| Different Life A Different Story Alec awoke with a fierce headache. Some one was shining a flashlight in his face. He shook his head away from them to get the light out of his face. "He's awake" the man above him said. Alec recognised him as a Manticore official. "Ask him what happend, we'll see if it matches 599s story" he heard someone else say. The new voice sounded a lot like Lydecker. "X5-494" The man said. Alec sat up strait, ignoreing the great pain in his head. "Tell us what happend" the man demanded. Alec saw Zack standing behind the official. His eyes were pleading with him. Alec tried to remember what happend. He Rememberd Zack asking him to help Krit escape, and then it was a blur. He thought quickly. "I'm not exactly sure what happend" Alec said, he made himself sound as confused as posible, which wasn't hard since he wasn't really sure exactly what DID happen. "I think I was dozeing off or somthing. I was dreaming about somthing, and then I was awakend by a sharp pain on my head. And then darkness". The man looked a little dissapointed that this was all he had to say. "Sorry, that's all I can remember" Alec finished. Lydecker pushed the man away, and took his place. He looked Alec right in the eye, which he knew was pointless, because X5s were trained to lie. "I don't think he's lieing. Up untill the incident he had a spotless record, and he knows what another inccident would bring him" he said. He turned to the other man. "We're going to have to belive 599's story. He is our best soldier. The drivers are dead so we cant ask them, and he was the one to call in. And just look at that lump on his head" the other man said. Lydecker nodded his head, though he looked reluctent to agree. "Very well them, get them medical attention, and then send them along on their mission" he said. "If there's any sign of anymore trouble, then send them imeadiately back to Manticore". And with that, he turned and walked over to his black car, and got in. Alec saw Zack let out the smallest sigh of relief as he walked over to one of the medics. Alec went to the other, and let them poke and prod at him, bandageing up his head, and checking for furthur injury. It was a woman tending to him, and when she was done, he smiled down at her. She blushed, her green eyes twinkeling, then handed him a bottle of pills. "Take one, no more then two of these if your head hurts to an unbearable point" she said. "No problem" Alec said, takeing the bottle of pills. "But, I'm feeling much better now, thank you very much" he smiled again, and the woman blushed even more. The woman was pulled away by her coworker, but Alec winked at her quickly first. He laughed quietly to himself. It had been a long time since he had shamelessly flirted with a normal. The smile on his face was quickly turned to pain however, when Rachel jumped into his mind. "Let's go" Zack said. Alec looked up, and followed him into the new car. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Max plopped down on the extreamly uncomfortable couch in the recreational room. She laughed at the name of the room. They were allowed recreational time once a week, if all behaved in the section. They had an old black and white tv that only got in news chanels and war movies, previously screaned by the staff of course. There was a small book shelf with a selection of books, that rarely changed. A few magazines were also on the shelf, but nothing very intersting. The books were made up of old titles such as Catcher and the rye, Of human Bondage, Cannery Road, and other such Classics. They were only allowed those so that they might have somthing to speak of with people on the outside during away missions. Which is also why they had the tv. The only good thing about the room was the pool table. But nobody ever wanted to play pool, because Alec, or Jondy always won. Always. Max pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her feet on the couch, and closed her eyes. She was so worried about everything. About an hour earlier Lydecker had been called away from their stradegy training. The man who had come for them had said somthing about X5-471, Krit. She was so worried about him. They hadn't been informed what happend, and she knew that she probably wouldn't know untill Zack and Alec got back. That is if Zack and Alec hadn't gotten themselves in a mountain load of trouble. She knew That Zack was behind this what ever it was. He had to be. And she feard what would happen to him. She heard someone enter the room, and she could tell by the sound of the steps that it was Jondy. They had a certain bounce to them, an energy that wasn't often found anywhere else. She plopped down right next to Max on the couch. Max could tell, with out looking up, that she was very proud of herself for somthing. And being Jondy, Max knew that she very much wanted to share it. Max however, had no intrest in what it was. She evend out her breathing, hopeing to elude her sister into believing that she was asleep. But it didn't work, Jondy, decideing that MAx wasn't going to ask her, started chattering. "Want to play some pool?" She asked cheerfuly. Max didn't answer. That didn't stop Jondy though. "I know somthing you don't know" she sing-songed. "And I know somthing you don't know? Max said finaly looking up. Jondy gave her a look. "I don't care" Max finished her staement. "Well, I know what happend with Krit" Jondy said with a smile that flashed her sharp cat like teeth. This instantly got her attention. She crossed her legs up on the couch, and turned towards the older woman, "What? what is it?" she asked with an urgency in her voice. "Oh, I think I may of gone and forgotton" Jondy said with an evil look. "That really is so like me" she let out an extreamly fake sigh and frowned, looking at the ground. "Jooonnnndyyyyyy" Max said streching out the name in some what of a whine. "Well, a game of pool might bring back my memory" she said with that same evil grin. Max cought on to Jondy's little game. "Fine" she said "I'll play your little game of pool" she got to her feet and walked over the pool table, Jondy right behind her. "Can you at least tell me how you found out?" she asked. "Max, I've told you before. A girl can find out whatever she wants from a man" Jondy said with a twinkle in her eye. "Let's just say, I was able to persuade a gaurd to tell me the information" she set up the game. "I break" she called. Max nodded in acceptance of this. "But what happend?" she asked. Jondy paid no attention. She simply played pool, getting two balls in on her first shot. "Jondy, will you tell me already? I'm tired of your little games" she said. Jondy made another shot, getting another ball in, then made another, just missing the corner pocket. "Damn" she said, "Your turn" she said to Max as if she hadn't been with holding imformation. Max glared at her, but took a shot. She missed by quite a long shot, but didn't care. "Can you at least tell me if they're all okay?" Max asked her, growing desprate for imformation. "Oh, They're all fine, at least they were when Zack made the call in" she said. She aligned up another shot, and once again made it in. ""What? Zack made in a call? why would he do that?" She looked down just in time to see Jondy winning effortlessly. "I win" she said happily. Max shook her head. "Fine, I'll tell you since that's all you seem to care about. "What Zack said, was that Krit went crazy and attacked him and Alec. Zack and Alec were unable to stop him, since it was so unexpected, and were both knocked unconscious. When Zack came to, he saw that the car had been wrecked, and Alec was still out. He called to the drivers for help, but they were dead. Krit was gone. So he made the call in" Jondy stopped talking, done with her story. "But that can't be it" Max said. "Krit would never attack Zack, he very nearly worships him. He's his Brother. "And if this was so, then Zack wouldn't call in. He would try to escape" Max said. "I'm not saying that's what really happend, I"m just saying that that's what Zack said happend" Jondy said. "And don't be so sure that Zack would run. Krit ran because there was nothing for him where he was going. Zack still has the option of coming back here where we all belong. Would you run? Would you leave us all behind? Could you wake up every morning, with out me on the other side of the room? Could you go on knowing that all of us were still here?". Jondys words hit Max like a rock. Could she leave in an instant, with out her brothers and sisters? Her heart already ached painfuly knowing that she would never see Krit again. She now, more then ever felt trapped. She was more aware that she was caged in her like an animal. The only way she could ever leave, is if Lydecker himself decided to let all of them go. And what were the chances of that ever happening? |