Chapter one – the newbies
What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?
…
'10
"Maxie. Hey Maxie come here would you," Jondy whispered from where she was concealed in the bushes.
Max sneaked over to the bushes, making sure that the night time guards didn't see her. Her and Jondy had sneaked out of their room earlier that night, and gone for a walk in the woods. They were now hiding in a row of tall bushes near the barracks.
"What?" Max whispered, afraid that they would be heard, and put on punishment duty.
"Look over there, near the third training yard. Do you see them?"
'Them' was a group of twenty or so soldiers, all about the same age as Max and Jondy, that were being led towards their hiding place by Lydecker. They marched in formation, in lines of four or five.
"Do you reckon they're the new troops Lydecker was talking to the TAC leaders about?" Max asked.
"No, they're too young to be those troops. Look, the oldest one would only be about 13. That's only three years older than we are. Maybe they're a group of juveniles that are going to be our newest prey."
"Why would they be marching then? No. I think that they're the other X-5 squadron."
"What other X-5 squadron? I didn't know that there was one."
"Me and Blak found out that there was another facility some where near here. And that there was another group of X-5's there. We only found out yesterday though, otherwise I would have told you already."
"Why didn't you tell me this while we were walking?"
"I guess I forgot about it. I'm sorry Jondy. Now lets shut up, they're getting closer."
They waited in silence as the group marched closer and closer to them, until the group was standing about ten meters in front of the bushes that concealed Max and Jondy. Lydecker commanded them to stop, and began talking.
"All right troops, this will be your new barracks. You will get a chance to have a look at them later, because they are occupied at the minute. For now, you will remain in the training yards, until such time as I call you in for breakfast. Do you understand? I will leave the TAC leaders out here, and if any of you should try something funny, they will not hesitate to shoot. Understood?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" the group chorused in perfect synchronization.
Satisfied, Lydecker walked back towards where Max and Jondy had first spotted the group. There was a tall blonde woman waiting there, looking bored. When Lydecker reached her, they began talking, and after a few minutes, she got back into the car and drove off.
Turning her attention back to the new group, Max saw that they were still standing in the formation Lydecker had left them in. She poked Jondy, and made a motion with her hands, telling Jondy that they would need a miracle to get back to the barracks in time for wake up call. They only had twenty minutes, and the group didn't look like they were going to move.
Jondy turned around, so that she could see the barracks. She looked around for a minute, before tapping Max's shoulder. She pointed at a figure in one of the windows. It was Trix. Jondy signaled to Max that if any one could help, it would be Trix. She could always come up with whatever any one needed, be it an excuse or a distraction.
Max moved beside Jondy, and pulled a piece of glass out of her clothes lining. Jondy silently asked her where she had gotten it. Max motioned that she had found it while they were on mission that day, and had kept it with her, knowing that it would come in handy at some stage.
She fixed the position of the glass so that the moons light would reflect on it, and shine in Trix's eyes. She just hoped that if any of the new group saw it, they wouldn't come investigating. When she had gotten Trix's attention, Jondy took over and signaled to her that they needed a distraction, and pointed at the new group. Trix nodded, and walked away.
Fifteen minutes later, something went off in the middle of where the new group was still in formation. It must have been a smoke bomb or something, because within ten seconds, Jondy and Max couldn't see the group anymore. They slipped out of the bushes, and sneaked around to the back entrance of the barracks, which was on the opposite side of the building to where they had been.
Laughing, Max and Jondy ran all the way back to their barracks, into the room that they shared and hopped into their own beds. They were just in time, because the next thing they knew guards appeared over them, to wake them up.
The guards made them get up, and then walked them over to the shower area where the other girls were already. When the last of guards had left, leaving the girls to get changed, Trix ran over to them.
"What were you doing? You could have been caught!" she whispered hotly.
Max and Jondy looked at each other. Trix was the oldest, and was second in command to Sef. They knew that Trix was only yelling because she was looking after them and didn't want them getting hurt, but they still didn't like being yelled at.
"We were walking. Then Jondy spotted that group that was waiting out there. They were over in the third training yard, and we wanted to know who they were." Max whispered back, glad that they were far enough away for the other girls not to hear them, even with advanced hearing.
"Yeah, and then they came over and the Colonel told them that this was their new barracks, but they couldn't go in yet because they were occupied, and to wait outside. Then he left, I don't know where he went."
"I saw," Max whispered, "There was a lady over in the third training yard, and the Colonel went over to talk to her. Then she left, and I went back to watching the group. Did you see them? They were still standing in formation, even when Colonel had gone. That is until you let off the smoke bomb. Thanks for that Trix."
"It's no problem you two. But what would you have done if I hadn't been in the window?"
"Probably just try and sneak out of there without them noticing." Jondy replied at a normal tone, because the other girls had already left to get to the meals hall.
"We better hurry. Come on, quick, or we'll be late," Trix ordered.
"We're coming, don't worry Trix." Max shot back.
"Good." Trix paused, looking around, before asking, "Who were they?"
"Maxie thinks that they are the other squadron of X-5's."
"What other squadron?""That's what I asked."
"Blak and me found out about them," Max cut in, "There's another facility some where around here, and there was another squadron of X-5's there. I think that these new people are those X-5's."
"But why are they here?"
"I don't know Trix I..."
Max's reply was cut off when a guard walked around the corner and into the hallway. He looked at the three girls and sneered.
"Aren't you three supposed to be at meals already?"
"Sir, we were held up by a group of X-6's that are in the barracks near us. Three of them managed to get out, and we had to subdue them and return them to the barracks." Trix replied.
"Alright soldier. But get moving."
They kept marching until the guard had turned the corner, and was out of hearing range.
"Good one Trix. How'd you manage to make that one up?" Jondy asked.
"It's happened before. Those little X-6's always seem to get out. And we had better hurry up or Colonel Lydecker will yell at us, and give us punishment, which I am sure you two have enough of already."
"Alright already. We're moving," replied Jondy sarcastically.
Trix hit her lightly over the back of the head, and then began to run.
Max stopped Jondy following her with a touch on the shoulder. She leaned in and whispered into Jondy's ear.
"Did you look closely at the other soldiers?"
"No," Jondy whispered back, "Why?"
"They look like copies of some of us. I saw Scout and Cyan and you and me. It's scary Jondy."
"I know, Maxie. But it'll be ok. I'll make sure of it."
Jondy gave her little sister a quick hug, before she asked, "Who else did you see?"
"I think I saw Ben."
When Trix saw that Max and Jondy were standing there, whispering to each other, she yelled out to them.
"Would you two quit dawdling and hurry up. If we're late, I'm going to kick both of your asses."
"I don't know if that's possible Trix, I mean, can you kick two asses at one time?" Max's tone was teasing, but she and Jondy began to run anyway.
The three girls made it to the meals hall with plenty of time left. They each grabbed a tray with some food on it, and looked around for a place to sit. They saw Blak sitting by himself on one of the tables on the other side of the room. It was a table for four, which suited the girls nicely. They had just sat down when Colonel Lydecker walked in. He looked around, gave the command to eat, and left.
Blak, who was sitting beside Max and opposite Trix, began to talk to the three girls.
"Did any of you girls see the new troops that came in this morning? Me and Jam saw them from our room's window. None of the other guys saw them though. And did you see the smoke bomb that went off? Do any of you know who set if off? Or why they set if off?"
"Blak."
"Yeah Maxie?"
"Shut up for two seconds so we can answer your questions ok?"
"Alright. But did you?"
"I did." Trix replied.
"Did what?"
"I saw them. Gem was still in bed though. And Jace and Elia are on the other side of the barracks, so they wouldn't have seen. But Max and Jondy's room is on that side."
"What about you two then? Come on Maxie, did you see them?"
Jondy looked at her sister, and they exchanged a glance. They wouldn't tell Blak about their night time adventures just yet.
"I dunno Blak. Did we see them Jondy?"
"I don't know either. That's a hard question. Maybe if you give us a bit of time to think it over."
"Or he could give us a choice of answers. Then we could narrow it down."
"That's a good idea Maxie. Why didn't I think of it?"
"Cause you're busy eating Jondy, and we all know you can't do two things at once. So Blak, um... what was the question again?"
"Did you see them?"
"Who's them, sorry?" Jondy asked. She and Max loved to annoy their brothers and sisters by pretending they had forgotten a question, or just by playing stupid.
"The new troops. The ones that came in this morning."
"I can't say. Maxie, do you know the answer? Or can you give us all the possible answers please Blak?"
"Fine, don't tell us. Just shut up would you?" Blak was annoyed that they were hiding something from him. They usually told him nearly everything. But, they were in the middle of the meals hall, with eight other X-5's, not to mention all the other X-series that had meals at the same time as they did. Plus there were TAC leaders stationed all around the room.
When everyone had finished their meals, the TAC leaders gave the order to move out. Each soldier took their tray to counter, and walked out of the door they were meant to. The X-5's were just about to head out of the door leading to the class rooms when Colonel Lydecker stopped them. He led them out to the yard in front of their barracks, where the new troops were standing. He marched them over, and made them stand opposite them. There was twenty-two of them, which was ten more than were in Max's unit.
The Colonel began addressing all of the troops.
"Alpha X-5's, these are the Beta X-5's. They have come from another section to join your unit, and make up the numbers that we lost. You will learn to work together as a team. Now X-5 601 and X-5 598 please step forward."
Sef stepped out of their ranks, while another male stepped out of the Beta unit's ranks. She didn't need to hear Jondy's soft whisper to know who it was. It was Zack, except not. It was a male who looked just like Zack.
"X-5 601 was CO of the Alpha unit, and X-5 598 was the Beta unit's CO, so until such time as I assign new leaders, these two will work together as your CO's. You will respect and listen to both of them, and follow any orders that they give you."
"Sir, permission to speak?" asked X-5 598
"Granted 598."
"What if X-5 601 and I do not agree, sir? Who should our unit listen to then?"
"If you and X-5 601 disagree, then you will forfeit your title. So see that you agree on everything, because a CO should think of what his unit needs first, and you should both be able to agree on that. Now, you are all dismissed. Continue on to the class rooms. New X-5's follow the lead of the Alpha X-5's."
Sef and Trix took the lead, while Max and Jondy took the rear. They felt the new X-5's fall in behind them, and began to march off.