Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Jondy, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (Elle/X5-164, etc.).

Chapter 5: Jondy (X5-210)

It's pretty nice outside today, but I still frowned a little as I marched with my brothers and sisters outside for lineup and roll call. It was just cold enough to let us know that it wouldn't be too long before it started to snow. Great. I actually don't mind snow, it's training outdoors while it is snowing that's a pain-in-the-neck. You try running the obstacle course here or laps around the facility or complete training missions in the middle of a blizzard. It's not the most fun thing in the world.

We arrived at the yard where the X5s had lineup and roll call and lined up behind Unit 1, like always. It was going to be another boring day, or as boring as it gets around this hellhole. I sighed.

Syl, who was to the left of me in line, rolled her eyes. "Get a grip, Jondy."

"I didn't say anything," I said.

"Actions speak louder than words," Krit, who was on the other side of me in line, teased. I quickly reached over and smacked him across the back of his head.

"Quit it," Zack hissed from his end of the line. "The trainers will be here any minute now."

"Sorry," Krit and I said. Something caught my eye and I glanced over. Suddenly, whatever minimal conversation that had been going on between everybody stopped. It was almost scarily quiet. Why? The seven surviving members of Unit 7 that hadn't managed to escape six months ago were marching out to us. They didn't say anything, but they obviously saw us looking at them. They took their place between Unit 6 and Unit 8 and stood at attention.

"Everybody, eyes front!" a trainer screamed and everybody else snapped to attention. "That's better. Unit 1, 355…"

We waited through roll call and then headed over to the cafeteria to breakfast. I sat down at our table with my tray and looked over to where Unit 7 was sitting and eating. "I can't believe that they're back."

"I don't think anybody can believe that they're back," Elle agreed. "It's been six months. I was starting to think that they would never be coming out of Psy Ops and reindoc."

"Yeah," Zack said quietly. I felt bad for him. I knew he, like the other commanding officers that been taken away the night that Unit 7 had tried to escape, had a hard time in Psy Ops for the three months that he'd been kept there. "Six months in Psy Ops had to have been a killer. Three months were bad enough."

Tinga nodded. "I remember when those X6 C.O.s came out of Psy Ops when you did, the poor things looked almost shell shocked. Almost all of them, anyway. I think the only one that came out of Psy Ops after those three months that didn't look traumatized was 405."

"She's a tough one," Zack said. "We talked for a little while before they threw us in the chairs and after they let us out and were giving us a final checkup in the infirmary before they released us. She's a good kid."

"Unit 7 doesn't look that much better than the majority of the X6 C.O.s did," Ben observed. "They really must have done something to them." He shivered at the thought. I didn't blame him.

"Do you think that they'll try to make another go of it?" Max wondered.

"I don't know," Jace said. "They don't look like they could go a few rounds on the obstacle course, much less try to get out of here."

"I heard that they're still classified as flight risks," Parker said.

"Why would they be classified as flight risks but be released from Psy Ops?" Gale wondered.

Parker shrugged. "I don't know. That's what 673 from Unit 4 was saying to his unit mate 409 during my Field Med class the other day."

"673 doesn't know…" I paused to recall the right phrase. "…his ass from his elbow." All of us girls, myself included, giggled and most of the boys grinned. Even the corner of Zack's mouth twitched a little bit.

"Jondy's personal opinion of 673 aside," he said. "Whatever Unit 7's status is, it's not our business. They're here and we won't treat them any differently than we had treated them before. That's what Colonel Lydecker had said to us." He rolled his own eyes the way he always did whenever he mentioned Colonel Lydecker. None of us like him, but Zack hates him the most. Easily. I think Max might come in a close second, though.

"Yeah," Max said. "Zack, do you think that it's going to be Unit 7 that we're going to be sparring against next in Martial Arts? It's listed as a two-unit class for us today, but the second unit wasn't listed on the schedule."

"Possibly," Zack said. "That would make sense."

"I guess it's time for us to find out," Kenny said as the warning bell rang. We stood up and put our trays and dirty dishes away and marched to the gym and lined up and waited. Sure enough, a few moments later, Unit 7 also entered the gym and lined up opposite us. I looked at them better and I managed to suppress a shudder. They definitely looked like they had a number done on them in Psy Ops. Then the trainer walked in and all twenty-six of us stood at attention for him.

"Let's get things started right away," he said. "Let's evaluate how much Unit 7 needs to catch up with. 599 and 333 to the mats." I watched Zack and Unit 7's C.O. step onto the mats between our unit and theirs. "Begin!"

I managed to keep my soldier face on the outside, but I was definitely wincing on the inside. Zack absolutely massacred 333. On a normal day Zack would still have beaten 333, the only X5 that I've seen beat Zack occasionally is Max, but it was painfully obvious that 333 had missed six months of training. I really felt sorry for 333.

The trainer blew his whistle when Zack won the fight and shook his head as Zack and 333 went back to their respective lines. "That was absolutely pathetic, 333! I don't give a rat's ass if you've missed six months of training, that was still the worst piece of sparring that I have ever seen in my life!"

"I'm sorry, sir!" 333 apologized.

"Sorry does not cut it, you worthless little bastard!" the trainer yelled. He slapped 333 across the face hard. "Regardless of your recent behavior, I still expected you to perform up to the rank that you still hold and you fell far below my expectations! You will not do that again, am I making myself clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" 333 said.

The trainer just looked even angrier and punched 333 in the face. "I did not hear that, you piece of shit!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" 333 yelled.

"That's better. Now let's see if your actions will meet your words," the trainer said. "Return to the mats. 417, to the mats." He blew his whistle again. "Begin!"

Once again, it was a massacre. Jack was definitely not the best at martial arts in our family, he was actually close to the bottom there though he had improved a lot in the last few months, but even he completely dominated 333. I sighed and managed to keep the sympathy that I felt for 333 off of my face as the trainer berated him again. Poor 333. Poor Unit 7. It was not going to be easy for them at all.

TBC

Notes: Thank you so much to Lin, CrimsonReality, and angelofdarkness78 for their reviews and support!