Psy-Ops

Normal p.o.v

The drug was wearing off and the pretty young girl fluttered her eyes open to the harsh lights of a white large room.

On reflex she tried to go into the fighting position but found brown leather straps strapping down her waist, legs, arms and shoulders.

'BEN!' was the first thought that flashed through Max's fuzzy mind. The effects of the drug still hadn't fully worn off. Panic started to rise in her throat at the thought of what might happened to her beloved Ben.

'Don't panic Max, soldiers don't panic' she thought to herself 'calm down and figure out where you are'

Her gaze swept the room and terror ran through her small body as realization dawned on her…

She was in psy-ops. The one place every soldier dreaded to go. Max winced as she recalled agonizing screams from the place and the blank looks that her fellow soldiers had when they returned, some died, and others never healed from the mental scars.

Max drew in a shaky breathe and tried to calm her pounding nerves.

'I know I'm not in the Wyoming base, then where am I?' she silently mused to herself as she pushed the dreaded thoughts of Ben to the back of her mind.

"That was quite a show you put on back there, 452" a sneering female voice said from the doorway "But why have you been holding out on us? Mm?"

"That's enough Elizabeth" A man's voice snapped.

Director Elizabeth Renfro walked angrily off and Colonel Ronald Lydecker walked in.

"I'm ashamed of you 452" he said standing in front of her "I expected more from my kids. You's would've been the best of the best."

"Your kids!" Max hissed through clenched teeth, ignoring the fact that what she said next would probably make her stay in psy-ops for another six months "You shot Eva!"

"I did what I had to do" Lydecker barked "But because you and your family tried to escape all the twins are in psy-ops as punishment"

Max looked down guiltily but the fire in her brown eyes remained.

"How long will we be here?"

"They will be in here for a year, you two years" Lydecker said emotionlessly.

"Deduct half of it" Max pleaded. Her pride was broken and she knew it, but being max she took everything on her shoulders and once again blamed herself for someone getting hurt.

"I can't do that soldier" Lydecker said hiding the amusement, 'just like max' he thought 'still taking the blame for everything'

"Add it onto mine" the cold voice snapped him out of his reverie.

"W-what!" Lydecker sputtered, shocked at her admission.

If the circumstances were different she would be laughing her head off at the sight of her Colonel's surprised face and speechless mouth.

"I believe its good idea" Renfo's ever so bitchy voice drawled and Max saw Lydecker's hand clench.

"After all she is and an '09er, a rogue. It will do her good. You agree don't you Colonel?" without waiting for an answer she added with a mean sneer "After all, I wouldn't like to start thinking that you have favorites…" Renfro let the sentence trail off and let the meaning sink in.

"452 will stay in psy-ops for 3 years" Lydecker said coldly.

Renfro's smile widened and said to Max "You're in the Seattle facility. By the way" she started as she studied Max's face "493 is dieing"

A gasp was heard from Lydecker and Max at the same time. Sadness invaded her eyes, followed by loneliness, then pain, then anger, then rage.

Renfro's sneer, if possible, grew at Max's pale face.

Lydecker saw the dangerous look in Max's eyes and called the guards.

As the guards appeared at the door Max's arm shot forward, breaking the leather straps than held her down and clenched around Renfro's neck.

She was blind to the guards as they crowded around, numb to the tazers that were prodded at her repeatedly. Oblivious to everything except the fact that her Ben was dieing, she felt hollow except for the one felling that pumped in her veins, pure rage.

"Don't let him die" Max hissed. A second more and Renfro would've died but the effect of the tazers, starvation and emotional stress she was under made her frail body shutdown.

Her grip on Renfro's neck loosened into nothing and Max's body fell limp in the straps.

"What just happened?" Renfro gasped, feeling a bruise forming on her neck. 'For a little nine year old she one hell of a grip' a shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the pure rage of Max and her vice like grip even in her weakened state.

"She just shut down. A trick I taught them if they got caught and tortured" Lydecker said hollowly "they would retreat into their mind and it would protect their secrets."

"But we need her!" Renfro snapped angry that 452 seemed to have stopped her from turning 452 into a mindless killer.

"452 excelled in enduring pain and torture. She's done it many times before. But then again 452 excelled in everything, given time she would have become the C.O of her unit." Lydecker said coldly, glaring at Renfro.

"Well, because of her traitorous actions she will stay in here for 4 years" Renfro shouted.

"Four years!" Lydecker bellowed "She'll die within a year! Hardly anyone's made it through psy-ops after a year. And those who did went crazy!"

Renfro looked with disgust at Max's limp form as the guards strapped her onto another lab table doubling the straps.

"Well if she dies, she dies" Renfro shrugged.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel or any of the original characters.