Max�s stay in Manticore the second time round had instilled in her a healthy hatred of all things hospital like and this place was just one more nail in that coffin.
She had been dragged off the transport and into this place which seemed like it had doubled as Frankenstein�s lab in an old movie.
In the centre of the room stood a metal table with restraints at the four corners and head brace and a combination that looked like a medieval straight jacket device in the middle. To one side was a console with hundreds of buttons and a speaker system. A huge TV covered one wall and a metal table with a cloth covered it stood next to the table. On the other side of the table was a metallic unit attached to the table by wires.
There was even a ridge all around the table to catch blood. Classy.
She had been strapped down to the metal table which was so ice cold it had made her teeth chatter. She, of course, hadn�t gone quietly; screaming and kicking and generally making a nuisance of herself.
But with their tasers and their numbers she really didn�t have much choice which was why she found herself restrained by leather straps and a head brace that made moving impossible.
So far they hadn�t done much to her, drawn out some blood and poked her a bit.
She hadn�t even seen White since they had put her in the transport and it made her wonder if perhaps he was being a good boy and following orders for a change.
All that changed when he walked into the lab and dismissed the soldiers.
�Hello again 452.�
�We have to stop meeting like this Ames, people are gonna talk.�
�Where is my son 452?�
�Did you lose him?� she pretended sympathy.
She was rewarded when his jaw tightened.
�You know they have given you to me to do with as I see fit?�
�So you decided to strap me down?� she winked at him �Kinky.�
He shuddered and walked around the table watching her.
�You really are beautiful 452, pity you�re an animal.�
�Gee you�re making me blush.� She rolled her eyes.
�Not many people know that a few moments after you die your eyes go flat and a grey film covers them. It�s almost a pity to have those beautiful eyes go grey.� He slapped her �Almost.�
Max felt blood on her lip, her head still ringing from the slap.
�Well now we�ve managed to silence you I should get to the proper business. How many transgenics are in Terminal City?�
�More than enough to kick your ass.� She retorted and he smiled pressing a button on small switchboard by the side of her. Max felt and electric current slam through her body, leaving her gasping.
�Smarts?� he asked with a smirk.
�Little tingle. Kinda pleasant.� She fought to keep the rising panic and breathlessness out of her voice.
�How many transgenics in Terminal City?�
�Just me and your mother.� She spat and he pressed the button again. She gritted her teeth against the shock that ripped through her and pushed down a scream.
�How are they getting into the city?�
�Magic Carpet.�
He turned up the voltage to a setting that had her teeth aching and her left eye twitching.
�Who is the leader?�
�Ray.� She grinned at the shocked look that crossed his face.
�Where is my son?�
�You lose him again Amesie?� he pushed the button with cold fury and she managed to hold back her screams as he let the electric shock run for longer leaving her in spasms.
�Where is my son?� he hissed and she motioned for him to come closer.
�Check behind the fridge?�
This time she couldn�t hold back her gasp of pain.
A few miles away from the toxic dump known as Terminal City a lone beggar rifled through a trash can for anything salvageable for lunch or to sell. A long time ago, before the pulse they�d called him Joe. Sometimes he managed to find a gem which scored him a few days without a growling belly and a sober mind. Since all those transgenic mutants escaped pickings had been slim. But the closer to Terminal City, the less chance there was that the cops would be interested in hassling a beggar. They were all too worried about what went on behind that walled city and other homeless didn�t want to get too close to the city in case they were nabbed by the trannies. Joe didn�t care though. He pushed aside a bag of rancid rubbish and saw something in the bottom of the pail which could be some form of clothing. He chuckled with delight at the prospect of something else to stave off the cold.
As he dug for it he suddenly heard a moan and looked up quickly. It was coming from inside the toxic city. The moan turned into a roar and then edged into an animalistic howl that sent shivers right to Joe�s soul. Someone somewhere was in pain; the kind of pain that breaks your heart and steals your breath away; the kind that you can�t help but feel for. Anguish.
He heard running and glass breaking and a strangled �Joshua!� before the screams continued and a sob that came straight from the heart.
He heard a man call the name again and as the cries grew softer and more heartfelt Joe moved silently away from his prize and took off his hat holding it over his heart in a gesture of respect as the soft cries filled the air.
�I�m disappointed 452.� Ames smirked �I was sure you could do better than that.�
�Bite me.� Max hissed as she felt her body shake with the force of that last burst of electricity through her body. �You think you�re tough? you got nothing Ames.�
He chuckled �You haven�t seen what I have 452, I figured we�d start slow. See what it takes to break an animal.�
�Max.� she pushed through her clenched teeth
�Animals don�t have names 452.� He smiled an icy smile and dropped his hand from the machinery to Max�s relief and he walked away.
�I�m tired we�ll start again tomorrow.�
�Aw and here I was just getting comfy.� Max retorted.
�Well how about I leave a little something for you to watch?�
He walked over to the console on one side of the room and pushed a few levers. The huge screen that filled one side of the wall in front of Max lit up with pictures. A bomb, a crying child, soldiers, words- Mission, duty, expendable, and the pictures came faster and she couldn�t close her eyes fast enough. She had been through this kind of indoctrination at Manticore in psy-ops and there was no way some two bit breeding cult was going to break her.
�Hmm perhaps it�s not loud enough for you?� his amused tone gave her a second to brace herself as the room erupted in sound. It was so loud to her sensitive genetically enhanced hearing and she swore that she felt her eardrums start to bleed as the cacophony of sound belted out. It was just bangs and booms interspersed by standard mental warfare at supersonically loud frequency, she tried to tell herself as tears slipped down her face. Her eyes snapped open as she tried to distract herself from the subliminal messages in the recording but the only thing in front of her was the video. Bomb, child, mission, duty, sacrifice, animals, expendable, explosion, blood, beatings, carnage, war, mission.
�Night 452, tomorrow we�ll start with knives.�
Ames White shut the door leaving Max alone with the horror echoing all around her.
Logan watched through the video cam as Alec stared at him.
�Well?�
�Alec, as much I hate to say it-�
�So don�t.� his tone brooked no argument �They could have killed her in the forest but they didn�t.�
Logan nodded �I�ve had sources check out the surrounding area and all transports within the past few days but nothing. At least nothing out of the ordinary.�
Alec refused to let the words penetrate his heart. It had been three days since the team had returned without Max and so far they hadn�t found out anything. White and his men seemed to have disappeared into thin air- taking Max with them.
�Okay.� He scratched the back of his head �Let�s try something new. They probably went out another way. How about all the sector breaks, they wouldn�t have stayed in Seattle. Not even White�s that arrogant.�
Logan was typing away quickly.
�We have twelve checkpoints out of Seattle.� He informed Alec.
Alec nodded �We�ll need to grease some palms to get the info.�
He spun in his chair to call Mole.
�Hey we need to send men to each of the checkpoints out of Seattle with enough firepower but cash to get some answers.�
�Why just men?�
Alec spun around to see Original Cindy standing there with her hands on her hips in a typical go-to-hell pose.
�O.C.� he breathed and as quick as a flash they were hugging tightly.
�We�ll find her boo.� She whispered as she ran her fingers through his short hair.
He pulled away and tried to smile �Of course we will.�
�Besides she�d kick your ass for that macho crap. Baby boo, don�t you get that a girl�s tude and her wares will get ya more answers than cash and flash?�
Alec thought over her words �Sending out women?�
�Ya�ll have them in TC?� she raised an eyebrow.
He couldn�t help the smirk �Sure.�
�And they all revved up like home girl?�
�No one quite like Max but I get the point. Mole!� he called �Scrap that and get me the female unit in here.�
�Now that�s what I�m talking about. Get me some honeyz and we�ll do this the ol� fashioned way.�
�Whoa.� He grabbed her arm before she could walk away �What do you mean we?�
She arched an eyebrow at him �Now I know you don�t think that Original Cindy is gonna let your grungy ass save the day do ya. Home girl is in a jam and Original Cindy melts the marmalade. Got it suga?�
�Its dangerous O.C.� he stated trying to quiet her words.
�Yeah and O.C�s dangerous to your health if ya think I�m gonna just do nuthin�.� She moved closer �Besides boo, soldiers they may be but what do they know about flirting?� she pointed over his shoulder to where twenty odd females stood to attention.
He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall with a nonchalance he didn�t feel.
�We were trained in the effective use of sexuality and devious methods to achieve our goals.�
�That right?� she answered �Damn that is some fine use of materials.� She eyed the recruits. �But Original Cindy has the flava and I�m doing it.�
Alec nodded �Okay, just be careful okay. If anything happens to you when Max comes back she�ll hand me my ass in a sling.�
�Like you won�t enjoy it.� she grinned as his jaw dropped. �Oh yeah O.C knows all about your little lusty thang and she approves.�
Alec fought the blush as he heard Mole chuckle behind him. He turned to pin the transgenic with a glare only to see Mole as stoic as usual.
�Get outta here before you start hurling.� He said gruffly and O.C marched over to the female unit with a sway in her walk that had more than one transgenic watching.
He shook his head and turned back to the video camera where Logan was waiting with a strange look on his face.
�Was that Original Cindy?� he asked
�Yeah.� Alec sat back in the chair.
�Is that true, do you and Max have something going on?�
Alec wasn�t sure how to handle that one. As far as he knew he and Max weren�t anything other than friends but that wasn�t to say that when she got back they wouldn�t be more. As soon as she returned he meant to tell her what he felt about her. How much he loved her. He had wasted too many chances and if he couldn�t get her back�no he wouldn�t think like that; she had to come back.
Logan had watched him as silence fell over the two men heavier than iron.
�You just treat her right.� Logan said in a croaky voice that was closer to how Alec was feeling than he would allow.
For that moment in time he envied Logan Cale. Because he didn�t have the fate of an entire nation resting on his shoulders and he didn�t have to mask the feelings that he felt for the one he loved who could be dying somewhere alone with only a psycho for company doing god knows what to her. He didn�t have to push it all back and try to focus.
�I will.� was all he said before pushing it all away and getting down to business again.
Sketchy had been called by Eyes Only. The very thought was enough to make his palms sweat. He had been contacted by *the* cyber journalist. Although the message was far from revolutionary.
Max was missing. The girl who�d wrestled his ass out of more jams than he could remember was missing. He felt icy at the thought of Max being gone but Eyes Only assured him that he could do something to help and that was all that Sketchy needed to hear.
Anything to help Max; which was why he was on the phone with one of the high ranking generals that had officially supported the transgenic cause.
�Yes Sir, I understand that the whereabouts of the military installations are top secret. Yes I realise that it could mean your job. The transgenics aren�t as big a threat as the national media would have you believe. A group of military has captured a member of the transgenic command and instead of shooting her they have taken her away I�m sure that you can understand what they have in store for her.�
He listened for a few minutes.
�Yes Sir. So what can you tell me?� a grin blew across Sketchy�s face as he grabbed a pen and paper.
As soon as she got out of here Max was heading for the nearest trading store and selling her soul for some aspirin.
She was allowed out of her fetters once a day to use the bathroom and to have gruel- like food shoved down her throat. Each time she hoped she could escape but they kept her so doped up and surrounded she knew she�d have to bide her time. She hadn�t been able to see daylight or night time but she counted guard rotations. Since she had been strapped to this damn table there had been twenty one guard rotations. Three a day meant that she had been in this damn room for a week.
A whole week of White and his inane questions. How many in Terminal City, how do you get in, how do they get out, what are the weakness, when do the sentries change, what are their capabilities, where do they pee, blah blah woof woof.
The voltage had gone so high she had felt her hair stand on end and then White had, true to his words, started with knives. The ridges that ran along the sides of the metal table were there to catch blood and did their job well. From her slightly elevated position she could see it collect in a little tray to be poured down the drain or taken away to do whatever. At this point she really didn�t care much about what they did with it. All she cared about was sectioning off her pain from her awareness the way that Manticore had taught them. The worse part was that Max knew that they hadn�t even gotten to all the torture groups yet. They�d done loud and sharp and cold. But still had blunt and hot to go through. That in itself was enough to make her want to leave.
The speakers and visual screen were on all the time now even when White was in the room; he did turn it down to continue his questions though. She�d stopped with her smart assed remarks in an attempt to distance herself from the situation, a fact which annoyed White who no longer even got random words from her.
The door opened and White walked in with that smirk on his face.
�Well hello 452, how are we feeling?� he turned down the stereo but Max refused to react.
�Still giving me the silent treatment?� he shrugged �Doesn�t matter, today we try something new.�
Two men came in behind him dressed in white clothes and each brandishing a tray.
One of them held it over her prone body and whipped off the cover.
White pulled the syringe off the tray and held it in front of her.
�A little muscle relaxant, we want to see how quick it takes for it to work before we start asking more questions, maybe you�ll be more amenable.�
He nodded and they grabbed her arm pumping it into her skin.
�Now here we go again 452. How many transgenics in Terminal City?�
As Max retreated to her quiet place she began to think about Terminal City and wondered what was going on there. Did they wonder where she was or did they think she was dead? How was Joshua, how was O.C? Was Alec leading them? The thought made her smile.
Of course he was.
Alec was glaring at the annoying transgenic as he blustered his way through his report.
�So what you are telling me is that we have a major water crisis and only just now am I being informed of this?�
�Well Max was-� too late the transgenic realised his blunder. No one mentioned Max�s name to Alec. Not unless they wanted their commander to lose whatever good mood he had managed to find and his eyes to darken.
�What?� he growled.
�She was handling it before, she had us scouting for places to hook up the supply and had all the leads written down so we could search for places to tap. She even had Eyes Only helping us out on that one. Without her we don�t know where the places to drill or dig are. We need that paper-it�s probably in her office.� The guy- Tris figured he might as well go the whole hog if he was going to upset his commander. Alec glanced up towards the locked office. He couldn�t bring himself to go in there.
Max had been missing for a month now and they still hadn�t found her.
A whole damn month!!
There had been so many trucks leaving all exits of Seattle that tracking each and every one down, including the stops it made and its destination and cargo was taking so much time and resources. Not that anyone in Terminal City argued with the direction of resources or its objectives. Despite being one of the oh niner escapees Max had managed to integrate herself into everyone�s hearts and they all wanted her back almost as desperately as Alec did.
Still he wouldn�t give up on her. He would find a way to bring her back.
He got up, ignoring the looks from everyone as he made his way up to her office and pushed open the door, praying that she�d be there sitting in her chair behind the desk. She�d look up at him and her mouth would twist in a half smile and half grimace as if she was pleased to see him but didn�t want to show him. Then she�d roll her eyes at his cocky comments and gesture for him to sit down.
The image was so real that it physically hurt when she wasn�t there. His eyes closed against the hurt and he stumbled into her office, his eyes searching for the vital paper.
He�d taken for granted exactly how much Max had to do while she was here. Supplies, water, medical, food, shelter, arms and security for over nine hundred transgenics and hundreds more non humans and anomalies was no mean feat for anyone let alone one person and he vowed to himself that when she came back to take over command- and she would be back, because he couldn�t allow himself to think anything else- he would get her to delegate more.
�Sir, she might have left it on the board.� He turned and Ralph pointed at the cork board that someone had managed to salvage from the junkyard that was Terminal City.
�Right.� He said not begrudging the company of the sandy blonde haired girl who had taken to following him around recently.
She was the only one who he�d told about his thing with Max and she didn�t judge or tell him he was crazy or anything. She just listened. It was nice.
Thankfully she had gotten over her little crush on him which made him feel better since he wasn�t leading a kid on.
She shut the door behind her and cocked her head.
�I know that we haven�t been here long but we owe our lives to you and Max and we want to help.� She said softly.
Alec nodded as he reached out to untack the vital list from the board, his fingers tracing over Max�s handwriting, hands shaking slightly.
�So I put me and Bullet and Zero on perimeter watch.�
Alec turned to her �Right.�
She blushed �I figured that they would be less likely to shoot at kids.�
It was almost enough to crack a smile at. She always hated it when anyone called her a kid.
�So how are things going with you and Zero?� he tried to direct himself from his surroundings and at her disgruntled look he had to hide a smirk.
�Oh he�s such a�such a, urgh.� She threw her hands up �First he tells me that we should be doing something useful to help out and earn our keep and then he tells me that he doesn�t want me to do perimeter watch�or arms maintenance or scouting or missions. It�s like he doesn�t trust me or something.� She pouted.
�Maybe he�s watching out for you?� Alec felt better, it was so much more interesting to listen to other peoples problems. Especially when they were so amusing.
He�d cottoned on to the fact that Zero had a huge crush on Ralph when the kid glared at him every time he came close to the girl or asked her to come with him to do certain tasks. Sometimes Zero even got up and moved between the two of them which amused Alec no end. Ralph was way too young for him and besides he liked someone else.
But Zero didn�t know that and he perceived Alec as a threat, but he still had enough respect for the chain of command that it didn�t affect his working in the place. The funny thing was that Ralph had no idea that Zero was in love with her.
All the things he did to get a rise out of her, which he didn�t explain his reasoning�s behind, irritated her and caused her to lash out at him calling him arrogant and stupid and unreliable�and this was hitting too close to home.
�He�s not my C.O.� she maintained with a huff. �He�s a jerk. You know I was talking to Bullet and Zero actually ordered me to get back to work and quit flirting!�
Bullet was another one who didn�t much like Alec. Bullet had a crush on Max and considered Alec as competition. Had Max been here to see, he would have loved to tease her like crazy about the kid with a crush but he was just a reminder that she was gone.
�Maybe he was jealous?� Alec tried to put in a good word for the kid who reminded him more of him than he would like to admit.
Ralph gave him a sceptical look �Zero? Please! He thinks he�s such a ladies man, I swear he flirts with every female transgenic that comes in here. Besides he likes to annoy me. He said that I was a bitch and too aggressive.�
�So what did you do when he said that?� Alec said biting back a snigger.
�I hit him.� She shrugged.
This time Alec couldn�t help the chuckle that escaped.