Chapter Eight – the mission part four
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
When Max woke up, it was getting dark. She started to move, when she felt arms around her, holding her tight. She struggled, and the arms let go of her. Turning, she saw that she was sitting in Alec's lap, and it had been his arms holding her against his body. Furious, Max jumped up and backhanded Alec across the face.
"What the hell was that?" Alec yelled, getting up to face Max.
"The only kind of physical contact we're going to have."
"May I remind you that you were the one who didn't want me to leave. And you fell asleep in my arms."
"I did not. Why would I want you to stay?"
"You don't remember?"
"Remember what? The fact that I just woke up with your arms holding me tight? I don't want to remember that."
"You had a seizure."
"So?"
"You didn't want me to go get help. I said that I would go get a medic, but you said no, you wanted me to stay here with you. So I sat down with you, and when you stopped shaking, you fell asleep. You've been asleep for more than eight hours. It's 1600 now, and we only have an hour left in the field."
"Oh. Where are the others?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
"You're the one with the transmitter. You have been mapping what's happening haven't you?"
"Yes. The criminal reached the perimeter fence about ten minutes ago, so the others should be coming back sometime soon."
"Well why don't we go looking for them?"
"Because 598 ordered us to stay right here, and it's a week in solitary if we disobey."
"What? A week?"
"Yeah. He's decided that anyone who disobeys him will earn a week in solitary. No one can stop him either. The Colonel likes him to punish us as he sees fit."
"But a week?"
"Yeah. It's kind of a long time isn't it? So maybe now that you know that, you won't go disobeying him."
"I'll do what I like Alec."
"I'm sure you will Max. No one can tell you what to do."
"And they shouldn't try."
"Now that you know why we have to stay here, why don't you come sit down again?"
Max walked over and sat down against the tree Alec had been sitting under before. She looked over at him, to see that he was watching her intently.
"What?"
"Nothing." He replied as he came over and sat next to her. "It's just..."
"Just what?"
"These seizures."
"What about my seizures?"
"What are they? How often do you get them?"
"I don't know what they are, and they just happen sometimes."
"Who else gets them?"
"A few of us get them, it's just that some get them more often then others. Doesn't anyone in your unit get them?"
"Not that I know of. Who gets them the most?"
"It used to be Jack. He used to get them really bad, mostly at night though. But he got one during drill one morning, and they took him away."
"Where? For how long? What did they do to him?"
"They took him to the labs, where the cut him up. I was there; I saw them do it. And the Colonel just watched as they killed him."
"Who gets them the most now?"
"I do."
"You?"
"Yes, me. I don't get them too often though. The last time I had one was the night of the escape. Most of the others, the ones still here, don't get them. There are only two others who get them, Jace and Scout, but they don't get them all that often."
"Is there any way to stop them?"
"No."
"So why don't you go to the medics for help?""Didn't you hear what I said before? They'd just cut us up like they did to Jack. They'd kill us."
"How do you know that? Maybe they have found a way to stop these seizures."
"But we don't know that. Unless we know that they won't harm us, we won't tell them. You can't say a word of this to anyone."
"But..."
"Promise me Alec. Promise me that you'll won't utter a word about what has happened today."
"I promise Maxie."
"Good."
Max yawned, and felt her eyelids start to droop again. She shifted over so that she could lay her head on Alec's shoulder.
"Wake me before the others come." Closing her eyes, Max drifted into a light sleep.
Alec sighed, and sat as still as he could, not wanting to wake Max up. From what he had heard, Max didn't sleep much, and when she did, she slept lightly. The only exception, it seemed, was after she had a seizure. Maybe he would find a way to help stop Max's seizures. Maybe then she wouldn't hate him so much. He didn't even know why she hated him, she just did. She was so funny when she was angry with him, but he would never tell her that. He would never even hint to her that he did like her, just a little.
…
Jondy watched from the bushes as Max laid her head down on Alec's shoulder and fell asleep. She knew that Max didn't sleep much, which meant that she was either faking it, or she had had a seizure. She hoped that Maxie was just faking it, because otherwise, it meant that Maxie had had to trust Alec. And trusting Alec was something Jondy didn't want Max to have to do.
Jondy sat there for ten minutes, watching Alec and Max. Alec sat totally still, not moving a muscle, except his eyes. And his eyes kept looking at Maxie. Her Maxie. If he had hurt her somehow, she was going to kill him.
The thought of killing Alec made Jondy think of why she was there. 598 had sent her ahead to find Max and Alec, and bring them back to the meeting place. So, not wanting Max or Alec to know that she had seen them, she got up and walked back a ways. When she got far enough away, she gave a slight cough, just loud enough for Max and Alec to hear. Sure enough, she heard Alec waking Max up.
…
Alec looked down at Max. She looked so soft and gentle when she slept. But Alec knew that she was far from being soft and gentle. He had been the butt of her anger too many times just today to find her soft or gentle. If anything, Max was as hard as stone, with a heart of ice. Nothing could crack through that heart, unless its name was Jondy.
Alec envied Jondy. She was so close to Max, got to be partnered with Max, and saw a totally different side to Max that Max never showed any other. Alec wished that Max would trust him, trust him enough to let down the soldier face and show him what she felt. He knew that she didn't like him, yet she had just laid her head on his shoulder and fallen asleep. He had no idea why she had done it, but no doubt she would be yelling at him as soon as he woke her up.
Looking down at Max again, Alec was surprised by how much she looked like Sam. He had never noticed before, but now that he thought about it, Max's number was 452 and Sam's was 453. He had heard some talk that each of the Alpha's had a twin in the Beta unit. While most pair's looked the same, they were still different. The scientists that had made each pair had changed some things about them, so that the Beta person was slightly from his or her Alpha twin. And now that he thought about it, he could name the pairs. There was Max and Sam, Jondy and Toni, Scout and Mac, Jules and...
In the distance, Alec heard someone coughing. Quickly, he woke up Max. When she looked at him, he signaled that there was someone in the just past the bushes in front of them. Warily, Alec and Max walked over and looked around.
Max gave a cry, and ran over to where Jondy was. She gave her sister a big hug and began walking back over to Alec with her.
"What are you doing? Where are the others? What happened? Was it horrible being partnered with 598?"
"Maxie, slow down. I came here to get you and Alec and take you back to the meeting place. The others are all there."
"Well, what are we waiting for, lets go."
"Then turn around. Alec you coming?" Jondy called to Alec, who was sitting under the tree again.
"Yeah, I guess."
Jondy lead the way to a large clearing about half a mile away from where Alec and Max had been waiting. Sam and Toni were standing in the stream that ran through the middle of it, while Blak and Cyan sat on a rock nearby. There was no sign of 598. Max and Jondy went over to talk to Sam and Toni, and Alec joined Blak and Cyan.
Max took off her boots, and stepped into the water. It was so much cooler than the air. Even though it was only spring, it was still warmer than usual. Max sighed, happy because she loved water so much. Jondy took one look at her face and laughed.
"What?" Max asked.
"You Maxie, you."
"What about me Jondy?"
"I'll tell you later." Jondy whispered in her ear before proclaiming louder, "You're just so funny Maxie."
"So? Anyway, where's 598?"
Sam smiled at Max. "Um. He walked off about five minutes ago, said he was going somewhere. Said he wouldn't be back, but he'd meet us when we get out of the forest. Which we have to do really soon."
"Ok. Then shouldn't we get started now?" Max asked.
"Yeah, I guess so. Come on Toni."
Max, Sam and Toni quickly pulled their boots back on, and, with Jondy, went over to where the boys were standing.
"We better get going now, don't want to be late," Cyan said.
"That's what we were about to say, so lets go." Max replied.
The seven of them headed out, walking along the side of the stream, back towards the base. In fifteen minutes they were on the edge of the forest, looking for 598. When they spotted him, they walked out of the forest and joined him. It was two minutes before 1700 and they had to get back to the second training yard. They got there just in time, and were surprised to see that there were no other teams there. Standing at attention, they waited until the Colonel walked out of the barracks to speak with them.
"At ease troops." The Colonel ordered, waiting for them to do so. When they did, he began talking again. "As you can see, you are the only team to have returned on time. For that, you will be rewarded. For now, however, I wish you to wait here until the other three teams come back in. Dismissed."
The eight of them stared at the Colonel's back, watching him until he went back into the barracks. Once he did, they all found some where to sit, and wait.