AN: (Incase you haven't read the review.) Okay guys I'm sorry I ran into a
few problems. First I lost the notebook that I had wrote chapter seven in
but rest assured I found it and am typing it up. I have also been sick for
a few weeks now and no one was telling me what was wrong. That too has
seemed to pass. I'm typing up the chapter as quickly as I can and I hope it
lives up to your expectations. :) Also my posting has been slowed down due
to that fact that I am enrolled in two writing workshops in college where I
am required to write 10 pg. Original stories and plays every week. I'm
trying to keep up with everything extremely unsuccessfully. So sorry about
the wait but here goes nothing…
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Zack sat in front of Bling after filling the three in on his plan. Zack was wearing a pair of army surplus pants, gray camouflage that he had found at a thrift store and a gray tee shirt. "Logan do you have a gray shirt Bling can wear?"
"I'm sure I can find something." Logan nodded and went into his bedroom.
"I have another pair of these pants you can wear." Zack informed Bling. "So are you ready to become a soldier?"
"I'll try." Bling nodded.
"There is no try soldier only do." Zack snapped as Logan came out and handed Bling the shirt. "Go suit up Soldier."
When Bling came out of the bathroom Zack realized how much he really did look just like Braden. Zack sighed and went over Braden's background information as well as general Manticore practices and exactly how soldiers acted. He had to repeat the story three times before Bling remembered minor stuff, but Zack would have to work with it given the time constraints. "Stand up." Zack snapped.
"Sir yes sir." Bling snapped up off of the couch to his feet.
"Stand at attention."
Bling snapped stiffly to attention. Logan looked impressed. Zack tisked exasperated but it was Hannah who spoke.
"Braden was a strange one. He stood at attention with a slight slouch as if he wasn't really doing it and without looking sloppy. Here try this." Hannah reached out and changed Bling's position a bit.
"That's it!" Zack actually grinned. "Good job."
Zack pulled a kitchen chair into the room. "Sit."
Bling sat down obediently.
"Turn the chair around and straddle it arms folded across the top." Hannah said. She had worked wit Braden after the escape. Braden had been in the infirmary that night of the escape and the split second decision to escape didn't include freeing him. It would have been too time costly to go back for him. Bling shifted his position and Hannah smiled. "Perfect."
"What's your designation?" Zack asked.
"Three, three, one, four," Bling started but Zack cut him off.
"Shorten it."
"Sir my designation is X5-902, sir." Bling answered.
Zack nodded. "Do you think you're ready soldier?"
"Sir yes sir." Bling nodded.
"Your stage awaits." Logan turned to his friend. "Good luck."
"There's no such thing." Zack and Bling had said at the same time. Bling had taken very quickly to the whole soldier mentality. A little too quickly for Zack who was almost positive now that the man had been in the service at some point in his life.
Bling nodded in response to Logan's attempted good wishes and headed to the door to the guestroom rapping sharply on the door.
"Enter." A sleepy Max answered.
Bling took a deep breath and opened the door walking into the room with the most expressionless face her could muster.
Max starred at the man who had walked through the door; she had been expecting Zack. "X5-902?" Max asked.
Bling nodded curtly stepping inside the door and letting it shut behind him. "Drop the formalities Max no one is watching."
"Braden?" Max grinned at the man standing at attention just inside the door. "Where's Zack?"
Zack had anticipated the question and Bling repeated the answer he had been feed. "Zack's in a briefing with Lydecker and the committee. The others are doing a seek and evade exercise with the X-4's." Bling pulled the chair up close to Max's bed and sat in the manor he had been taught.
Max grinned looking slightly confused. "Then why are you here?"
Zack had anticipated that question too. "I got nicked during the exercise." Braden/Bling showed her a bandage darkened with iodine to look like blood that Hannah had put on his arm. "So they pulled me out of the field and sent me in here to relieve Zack and watch over you."
Max grimaced. "Who shot you?"
"I snuck up on Syl and startled her."
"Friendly fire just like with Avi."
"Only without the tragic ending." Zack had told Bling about the soldier who had been shot and taken down when the group had been startled by a bird.
"Right." Max grinned.
"How are you feeling Max?"
Max shrugged softly. "Like hell."
Braden/Bling nodded. At least her nose had stopped bleeding. "Can I see the back of your neck? Hannah and Lydecker want us to keep them apprised of your condition."
Max sighed and flipped her hair; nothing seemed to have changed since earlier.
"Why did you let them try and poison me?" Max snapped pulling away from Braden to turn and accuse him.
"They sent you the food that the officer who usually lives here eats by mistake." Braden/Bling said.
"It still wasn't right." Max insisted.
"I figured you'd enjoy something that smelt that good over the standard rations."
Max shook her head. "You broke regulations and frightened me."
"I'm sorry Max." Braden/Bling said.
"It's alright just don't slip up again." She smirked.
"Ma'am yes Ma'am." Braden/Bling returned the smirk.
Max winched. "Braden do you know what there doing to me? Zack won't tell me."
"It's a need to know situation Max and they don't think either of us need to know." Braden/Bling shook his head.
"By the grace of The Blue Lady! I'm the one going through it and I don't need to know?" Max raged.
"It's just like all the experimenting they did on us when we were children."
"I know but it's not right. I'm old enough to understand it now."
Braden/Bling rolled his eyes. "You know how they are with adhering to certain policies."
"Yeah, hard as stone." Max sighed.
Braden/Bling needed to do something he was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable in the room. He stood up and began passing the room as he had seen Zack do so many times before.
"Braden sit down you're making me nervous!" Max snapped at Braden though she never would have done the same thing with Zack. It told Bling where Braden stood in her eyes after all she was the SIC of the group.
Braden/Bling sat down straddling the chair again. "Sorry Max."
"It's okay." Max squirmed and threw the blanket off of herself. "It's too warm in here!"
Braden/Bling shrugged.
"They're making me weak Braden." Max glanced cautiously around. "Do you want to count for me?"
"Count what?" Braden/Bling asked caught off guard and momentarily confused.
"Count off for me." Max hopped off of the bed and hit the ground in push-up position.
"For a while Max only I'm not supposed to let you over exert yourself." Braden/Bling said cocking an eye. "Ready?"
"Yes"
"Up one, up two ... ... up twenty five." Braden/Bling counted.
"Braden come on I'm not that sick." Max said in between pushups. "You don't have to slow down that much."
Braden/Bling blanched. Max was expecting Braden's X5 quick reflexes, which Bling simply did not possess. If Max did the pushups at full tilt Bling's normal human eyes could not have been able to follow her movements to count them off. "I have strict orders not to let you overexert yourself. You are not allowed any undue stress. You need to heal. So if you want to do this, this is the speed you are going to have to proceed at."
Max humphed in protest. "Fine." She blew her bangs out of her face. "This is gruelingly slow you know that right?"
"Yes, but it will only make you stronger." This was something Bling's training allowed him to know a lot about.
"Don't stop until a hundred." Max conceded.
"Okay but no more then that." Braden/Bling agreed. "Up twenty-six."
"Start at one." Max went through the movements ordering him.
"No Max." Braden/Bling said.
"That was an order Braden. Are you denying my order?"
"Yes Ma'am. My orders come from a higher power." Braden/Bling stood his ground.
Max growled. "Continue then."
"Up twenty-seven ... ...up ninety-nine, up one hundred." Braden/Bling smiled.
Max grinned at him and then went to get back into bed.
"Max no don't!" Braden/Bling jumped. "You need to cool down. You're going to cramp up if you lay down now."
"Right." Max passed the room. "How do you like Lila?"
Bling had no idea who Lila was, Zack had not told him anything about her. He stiffened and was silent for a moment but then decided to go with something Zack had told him. "Emotions are a waist of time and energy."
Max grinned. "She's your breeding partner Braden this is different you can tell me."
Zack had told Bling what Max thought was true of herself and the other X5's were doing now. Bling new vaguely about this set up. Braden/Bling smirked at Max. "Sure Max only if you tell me what you think about Zack." As much as Braden/Bling really didn't want to know what Max's convoluted mind had produced on the subject, he was sure that Max wouldn't tell him anyway.
"That's not fair Braden." Max found herself passing the room and went to the window, which she was sure only opened about two inches. Since she was so sure of it in her head that she didn't even try to open it any farther then that. "It's too warm in here." Max complained.
Bling had no idea who Lila was, Zack had not told him about her. He stiffened and was silent for a moment but then decided to go with something that Zack had told him.
"Emotions are a waste of time and energy."
Max grinned. "She's your breeding partner Braden you can tell me."
Zack had told Bling what Max thought was true of herself and the other X5's were doing now. Bling knew vaguely about this breeding setup. Braden/Bling smirked at Max. "Sure Max only if you tell me what you think about Zack." As much as Braden/Bling really didn't want to know what Max's convoluted mind had produced on the subject and he was sure that Max wouldn't tell him.
"That's not fair Braden!" Max found herself passing the room and went to the window she was sure only opened about two inches. Since she was so sure of it in her head she didn't even try to open it any further. "It's too warm in here." Max complained.
"Think about Baking our desert training program, compared to that it's comfortable in here." Braden/Bling nodded.
Max shook her head no. "It feels like I'm in that room now." She complained as she continued to passe the length of the room.
"Max you just have to calm down." Braden/Bling said.
"I can't." Max sat down in the chair Braden/Bling had been in and the moment she sat down she shot right back up again. "When's Zack coming back?"
"I don't know Max whenever the exercise is over I suppose." Braden/Bling answered. "Lay back down and-"
"Get some rest." Max finished. "Get some rest! Get some rest! That's all everyone keeps saying. Well I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!" Max screamed passing the room. "Do you hear me?" Max rushed at the mirrored wall by the closet that she was sure that someone was watching her from behind for surveillance. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Max calm down." Braden/Bling grabbed her by her shoulders and she flipped him across the room.
"I don't want to calm down I want to be reinstated!" She yelled at no one in particular as Braden/Bling collected himself up off of the floor. "I want to return to the barracks! I want to be better! I want to see Zack." Max screamed shaking and punched the mirror shattering it. She spun the moment Braden/Bling was back on his feet. "Don't come near me!"
"It's okay Max." He said softly his hands in the surrender position.
"No it's not. Nothing is okay!" She stumbled and sunk to her knees as the room started to fade. Max seized a full-blown seizure the likes of Bling had never seen her take. Max was crying and muttering about Zack.
Zack burst into the room bottle of Tryptophan in hand. He had been listening the whole time and couldn't take it anymore. He was at her side in a heartbeat. He forced a handful of Tryptophan into Max's mouth but it had no effect. "Hannah!"
Zack had only seen Max seize this bad once, the night that Eva had died and Zack had quickly formulated the plans for the escape. Zack held Max and fought the onset of the flashback this action had elicited.
Hannah and Logan rushed into the room. "Is the Tryptophan helping?" Hannah asked.
"No." The anguish and worry was evident on Zack's face.
Hannah gave Max a shot without consulting anyone.
"What the hell was that?" Zack was clearly agitated.
"Valium. It's a great muscle relaxer and good for combating seizures." Hannah spoke up.
Zack tensed holding Max and pleading with to come out of it. Max shook, her nose started bleeding and a few bloody tears escaped from her eyes.
Zack was gone hurtled back into his past. A group of twenty-eight soldiers were gathered around Max who was seizing on the floor. Braden had been in the infirmary for the better part of the day and Jack had only been terminated a week earlier. No one wanted to loose Max as they had Jack to the shakes. Eva had been very close to Jack and she refused to see Max fall to the same fate as her favorite brother. When Lydecker went to take Max away Zack moved in front of her backed up by Krit and Jondy. Zane had rushed Lydecker and he had lost the gun he had which Eva had scooped up off the ground. She stood with the gun trained on Lydecker and Zane who were still grappling.
"Stay away from her." Eva said with all the connotations of an order.
Lydecker didn't like insubordination. He had another gun and he shot Eva in the chest. Eva fell to the floor the gun falling from her small hand.
"Move." As he gave the command Zack and Jondy dragged Max down the hallway back towards the safety of the barracks. Tinga, Brin and Zane took up the flank making sure the guards did not follow them.
Everyone in the guestroom froze when Zack issued the command to move. Still in the role of a good little soldier Braden/Bling moved to help Zack with Max.
"Zack." Hannah yelled his name as Zack gave Braden/Bling a bunch of hand signals, which he couldn't really follow. "Halt X5-599. Snap out of it Zack."
Zack with Braden/Bling's help began to move Max out of the room. Hannah stepped up to Zack.
"X5-599, Zack, Zachary. Stop it!" Hannah struck him hard.
Zack blinked hard and came crashing back to reality staring down at Max whose seizure had began to slow down only because she was losing consciousness. "Maxie." Anguish was evident in his voice. "I'm sorry." He held her closely.
Max passed out in Zack's arms but do to the Valium it wasn't for long enough for her body to do anything more then barely recover from the seizure. Max gasped and came to her eyes flew open wide and she shot up to her feet attacking Braden/Bling and then Zack.
"Everybody out!" It was an order no one dared to disobey as Zack grappled with Max.
Max growled and freed herself from Zack's grasp and threw an unanticipated kick at his head. Zack swore and blinked seeing double. He didn't want to hurt Max but he had to defend himself.
"You've been turned." Max struck out at Zack again. This time Max saw it coming and caught Max's arm putting enough pressure on it to cause her pain but just short of enough that was not necessary to break her arm. Max screamed but still tried to get out of the hold he had on her.
"Max stop it." Zack pleaded.
Max squirmed and pulled away from him. Zack winched as he heard her arm snap as she pulled away. Max screamed out in pain. She then snapped her arm back into position where she could use it again. She looked at Zack with a mixture of hatred, betrayal and pain in her eyes.
"That's enough X5-452." Zack snapped and tried to restrain her.
Max spun and bit down hard into the arm that held her. "Let go of me!"
Zack swore holding his injured arm and backhanded her sending Max reeling across the room.
Max recovered and threw the near by chair at Zack. "I will get out of here." She struck out at Zack hard. Zack fell. Max reached down and twisted up his leg with a resounding snap. "And you are not going to stop me."
Zack screamed in pain and against his better judgement struck Max as hard as he could bringing both fists down on the back of her head, knocking Max out cold.
Hannah came back into the wrecked room once there was silence. Both X5's lay in a heap.
"She broke my leg." Zack whined in an awed voice. "I think I broke her arm. I had to knock her out for her own safety and mine." Zack looked as though he might cry. "I didn't want to hurt her but I had to stop her."
"I think I've figured it out . . ." Hannah mused while she set Zack's ankle. It was his ankle Max had broken and not his leg. "The probe is trying to reactivate itself while Max's body is trying to reject it." Hannah gave Max a very potent sedative and Zack put Max back into bed.
"What do we do now?" Zack looked miserable and exhausted when he joined Bling, Logan and Hannah in the main room.
"We wait and see if the probe reactivates itself or if Max's body wins out and rejects the probe." Hannah answered.
"I'm tired of waiting." Zack yelled. "We could take the probe out and help her now."
"Not without leaving her with some residual brain damage." Hannah said shaking her head no.
"I'm not willing to do that." Logan spoke up.
"Are you enjoying the alternative?" Zack spat the words at Logan. "We can survive brain damage. It's been done before."
"And you liked what happened to Locke?" Hannah challenged Zack.
"Locke survived and even recovered." Zack shot back.
"Locke was no better then an X2!" Hannah pushed.
"Locke was not a nomalie!" Zack fumed. "He was different. They changed him." Zack couldn't remember if Hannah had helped with the procedure or not.
"It was different. They purposely damaged Locke's brain to see if you could regenerate brain cells."
"Exactly this is different. This is Max. Max is different. Max is strong. She's nothing like a nomalie. She's nothing like Ben or Locke."
"Not yet." Hannah shook her head. "I won't do it."
"Then I'll find the only man who will." Zack shot to his feet.
Hannah shot her foot out at Zack's injured ankle. "You'll do no such thing soldier. Sit down Zack."
Zack gasped and sat down not out of a sense of duty but from the sudden shot of pain that course through his body.
"All we can do is make her comfortable and let nature take its course." Hannah said simply.
Zack didn't like it; he wouldn't sit idly by if nature decided to take a wrong turn. Zack sat there brooding and thinking about Locke. Locke was their team's nomalie but he still wasn't a nomalie, just different. It was ridiculous to believe that there was nothing they could do for Max. Locke had been a normal X5 one of the perfect soldier like Brin. Locke was in the same age group as Brin, Tinga, and Zane and had the dedication lacking in some of the younger ones. The guards came into the barracks at 0300 hours when they were all supposed to be asleep. They sedated X5-137, Locke and took him out of his bed and the three disappeared into the night. Locke was taken in to the infirmary and had been missing from the barracks for close to two weeks.
According to what Locke had told Zack, inside the infirmary Locke had been put under with an anesthetic and his buzz cut head had been waxed clean. A 'U' shaped incision had been mad across his forehead and up over his ears. The skin was pulled back and a four inch square section of skull was cut with a saw and removed from Locke's head. They dug a scalpel into Locke's brain and removed a section of his limbic lobe, which controls smell, taste, and emotional responses. They replaced the piece of skull, folded the skin back and stitched him back up. He spent two weeks recovering and fighting off infection under close observation and then was returned to the barracks.
The others were surprised to see their brother back because they had given in to the thought that he must have been terminated in his four-week absence. They were very happy to get X5-137, Locke back but Locke had been changed. He was slower, more reserved yet more appt to snap and lash out and the guards seemed to allow him some freedom. He was allowed to lash out and wise cracks and nonsensical comments were tolerated from him. Locke came back to himself for the most part about seven months after the incident but he was never exactly the same as he was before it. His memories came back slowly but the whole process was very severe and extremely harsh.
Locke made strange comments to the authority figures. He spoke to himself even when they were supposed to maintain radio silence. He spoke to and even named his fire arms. He constantly challenged Zack's authority. He could not be controlled, he laughed and cried freely many times for no reason that the others could detect. The whole group was threatened but Locke was fun in his own way. He'd steal cigarettes from the guards and smoke them on the barracks roof. He played games hiding things of importance from the authority figures. He had an obsession with sleeping in the nude. He ate with his hands and often complained of the blandness of the food or a smell none of the others could smell. He was allowed to let his hair grow long. It had previously been blonde but it grew in with a greenish tinge. The guards blamed that on the chlorine in the tank water but Locke just said it made him special.
Locke had volunteered to be a distraction during the escape and had still managed to make it out of the complex himself. Zack had always watched Locke very closely. He dropped in on him about once a week to monitor his adjustment to the outside world. Locke was still adjusting but in the world he pulled himself off as a retro-punk due to his hair. Locke was prone to violent outbursts and got into street fights and bar brawls just for fun. He was a loose cannon. He was strange but he had recovered for the most part.
Max was mentally stronger then Locke had been when they experimented on him. She was physically older now then he had been when it happened. Max would be okay if she had to do it now, Zack was sure of it. She was surrounded by friends and family and not by uncaring soldiers. She would think differently about it and recapture her individual adult identity. It was more important to Zack and Max that she recover than it had been with Locke. It wasn't that Locke wasn't important, all of the X5's were to Zack, it was just that he knew they could handle this better as adults then they had as children. Max would be able to regenerate her brain cells faster and would be in a safe well-adjusted environment. She would be okay if she suffered minimal brain damage now. Zack was certain of it and if push came to shove he would suck it up and do whatever it took to help Max survive this as un-scaved as possible.
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Zack sat in front of Bling after filling the three in on his plan. Zack was wearing a pair of army surplus pants, gray camouflage that he had found at a thrift store and a gray tee shirt. "Logan do you have a gray shirt Bling can wear?"
"I'm sure I can find something." Logan nodded and went into his bedroom.
"I have another pair of these pants you can wear." Zack informed Bling. "So are you ready to become a soldier?"
"I'll try." Bling nodded.
"There is no try soldier only do." Zack snapped as Logan came out and handed Bling the shirt. "Go suit up Soldier."
When Bling came out of the bathroom Zack realized how much he really did look just like Braden. Zack sighed and went over Braden's background information as well as general Manticore practices and exactly how soldiers acted. He had to repeat the story three times before Bling remembered minor stuff, but Zack would have to work with it given the time constraints. "Stand up." Zack snapped.
"Sir yes sir." Bling snapped up off of the couch to his feet.
"Stand at attention."
Bling snapped stiffly to attention. Logan looked impressed. Zack tisked exasperated but it was Hannah who spoke.
"Braden was a strange one. He stood at attention with a slight slouch as if he wasn't really doing it and without looking sloppy. Here try this." Hannah reached out and changed Bling's position a bit.
"That's it!" Zack actually grinned. "Good job."
Zack pulled a kitchen chair into the room. "Sit."
Bling sat down obediently.
"Turn the chair around and straddle it arms folded across the top." Hannah said. She had worked wit Braden after the escape. Braden had been in the infirmary that night of the escape and the split second decision to escape didn't include freeing him. It would have been too time costly to go back for him. Bling shifted his position and Hannah smiled. "Perfect."
"What's your designation?" Zack asked.
"Three, three, one, four," Bling started but Zack cut him off.
"Shorten it."
"Sir my designation is X5-902, sir." Bling answered.
Zack nodded. "Do you think you're ready soldier?"
"Sir yes sir." Bling nodded.
"Your stage awaits." Logan turned to his friend. "Good luck."
"There's no such thing." Zack and Bling had said at the same time. Bling had taken very quickly to the whole soldier mentality. A little too quickly for Zack who was almost positive now that the man had been in the service at some point in his life.
Bling nodded in response to Logan's attempted good wishes and headed to the door to the guestroom rapping sharply on the door.
"Enter." A sleepy Max answered.
Bling took a deep breath and opened the door walking into the room with the most expressionless face her could muster.
Max starred at the man who had walked through the door; she had been expecting Zack. "X5-902?" Max asked.
Bling nodded curtly stepping inside the door and letting it shut behind him. "Drop the formalities Max no one is watching."
"Braden?" Max grinned at the man standing at attention just inside the door. "Where's Zack?"
Zack had anticipated the question and Bling repeated the answer he had been feed. "Zack's in a briefing with Lydecker and the committee. The others are doing a seek and evade exercise with the X-4's." Bling pulled the chair up close to Max's bed and sat in the manor he had been taught.
Max grinned looking slightly confused. "Then why are you here?"
Zack had anticipated that question too. "I got nicked during the exercise." Braden/Bling showed her a bandage darkened with iodine to look like blood that Hannah had put on his arm. "So they pulled me out of the field and sent me in here to relieve Zack and watch over you."
Max grimaced. "Who shot you?"
"I snuck up on Syl and startled her."
"Friendly fire just like with Avi."
"Only without the tragic ending." Zack had told Bling about the soldier who had been shot and taken down when the group had been startled by a bird.
"Right." Max grinned.
"How are you feeling Max?"
Max shrugged softly. "Like hell."
Braden/Bling nodded. At least her nose had stopped bleeding. "Can I see the back of your neck? Hannah and Lydecker want us to keep them apprised of your condition."
Max sighed and flipped her hair; nothing seemed to have changed since earlier.
"Why did you let them try and poison me?" Max snapped pulling away from Braden to turn and accuse him.
"They sent you the food that the officer who usually lives here eats by mistake." Braden/Bling said.
"It still wasn't right." Max insisted.
"I figured you'd enjoy something that smelt that good over the standard rations."
Max shook her head. "You broke regulations and frightened me."
"I'm sorry Max." Braden/Bling said.
"It's alright just don't slip up again." She smirked.
"Ma'am yes Ma'am." Braden/Bling returned the smirk.
Max winched. "Braden do you know what there doing to me? Zack won't tell me."
"It's a need to know situation Max and they don't think either of us need to know." Braden/Bling shook his head.
"By the grace of The Blue Lady! I'm the one going through it and I don't need to know?" Max raged.
"It's just like all the experimenting they did on us when we were children."
"I know but it's not right. I'm old enough to understand it now."
Braden/Bling rolled his eyes. "You know how they are with adhering to certain policies."
"Yeah, hard as stone." Max sighed.
Braden/Bling needed to do something he was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable in the room. He stood up and began passing the room as he had seen Zack do so many times before.
"Braden sit down you're making me nervous!" Max snapped at Braden though she never would have done the same thing with Zack. It told Bling where Braden stood in her eyes after all she was the SIC of the group.
Braden/Bling sat down straddling the chair again. "Sorry Max."
"It's okay." Max squirmed and threw the blanket off of herself. "It's too warm in here!"
Braden/Bling shrugged.
"They're making me weak Braden." Max glanced cautiously around. "Do you want to count for me?"
"Count what?" Braden/Bling asked caught off guard and momentarily confused.
"Count off for me." Max hopped off of the bed and hit the ground in push-up position.
"For a while Max only I'm not supposed to let you over exert yourself." Braden/Bling said cocking an eye. "Ready?"
"Yes"
"Up one, up two ... ... up twenty five." Braden/Bling counted.
"Braden come on I'm not that sick." Max said in between pushups. "You don't have to slow down that much."
Braden/Bling blanched. Max was expecting Braden's X5 quick reflexes, which Bling simply did not possess. If Max did the pushups at full tilt Bling's normal human eyes could not have been able to follow her movements to count them off. "I have strict orders not to let you overexert yourself. You are not allowed any undue stress. You need to heal. So if you want to do this, this is the speed you are going to have to proceed at."
Max humphed in protest. "Fine." She blew her bangs out of her face. "This is gruelingly slow you know that right?"
"Yes, but it will only make you stronger." This was something Bling's training allowed him to know a lot about.
"Don't stop until a hundred." Max conceded.
"Okay but no more then that." Braden/Bling agreed. "Up twenty-six."
"Start at one." Max went through the movements ordering him.
"No Max." Braden/Bling said.
"That was an order Braden. Are you denying my order?"
"Yes Ma'am. My orders come from a higher power." Braden/Bling stood his ground.
Max growled. "Continue then."
"Up twenty-seven ... ...up ninety-nine, up one hundred." Braden/Bling smiled.
Max grinned at him and then went to get back into bed.
"Max no don't!" Braden/Bling jumped. "You need to cool down. You're going to cramp up if you lay down now."
"Right." Max passed the room. "How do you like Lila?"
Bling had no idea who Lila was, Zack had not told him anything about her. He stiffened and was silent for a moment but then decided to go with something Zack had told him. "Emotions are a waist of time and energy."
Max grinned. "She's your breeding partner Braden this is different you can tell me."
Zack had told Bling what Max thought was true of herself and the other X5's were doing now. Bling new vaguely about this set up. Braden/Bling smirked at Max. "Sure Max only if you tell me what you think about Zack." As much as Braden/Bling really didn't want to know what Max's convoluted mind had produced on the subject, he was sure that Max wouldn't tell him anyway.
"That's not fair Braden." Max found herself passing the room and went to the window, which she was sure only opened about two inches. Since she was so sure of it in her head that she didn't even try to open it any farther then that. "It's too warm in here." Max complained.
Bling had no idea who Lila was, Zack had not told him about her. He stiffened and was silent for a moment but then decided to go with something that Zack had told him.
"Emotions are a waste of time and energy."
Max grinned. "She's your breeding partner Braden you can tell me."
Zack had told Bling what Max thought was true of herself and the other X5's were doing now. Bling knew vaguely about this breeding setup. Braden/Bling smirked at Max. "Sure Max only if you tell me what you think about Zack." As much as Braden/Bling really didn't want to know what Max's convoluted mind had produced on the subject and he was sure that Max wouldn't tell him.
"That's not fair Braden!" Max found herself passing the room and went to the window she was sure only opened about two inches. Since she was so sure of it in her head she didn't even try to open it any further. "It's too warm in here." Max complained.
"Think about Baking our desert training program, compared to that it's comfortable in here." Braden/Bling nodded.
Max shook her head no. "It feels like I'm in that room now." She complained as she continued to passe the length of the room.
"Max you just have to calm down." Braden/Bling said.
"I can't." Max sat down in the chair Braden/Bling had been in and the moment she sat down she shot right back up again. "When's Zack coming back?"
"I don't know Max whenever the exercise is over I suppose." Braden/Bling answered. "Lay back down and-"
"Get some rest." Max finished. "Get some rest! Get some rest! That's all everyone keeps saying. Well I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!" Max screamed passing the room. "Do you hear me?" Max rushed at the mirrored wall by the closet that she was sure that someone was watching her from behind for surveillance. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Max calm down." Braden/Bling grabbed her by her shoulders and she flipped him across the room.
"I don't want to calm down I want to be reinstated!" She yelled at no one in particular as Braden/Bling collected himself up off of the floor. "I want to return to the barracks! I want to be better! I want to see Zack." Max screamed shaking and punched the mirror shattering it. She spun the moment Braden/Bling was back on his feet. "Don't come near me!"
"It's okay Max." He said softly his hands in the surrender position.
"No it's not. Nothing is okay!" She stumbled and sunk to her knees as the room started to fade. Max seized a full-blown seizure the likes of Bling had never seen her take. Max was crying and muttering about Zack.
Zack burst into the room bottle of Tryptophan in hand. He had been listening the whole time and couldn't take it anymore. He was at her side in a heartbeat. He forced a handful of Tryptophan into Max's mouth but it had no effect. "Hannah!"
Zack had only seen Max seize this bad once, the night that Eva had died and Zack had quickly formulated the plans for the escape. Zack held Max and fought the onset of the flashback this action had elicited.
Hannah and Logan rushed into the room. "Is the Tryptophan helping?" Hannah asked.
"No." The anguish and worry was evident on Zack's face.
Hannah gave Max a shot without consulting anyone.
"What the hell was that?" Zack was clearly agitated.
"Valium. It's a great muscle relaxer and good for combating seizures." Hannah spoke up.
Zack tensed holding Max and pleading with to come out of it. Max shook, her nose started bleeding and a few bloody tears escaped from her eyes.
Zack was gone hurtled back into his past. A group of twenty-eight soldiers were gathered around Max who was seizing on the floor. Braden had been in the infirmary for the better part of the day and Jack had only been terminated a week earlier. No one wanted to loose Max as they had Jack to the shakes. Eva had been very close to Jack and she refused to see Max fall to the same fate as her favorite brother. When Lydecker went to take Max away Zack moved in front of her backed up by Krit and Jondy. Zane had rushed Lydecker and he had lost the gun he had which Eva had scooped up off the ground. She stood with the gun trained on Lydecker and Zane who were still grappling.
"Stay away from her." Eva said with all the connotations of an order.
Lydecker didn't like insubordination. He had another gun and he shot Eva in the chest. Eva fell to the floor the gun falling from her small hand.
"Move." As he gave the command Zack and Jondy dragged Max down the hallway back towards the safety of the barracks. Tinga, Brin and Zane took up the flank making sure the guards did not follow them.
Everyone in the guestroom froze when Zack issued the command to move. Still in the role of a good little soldier Braden/Bling moved to help Zack with Max.
"Zack." Hannah yelled his name as Zack gave Braden/Bling a bunch of hand signals, which he couldn't really follow. "Halt X5-599. Snap out of it Zack."
Zack with Braden/Bling's help began to move Max out of the room. Hannah stepped up to Zack.
"X5-599, Zack, Zachary. Stop it!" Hannah struck him hard.
Zack blinked hard and came crashing back to reality staring down at Max whose seizure had began to slow down only because she was losing consciousness. "Maxie." Anguish was evident in his voice. "I'm sorry." He held her closely.
Max passed out in Zack's arms but do to the Valium it wasn't for long enough for her body to do anything more then barely recover from the seizure. Max gasped and came to her eyes flew open wide and she shot up to her feet attacking Braden/Bling and then Zack.
"Everybody out!" It was an order no one dared to disobey as Zack grappled with Max.
Max growled and freed herself from Zack's grasp and threw an unanticipated kick at his head. Zack swore and blinked seeing double. He didn't want to hurt Max but he had to defend himself.
"You've been turned." Max struck out at Zack again. This time Max saw it coming and caught Max's arm putting enough pressure on it to cause her pain but just short of enough that was not necessary to break her arm. Max screamed but still tried to get out of the hold he had on her.
"Max stop it." Zack pleaded.
Max squirmed and pulled away from him. Zack winched as he heard her arm snap as she pulled away. Max screamed out in pain. She then snapped her arm back into position where she could use it again. She looked at Zack with a mixture of hatred, betrayal and pain in her eyes.
"That's enough X5-452." Zack snapped and tried to restrain her.
Max spun and bit down hard into the arm that held her. "Let go of me!"
Zack swore holding his injured arm and backhanded her sending Max reeling across the room.
Max recovered and threw the near by chair at Zack. "I will get out of here." She struck out at Zack hard. Zack fell. Max reached down and twisted up his leg with a resounding snap. "And you are not going to stop me."
Zack screamed in pain and against his better judgement struck Max as hard as he could bringing both fists down on the back of her head, knocking Max out cold.
Hannah came back into the wrecked room once there was silence. Both X5's lay in a heap.
"She broke my leg." Zack whined in an awed voice. "I think I broke her arm. I had to knock her out for her own safety and mine." Zack looked as though he might cry. "I didn't want to hurt her but I had to stop her."
"I think I've figured it out . . ." Hannah mused while she set Zack's ankle. It was his ankle Max had broken and not his leg. "The probe is trying to reactivate itself while Max's body is trying to reject it." Hannah gave Max a very potent sedative and Zack put Max back into bed.
"What do we do now?" Zack looked miserable and exhausted when he joined Bling, Logan and Hannah in the main room.
"We wait and see if the probe reactivates itself or if Max's body wins out and rejects the probe." Hannah answered.
"I'm tired of waiting." Zack yelled. "We could take the probe out and help her now."
"Not without leaving her with some residual brain damage." Hannah said shaking her head no.
"I'm not willing to do that." Logan spoke up.
"Are you enjoying the alternative?" Zack spat the words at Logan. "We can survive brain damage. It's been done before."
"And you liked what happened to Locke?" Hannah challenged Zack.
"Locke survived and even recovered." Zack shot back.
"Locke was no better then an X2!" Hannah pushed.
"Locke was not a nomalie!" Zack fumed. "He was different. They changed him." Zack couldn't remember if Hannah had helped with the procedure or not.
"It was different. They purposely damaged Locke's brain to see if you could regenerate brain cells."
"Exactly this is different. This is Max. Max is different. Max is strong. She's nothing like a nomalie. She's nothing like Ben or Locke."
"Not yet." Hannah shook her head. "I won't do it."
"Then I'll find the only man who will." Zack shot to his feet.
Hannah shot her foot out at Zack's injured ankle. "You'll do no such thing soldier. Sit down Zack."
Zack gasped and sat down not out of a sense of duty but from the sudden shot of pain that course through his body.
"All we can do is make her comfortable and let nature take its course." Hannah said simply.
Zack didn't like it; he wouldn't sit idly by if nature decided to take a wrong turn. Zack sat there brooding and thinking about Locke. Locke was their team's nomalie but he still wasn't a nomalie, just different. It was ridiculous to believe that there was nothing they could do for Max. Locke had been a normal X5 one of the perfect soldier like Brin. Locke was in the same age group as Brin, Tinga, and Zane and had the dedication lacking in some of the younger ones. The guards came into the barracks at 0300 hours when they were all supposed to be asleep. They sedated X5-137, Locke and took him out of his bed and the three disappeared into the night. Locke was taken in to the infirmary and had been missing from the barracks for close to two weeks.
According to what Locke had told Zack, inside the infirmary Locke had been put under with an anesthetic and his buzz cut head had been waxed clean. A 'U' shaped incision had been mad across his forehead and up over his ears. The skin was pulled back and a four inch square section of skull was cut with a saw and removed from Locke's head. They dug a scalpel into Locke's brain and removed a section of his limbic lobe, which controls smell, taste, and emotional responses. They replaced the piece of skull, folded the skin back and stitched him back up. He spent two weeks recovering and fighting off infection under close observation and then was returned to the barracks.
The others were surprised to see their brother back because they had given in to the thought that he must have been terminated in his four-week absence. They were very happy to get X5-137, Locke back but Locke had been changed. He was slower, more reserved yet more appt to snap and lash out and the guards seemed to allow him some freedom. He was allowed to lash out and wise cracks and nonsensical comments were tolerated from him. Locke came back to himself for the most part about seven months after the incident but he was never exactly the same as he was before it. His memories came back slowly but the whole process was very severe and extremely harsh.
Locke made strange comments to the authority figures. He spoke to himself even when they were supposed to maintain radio silence. He spoke to and even named his fire arms. He constantly challenged Zack's authority. He could not be controlled, he laughed and cried freely many times for no reason that the others could detect. The whole group was threatened but Locke was fun in his own way. He'd steal cigarettes from the guards and smoke them on the barracks roof. He played games hiding things of importance from the authority figures. He had an obsession with sleeping in the nude. He ate with his hands and often complained of the blandness of the food or a smell none of the others could smell. He was allowed to let his hair grow long. It had previously been blonde but it grew in with a greenish tinge. The guards blamed that on the chlorine in the tank water but Locke just said it made him special.
Locke had volunteered to be a distraction during the escape and had still managed to make it out of the complex himself. Zack had always watched Locke very closely. He dropped in on him about once a week to monitor his adjustment to the outside world. Locke was still adjusting but in the world he pulled himself off as a retro-punk due to his hair. Locke was prone to violent outbursts and got into street fights and bar brawls just for fun. He was a loose cannon. He was strange but he had recovered for the most part.
Max was mentally stronger then Locke had been when they experimented on him. She was physically older now then he had been when it happened. Max would be okay if she had to do it now, Zack was sure of it. She was surrounded by friends and family and not by uncaring soldiers. She would think differently about it and recapture her individual adult identity. It was more important to Zack and Max that she recover than it had been with Locke. It wasn't that Locke wasn't important, all of the X5's were to Zack, it was just that he knew they could handle this better as adults then they had as children. Max would be able to regenerate her brain cells faster and would be in a safe well-adjusted environment. She would be okay if she suffered minimal brain damage now. Zack was certain of it and if push came to shove he would suck it up and do whatever it took to help Max survive this as un-scaved as possible.