The Kidz Aren't Aiight
By Schizm 01430
Chapter 4: Mission Parameters
"Welcome back., I'm 494. Your new CO." 494 said amicably.
"Ben?" Jondy and Max asked simulatiously.
494 shook his head. "You must be talking about 493. You can call me Alec if you wish, It was one of my mission aliases, back from a couple months ago."
"Oh, you mean assassinations." Syl spat in disgust.
"It was my job, you wanna bust my chops about it, go ahead." Alec replied. "Now I understand, that you all named yourselves before you left in 2009."
"Maybe." Zack said, refusing to answer directly, not wanting to end up back in PSY-Ops after having just been released after a year of that hell and not wanting his family to suffer any more.
"Sir, maybe I can be of some assistance in answering your question." One of the female X5's spoke up.
"Ah yes, 718. you used to be in our esteemed 599's unit before they went AWOL, Didn't you?" Alec said, and everyone's gaze snapped to the girl who had just spoken.
"Jace?" Zane managed to choke out, addressing the sister who had opted to remain at Manticore when they had escaped.
"Yes, Zane." Jace said softly. "It's me. Let me see if I remember all of you as well."
She paused for a moment, then pointed at Syl, then Krit, Cora, Jondy, Faith, Max, Zack, and finally Tinga, saying each of their names as she went.
The nine of them, looked very uneasy as she finished.
"What's the matter?" The other X5 male said curiously. "Are you worried you're gonna get busted for your 'individuality'? I'd be more worried about the others that you left behind when you left. See the directors wanted to make sure that no one else would follow in your footsteps. Your twins, like my buddy Alec here, got the worst of it. Since they shared the same basic psychological profiles as the twelve of you. You created a lot of bad blood when you left, and I can say with complete certainty that I wouldn't want to be your buddy 372, right now. He's the only one still at large, and last I heard, Renfro had given the order 10-0-6 upon sight."
"They're gonna kill Kye?" Jondy asked horrified.
"If he doesn't come quietly. We will have to." One of the other girls said. She had light red hair and was relatively short for an X5. "You can call me Gem." She introduced.
"What do you mean, we?" Cora asked, suspiciously.
"Our first mission together, is the retrieval of X5-372." Alec informed them. "If we succeed in this mission, then the neural explosives implanted at the bases of each of your skulls will be disarmed. Failure will result in another couple of months in re-indoc. Escape attempts will result in your neutralization, and I take no joy in telling you this."
Max and the others glanced at each other in distress. They really were stuck in this for the long haul.
TBC…..