Chapter 19: The Cost of Loyalty
Security Room, Manticore
"Everything going according to plan?" Lydecker asked the trainer standing beside him.
"Yes, sir. The majority of Unit 9 was captured successfully. Unit 1 has already begun the interrogation process."
Lydecker nodded and watched the live feed from the 'enemy base' located on one of their training fields.
"When this is over, make sure Unit 1 comes out first in Class Bravo. Seems they really want to redeem themselves," Lydecker observed. It didn't really matter in the end. Unit 1 was already first in Class Bravo. If Unit 9 did as well as he suspected they would, Class Alpha would simply have three units instead of two. The rankings within Class Alpha would be determined only after their exercises against Units 4 and 6, permitting those two units continued to beat the other units. Of course, Unit 9 may not end up facing the other units in Class Alpha until after they recover from this exercise. By then, SAP would already over. They would just have to do so during their regular training time together. It would be arranged.
"Yes, sir."
"Who remains from Unit 9?"
"X5 designations 536, 729, and 134, sir. They have already regrouped after evading Unit 1's search teams and are most likely formulating a plan to extract their unit."
Lydecker nodded. He had already figured out Max's technique after watching their exercises the past few days. It wasn't that complicated, really. She was using the independence the X5s had to her advantage. It wasn't something Manticore would encourage, since it was better for them to be able to work as one, instead of several groups of one, but it worked well with Unit 9. Lydecker credited that to the close bonds the unit had formed, as well as the small size of the unit, but he recognized it wouldn't work with just any unit. He intended this exercise to test how close that bond would be in Unit 9. After Unit 1 would fail, his men would take over and begin the interrogation process for another day or so, using different techniques he was certain Unit 1 would not think of – it seemed all they could do was beat them up.
"Any new reports from Unit 1?" Lydecker asked.
"No sir."
"Good."
Sector B Forest, Manticore
"Looks like they were all captured," Dart stated.
"Guess this exercise was a bit too easy," Tri announced.
"Yeah. I just wish we saw that coming. Command's never done that before," Gai said.
Dart laughed dryly. "Command hasn't done a lot of things until we were recently formed. Take it out on the new ones, why don't they?"
"You might just get your wish," Tri muttered. "So what do we do now?
Gai looked at the position of the Sun. "We've got a few hours until sundown. Guess we will be missing dinner if we intend on getting them out."
Dart sighed. "Well, what do we know? The enemy base was occupied by patrols established by Command. Unit 1 later assisted the enemy in capturing Max and Kev. So Command and Unit 1 must be working together."
"For now, anyway. Unit 1 still has assessments tomorrow. We're the only unit on break, supposedly," Tri added. "I remember it from the schedules posted outside the building."
"So eventually Unit 1 will have to leave in order to obtain adequate rest. Command would take over. That would be our best time to strike," Gai suggested
"Or get caught," Dart reminded. "Command equipped Unit 1 with tazers. They're definitely going to be using them. My guess is Command wants to test our resistance – see how we would act under interrogation."
"Great. Just what we need. Torture," Tri muttered. "But we still have to try to get them out. That's what Command expects, and it's the only thing we can do. I'm not walking back to get thrown in with the rest of them."
"We'll have to wait until Unit 1 leaves before we know how many patrols there are. Doubt it'll be much longer though. Sun's almost down," Dart informed.
"Right. So we just keep moving until then. Unit 1 is no doubt still looking for us until their time is up."
Enemy Base, Manticore
"State your barcode, 452, and we'll call it quits," 942 demanded. He was Unit 1's CO, and rather furious they still hadn't gotten any information. He shouldn't be surprised, however, as all of them were taught to withhold information from the enemy. He just assumed that because his unit was a team of transgenics rather than Manticore scientists, it'd be easier, but now he realized how wrong he was.
Max and Kev were the first two to awake, having been rendered unconscious by a tazer as opposed to sleeping gas. Resultantly, they were also the first two questioned. Kev said nothing; shooting her aggressors evil glares at each beating. Max replied with her usual quips, angering them further, no doubt. They had spent more time on Max than Kev though, thinking she would be the weakest link since she was gone from Manticore for so many years. Unfortunately, they were too stupid to realize she was more unlikely to break than the others they captured. She had, after all, gone through Psy-Ops nearly unscathed. Of course, she didn't intend on them knowing that. She had a unit to protect.
"Kiss my transgenic ass, 942. You've got to do better than that if you think you can beat information out of me," she challenged. She looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. If this were to be played out as a typical capture scenario, then she would need to be thinking of a typical escape plan.
942 scowled in fury. They didn't have much time left and they still hadn't gotten any information from the 09er. What were they doing wrong? She was their weakest link, wasn't she? 942 told several nearby him to continue working on 452 with tazers while he went bother Kev. Command allowed them to deal severe damage to either the CO or their SIC, but not both. The other unit members were not to be harmed extensively since they were expected to be back in training shortly after the exercise ends. The most Max or Kev suffered thus far was a broken arm or a dislocated shoulder and more than enough bruises. They had mainly been using tazers to minimize physical damage. Anything that would heal within a few days would be acceptable.
The only problem with that was that the majority of them had been trained to withstand torture for at least a day. Unit 1 didn't even have a day. As the hours drained, it was starting to seem like an impossible task, given the time.
Kev groaned quietly to herself as another transgenic kicked her in the stomach. That was when 942 walked in. "Have anything to say yet 645?"
Kev remained silent, knowing the exercise couldn't last too long, right? Unit 1 had other things to do, didn't they? Then she realized Command might take over from there. Crap. It would be to their advantage to start looking for a way out.
"Has she said anything?" 942 asked the other transgenics. They only shook their heads. She was abnormally quiet, even for a transgenic. In spite of the pain she was feeling, she said nothing, not even a soft scream. It weirded out her attackers, but they still kept trying, tazering her here and there hoping to get a peep from her.
"Are any of the others awake yet?" 942 asked.
"Not the last time I checked," a female transgenic informed.
"Check again. This is getting pointless," he muttered as he walked away. The female transgenic left to check on their other captives.
Sector B Forest, Manticore
"There's no sign of them anywhere," a male transgenic claimed with frustration.
"Just keep looking. They don't need us back at base anyway," another transgenic said.
"This is pointless. The Sun's almost down anyway. Our time is almost up," a female transgenic observed.
"We still have to try," another X5 declared.
As they rounded a corner, two transgenics blurred right at them, taking the five off guard.
"Looking for us?" Tri exclaimed, as she took out the female transgenic, having launched herself from the treetops.
A few groans were heard as Dart, Tri, and Gai rendered the five transgenics unconscious, taking their tazers.
"Well, that wasn't so bad." Dart grinned, observing the damage they did. "So if 5 of them were out searching for us, that means around 9 of them are inside, at least from Unit 1. There may be some working from Command in there as well."
Gai laughed. "Yeah, umm, we're still outnumbered."
"But we've got these babies," Tri reminded, holding up a tazer. "And they won't be expecting us."
"We'll still wait until Unit 1 leaves," Dart declared. "Then we'll just have to deal with Ordinaries. From their conversation, it sounds like Unit 1 will be leaving some time after sundown, so we don't have to wait much longer."
"Yeah, let's hope so. I hope our unit's not in too bad a condition when we get to them. Otherwise there's no way we can do well in the rest of the exercises we have left," Gai said.
Lydecker's Office, Manticore
"Sir, X5 designations 536, 729, and 134 just neutralized Unit 1's search unit. It can be assumed that they're now armed with tazers."
"Any results from Unit 1?"
"No, sir."
"Pull them out. They're not going to get anything anytime soon. Tell them they did well and to get some rest. We'll take over from here. I want a team out to bring in 536, 729, and 134."
"Yes, sir."
"How is Unit 9 taking the change of events?"
"Like a standard capture scenario, with the exception of reporting back to base. The remaining X5s are trying to save their unit, assuming they have base's approval. They are now waiting for the best time to attack. We suspect they're waiting until nightfall."
Lydecker nodded. "Don't give them the opportunity. Take two teams to bring them in."
"Sir, there's three of them. Realistically speaking, the odds are against them."
Lydecker chuckled at that. "The odds have been stacked against them since day one. Unit 9 isn't your ordinary unit. They're some of the best soldiers we have. You told me yourself – those three just neutralized five X5s. If that's reflective of anything, they won't have any problem neutralizing one team. So bring two."
"Understood, sir."
Enemy Base, Manticore
Viper awoke and attempted to get up, realizing then that she was handcuffed. She had not been expecting a capture scenario – not that it was unheard of, but it was also rare. Capture scenarios were never fun – Command ensured they at least underwent some interrogation before releasing them. She had only been through it one other time, and that was years ago. She took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the light. Looking around, she noticed she was in a small cell. She couldn't see anyone else, however, so she had no clue as to where everyone else was.
"Anyone else here?" she whispered.
"Viper, is that you?" Joy asked.
"Joy? Yeah, it's Viper," Viper assured. "Who else is awake?"
"You guys are loud," Cody muttered. "I just woke up, thanks to you."
"Just me and Cody then, I guess," Joy guessed.
"What happened? Last thing I remember was Cody downloading the database and then getting gassed," Viper asked.
"Nic, Ammo, and I were coming to check on you when the building went into lock down. We got gassed too. I just saw Unit 1 leaving though, so I think they were helping interrogate whoever is awake. I thought I saw them take away Ammo earlier. Command's coming to finish the job. I just saw a TAC team arrive," Joy explained.
"Have you heard from Nic?" Viper asked.
"Not yet," Joy replied. "Haven't seen Fin either."
"Great, I hate these. I don't even remember the last time we were in a capture scenario. The only thing I do remember was being in the infirmary for a week after," Cody muttered. "That was years ago though."
"We've had resistance training in Psy-Ops like everyone else, but I don't think I've ever been in one before," Joy admitted.
"They're not common," Viper muttered. "Usually because they render us inactive for so long. But I guess while we're not expected to be deployed for a while, being a new unit and all, now is the best time for them to have one."
"What do they want to know?" Joy asked.
"Barcode number. Who sent us. Mission objectives. How many others there were. Simple stuff," Viper recalled. "As soon as we answer even one of their questions, it's over, but for the individual, not the unit, I should clarify."
Joy sighed. "Great. I'm not good at these things..." she murmured.
"It'll be alright," Cody reassured. "Just hold out for as long as you can."
Sector B Forest, Manticore
"Hey, you guys hear that?" Dart asked, holding his hand to tell them to stop.
"Yeah, but it sounds like it's coming from every direction," Gai stated.
"I'll check it out," Tri said, scaling a tree. Her eyes widened as she realized it was coming from every direction. "Umm, guys, it is coming from every direction. We're being surrounded...by Command soldiers. There's no way we're getting out of this one. There's just too many of them." Tri jumped back to the ground as she gave them the information.
"Damn it. Guess Command wants us in there too. We'll I'm not fighting my way through this. Better to be conscious, and assess the situation when we get there, than unconscious," Dart announced.
"That's assuming they're going to allow us to be conscious," Gai reminded.
"Right...damn," Dart muttered.
A few minutes later, soldiers surrounded the three, who held their hands up in surrender – not that it mattered, the soldiers still fired their stun guns to render them unconscious.
Enemy Base, Manticore
Lydecker decided to monitor the session from the security room. He knew Max would not appreciate his presence there, and it would not go well in earning her trust. Of course, in the end, he knew that Max would know he had ordered this exercise, and she would hate him for it just the same.
Max, Kev, and Ammo watched as Dart, Gai and Tri were brought in and tossed on the floor. Their last chance at escape was now gone.
A soldier wearing a ski mask to hide his identity walked up to Max. "Friends of yours?" he barked.
"I've never seen them in my life," Max informed, looking the soldier right in the eye to make her statement more believable.
The soldier chuckled before backhanding her. He moved on to Kev, asking the same question. Kev said nothing, sticking with her silence and giving the soldier a defiant look. The soldier tazered her then moved on to Ammo, asking him the same question. Ammo shook his head in answer, earning him a punch to the face.
"Well since they're not friends of yours, then you won't mind if we rough them up a bit," the soldier declared. As if on cue, the other soldiers that brought in the three started kicking at the transgenics who were still unconscious.
The head soldier had several soldiers bring in two more transgenics – Fin and Nic, both of whom were dripping wet. They had been submerged underwater for long periods of time to a point of nearly drowning. Even Fin seemed tired. These soldiers knew all about them, of course, so they knew Fin's limits, and even she wouldn't be able to fool them. They had just finished their individual assessments – Manticore knew all their strengths and weaknesses. There was no pretending – something that would technically be doable in hostile territory, yet Manticore wasn't allowing it. Talk about unfair.
"Do you know these people?" the head soldier asked Fin and Nic.
The two promptly denied ever seeing them, so the soldier sent them away again for more near torture. Another series of soldiers came in bringing Cody, Viper, and Joy. They seemed unharmed and were struggling against the manhandling.
"Let go of me!" Viper yelled.
Their struggles were subdued when the soldiers tazered them and tossed them on the floor.
"Let me guess. You don't know them either," the head soldier stated, directing his attention to Max, Kev, and Ammo.
"Right on," Max quipped. "You're getting smart." She could have sworn the soldier glared, but it was hard to tell with the ski mask.
"You've got quite a mouth on you kid," he muttered as he walked back towards them. He gestured for the soldiers to take Ammo away, as well as the other unconscious transgenics. Another group of soldiers were to deal with them.
"Since you and your friend here seem to be the leaders, I'll make you a deal. You tell me who sent you, what you were doing here, and how many others of you there were, and I'll let your friends go. You don't...and I won't stop my men from beating them into a bloody pulp."
Kev and Max exchanged glances. This was brutally unfair. Ironically, it was what Renfro had threatened to ensure Max's loyalty to Manticore. Now that she was 'loyal', they were threatening her with just the same to betray Manticore. They both knew what they had to do though.
"I told you, I have no idea who they are," Max stated, trying her best to not flinch when she watched the soldiers take their anger out on Cody, Viper, and Joy.
Kev watched it all in silence, her stoic mask giving away nothing, but neither of them felt good about what was happening, and it would only be so long before that would show.
In another room, both Fin and Nic were submerged into the water for long periods of time while facing questioning. It was becoming harder and harder to resist as Fin realized her greatest strength was also a weakness, and Nic's childhood fear of water began resurfacing.
Gai, Tri, and Dart were awoken in another room full of soldiers when they were blasted with cold water. The soldiers immediately separated them and began their questioning. Ammo was already being questioned by a group of soldiers in another room. It would be a long night.
Lydecker's Office, Manticore
Lydecker allowed the exercise to last a few more days. The Skills Assessment Period was nearly over, and it certainly would be by the time Unit 9 would be released, but he had already arranged for Class Alpha's instructors to set aside some time for Unit 9's testing, so they didn't miss much.
Although the group showed very little indication of breaking any time soon, he had learned about the names they called each other when they thought no one else was listening. While they rested, they would talk to each other in their cells, reassuring each other it would all be over soon. So Max had introduced to them the concept of names. He should have expected it.
The extra time allowed Lydecker to see the bonds that formed in the unit. It was evident 321, or rather, Nic, was fond of 863, also known as Viper. Ammo and Joy were friends with Nic, trying to help him get rid of his fear of water. They had been together since childhood and knew instantly that he was not doing so well with the interrogation. Dart, Tri, and Gai had formed their own bond, having worked together extensively once Max created their groups. Viper and Fin were also good friends. Lydecker had read a report where Fin once saved Viper's life in a previous mission. Cody had been in Viper's unit, which served as a connecting link. Their group exercises strengthened their bond. Kev was generally silent. He had looked into her file and couldn't really understand 645. 645 was a model soldier, and although she seemed like the typical Manticore soldier lacking a personality, she clearly had one, hidden under the Manticore mask. She seemed to only confide in Max, however, and rarely talked to anyone else. He had a lot of questions for the quiet girl. He made a note to question her former CO.
"Sir, nothing has changed. Your instructions?"
"Keep going," Lydecker said dismissively.
"Yes, sir," the soldier replied before leaving.
Lydecker knew they would hold out for a long time. That was what they were made to do. He also could tell what he was doing to them was hurting them – not just physically, but emotionally, and so he wasn't intending on keeping it up for too much longer. In a real combat situation, they would be able to cope with it because they would know it wasn't Command that was doing it to them – it was a real enemy. But that wasn't the case right now, and their spirits were not so high as the exercise dragged on.
Max always had a weakness for caring too much for her siblings – it was what led him to Seattle when she asked a private investigator to look into it – but Lydecker couldn't really fault her for that. As much as it was a weakness, it was also one of her greatest strengths. It was what made her unit strong enough to escape. Yet he could see that what he ordered the soldiers to do was hurting her, even though she hid it well. He could see it in her eyes.
In a sense, it pleased Lydecker that Max cared enough about her unit to wish them no harm. In another sense, it brought him guilt for doing this to them. It wasn't really necessary – Max had already proven herself by returning, yet he just wanted to be sure that she wouldn't abandon them if they were to leave on a mission. He knew once they joined Class Alpha, missions wouldn't be too far off in the horizon. They would be ready.
Enemy Base, Manticore
"We've been here for over a week now," Nic mumbled.
"It'll be over soon," Viper reassured.
"You said that yesterday," Nic reminded.
It was night now and the soldiers were taking a break from interrogating them.
"Just hold out a little longer, Nic," Viper tried. She had seen Nic several times in the past few days, and he was starting to look more and more lost. She had asked Joy and Ammo why, and they explained to her how he had a fear of water dating back to the days they were forced to train their breathing in the tank.
"I'm not sure I can, Viper," Nic muttered.
"Do it for me, Nic. I know you can."
Nic was silent, and Viper knew he would try.
"I guess this is why we didn't have a schedule after our exercise with Unit 1," Ammo said from another cell nearby.
"If I had known these were their plans, I would have gotten myself sent to the infirmary a while ago," Cody joked.
"I'm sure all of us would have," Gai laughed.
"God I'm tired. Even us genetically engineered soldiers need our sleep. I hate being sleep deprived," Tri complained.
"How long do you suppose we'll be in the infirmary after this?" Dart pondered. "I know I have several broken ribs by now."
"We're missing the rest of SAP," Fin pointed out. "In fact, it's probably over by now."
"Well, we defeated all the units in Class Bravo. You think that puts us in Class Alpha?" Joy pondered.
"I hope so," Ammo replied.
Lydecker's Office, Manticore
A knock at his door signaled the arrival of the X5 he summoned.
"Enter."
"X5-848, reporting, sir!"
"At ease, soldier."
The soldier switched to the relaxed position. Lydecker could tell his reputation was certainly intact with this soldier. 848 had no idea why he had been summoned, and it unnerved him.
"Tell me what you know about 645."
848 was confused. Why was the colonel asking about 645? "645 specialized in stealth, reconnaissance, and tactical analysis when she was with Unit 5, sir."
"I'm sure you are aware of Unit 9 achievements. Their victory against Unit 5 should give you an idea that those rumors you heard a while back are indeed true. Were you aware she was chosen to be the second in command of Unit 9?"
848 did well to mask his surprise, but he certainly did not know that. "No, sir."
Lydecker nodded. "Tell me, 848, was there any reason why you did not appoint 645 for any missions after your successful mission five years ago in California?"
848 went silent. No one from Command had ever questioned his decisions concerning 645. It did well in keeping their secret safe. Now Lydecker was back and asking about her. Would he send them to Psy-Ops for not reporting it sooner? If so, he should just not report it, right? But then he would be betraying Command, and if they ever found out he did that, he would surely be sent to Psy-Ops for an indefinite amount of time.
Lydecker watched the transgenic carefully, seeing there clearly was something he was hiding from his sudden silence.
"848, if you don't tell me now, I have other ways of founding out," Lydecker warned.
848's heart rate quickened with the threat, fearful of Lydecker's warning. He was in no mood for Psy-Ops. "Sir, I did not appoint 645 after the mission in California because she is a flight risk, sir."
Lydecker's eyes widened slightly, but that was the only indication he gave of his own surprise at the discovery. "Explain."
"Sir, after our mission was completed, we had some time in town before returning to base. 645 wandered away from the group and went on her own to explore. It wasn't too big of a problem since I trusted that she would return. She was one of my best soldiers at the time. When she didn't, however, I went looking for her. She didn't want to come back, and so we brought her back ourselves by force."
Lydecker watched 848 carefully as he retold what happened. He recalled that according to the report, 645 suffered a head injury from a fall. He concluded her unit must have knocked her out to bring her back. Now he understood. "Why were you covering for her, 848? If she was a flight risk, you should have reported it."
848 shifted uneasily, feeling Lydecker's controlled anger. "Sir, I was watching out for my unit. They don't deserve to be sent to Psy-Ops for one soldier's mistakes, and I kept a watchful eye on 645 until she was transferred to make sure she wouldn't flee, sir."
Lydecker sighed. Well, at least he knew why 645 got along so well with Max. They were both after the same thing. "Very well then. You're dismissed 848."
"Yes, sir." 848 saluted the colonel and left, wondering if he had just thrown his unit into Psy-Ops by telling the colonel what had happened.
Lydecker watched 848 leave. He wouldn't send Unit 5 to Psy-Ops. He trusted 848 was telling the truth, and that his unit was loyal to Manticore. Of course, the ideal Manticore soldier would have reported the incident regardless of the consequences, but they were still human after all. They cared for one another to some extent, and it was unlikely that Psy-Ops could ever change that. Animals were social creatures. They thrived on one another, and technically speaking, these soldiers were made from animals.
As for 645...was she still a flight risk?
A/N: Ok, so you're all probably wondering where the heck I've been. Then again, perhaps you all have forgotten about this story! I hope not...My apologies for delaying the update for so long. I've been swamped in schoolwork. The good news is - school is finally out! And I have time to update! And reply to all your reviews. I'm going to update first...and slowly reply to all your reviews. A bit of a change, but I don't think you all should be kept waiting any longer! But you will all receive a review reply from me!
The next chapter will be the final chapter in this story. A sequel is expected...but I haven't had any ideas for beginning it. As a result, I'm not sure when it'll be available. If you're interested in receiving a PM or email from me when the sequel is up, please leave your email or leave a message letting me know of your interest. If you have a account, I'll PM you. If not, I'll be more than happy to email you. Just leave me some form of contact. I'll be repeating this message in the final chapter. If you left a message in this chapter, then you won't need to repeat it unless you don't get confirmation from me that I have marked you down.
Finally, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's not the happiest of chapters, and I'm not really sure why I included these events, but it was what my muse told me to write, so I did. As always, I love hearing your thoughts! Please leave them!
Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I'm glad to have so many loyal fans. A special thanks goes to mars494, who has not only beta-ed this story, but made sure I was still alive when I seemingly disappeared off the face of the planet.
For my anonymous reviewers:
Labyrinths Scribe: In my view, Max isn't Max without a little butt kicking, hehe. I'm glad you enjoyed the MA scene. Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy the update!
dushaLa: Heh, sorry, I have a tendency to end with cliffhangers. Hope you like the update! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Ty450: I'm happy to hear that people are actually reading this on Raising Hell as well. It seems obscured over there. But it's nice to know that it has also caught the attention of some readers. Thanks a lot for reading and reviewing!
itra: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. As for them escaping...you'll have to wait and see. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
