellaneous items needed to take care of a unit member held hostage
in a secret hiding place.
Ben had just finished zipping up his pack when Dr. Shorn
approached with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm heading out for another mission later today."
"Already. You only just got back."
"What can I say, duty calls."
"You got all your meds."
Ben patted his pack and smiled. "All set." Dr. Shorn
returned the smile.
"See you in a couple of days."
Zack scribbled down his data on the chart before racing out of
the building. The quadrants he noted while flying the helicopter
around the base were rolling around his head along with several
questions. He had been informed three days ago that Ben would be sent
on another mission the day after he returned from a previous mission.
He knew the exact time Ben was leaving and he knew the exact time he
was coming back. So why was the person he had seen walking through
the wooded area a mile from the compound Ben. The helicopter had
given Zack a wide vantage point. That and his enhanced vision had
made the identification of Ben unmistakable.
Zack had always been suspicious of Ben. Granted he had been
more suspicious of everyone in his unit since Max disappeared because
after a while he believed that she had escaped. If he no longer
trusted Max how could he trust anyone else? But Ben's behavior had
given him greater pause. Ben seemed to have done a 180 after Max left.
It didn't come as a surprise when he was promoted to Second in
Command. He was always a good soldier but there was something about
his personality that kept the superiors from fully recognizing his
efforts. Then suddenly Ben seemed to have developed a calm and
confidence to his usual shifty behavior. He stopped sulking or
lashing out when things didn't quite go his way. Over the past few
months Ben had always gone the extra mile with every task or
assignment no matter how big or small. His only major slip had been
in Germania when instead of complying to an order to pull out after
already disobeying an order for retrieving the coup leader alive
rather than assassinating him, he turned off his com leaving them in
the dark as to what he was doing. The militia was already closing in
on them and they had to go in after Ben. They could have all been
killed or worse their cover could have been blown. It had only been
Ben's unparallel success as an assassin and on solo missions that
saved him from harsher punishment as well as from losing his status as
SIC.
Zack tracked Ben while shaking the eerie sense of deja vu. He
knew these woods. This was where they hunted that prisoner.
Thankfully that exercise was never repeated. Zack had a feeling their
actions had even scared Lydecker; made him rethink exactly how savage
he wanted his little soldiers to be.
Zack saw Ben stop suddenly and turn. Ben knew he was being
watched. Zack slowed his breathing and moved out of sight.
Hopefully Ben would think he was imagining things. Zack counted to a
thousand before easing from behind his cover and climbing the closest
tree. From up high, it wasn't long before he spotted Ben again. He
watched as Ben seemed to sink into the ground and disappear.
Zack waited until Ben's retreating back became completely
obscured by trees before breathing again. He then waited a few more
minutes before jumping down from the tree he had been perched on.
He cast another furtive glance behind him before pulling the
handle the same way he witnessed Ben. A slight creaking sound, and
then a chamber was slowly revealed to him. The room was bathed in the
low light of the lantern he saw resting on a table. Apparently Ben
had found an underground shelter and made it his own. From what Zack
could see, the place was well cared for and had been for a while. No
cobwebs or dust. The stack of shelves on the wall he could see had
food and other supplies. Next to the table with the lantern there was
a smaller table covered with a red cloth. Candles surrounded a statue
that Zack recognized from a picture a janitor had given Jack when they
were children. The blue lady. There were other items on the table
that Zack couldn't quite make out. His curiosity got the best of him
and Zack slowly descended into the chamber.
What he saw the moment he reached the bottom brought forth a
tidal wave of emotions unlike Zack had ever experienced before. He
was frozen in place, his mind and body nearly shutting down from the
overload. One word managed to break out from his paralysis.
"Maxie?"
TBC