Chaos Theory – Chapter 18

Partners In Pain

A/N: Great big thanks to Mandie for all her help!! (Tazer prod!)

2020, 30 miles north of Seattle , Washington – Manticore Facility

Max awoke to see sun streaming through the small window above her bed. She blinked rapidly, reacting to the light. Her eyes were still a bit sore and she ached all over, but her bruises were almost all gone and the cuts on her body had largely healed. 

She stood up and began her morning ritual of one hundred pushups and assorted other exercises, ignoring her body’s pleas for rest. Her cell was small and it was all she could do to keep her joints from cramping. 

Finishing up with a few body stretches, Max examined her quarters. The isolation ward was at the far end of the building, not far from the Psy-Ops labs. She supposed it made it easier to drag tortured and broken bodies from one point to another when they were close by like this. 

She approached the door to her cell and looked out, her eyes sweeping the corridor through the bars. The area was devoid of life. She walked toward the metal partition that separated her quarters from the neighboring cell. She inspected the empty space, noting the meticulous order kept by her fellow soldier; the tidy pile of clothing placed neatly on the pillow, a pair of combat boots tucked under the bed.  She knew that by day the inhabitant was hauled out for testing, but she had paid no attention to him. She just couldn’t bring herself to care. Until today.

Max knew that the male X5 from the cell next door had probably saved her life last night. Her seizure had been strong, and she had been too weak to call for help. As she ran through the sequence of events from the night before, she came to a stop as she remembered Lydecker. She’d never understood his twisted feelings for her and her siblings. He had been a father figure to them growing up until the incident with Jack, and later Eva. What she was unsure about was his part in the grand scheme of things. It wasn’t Manticore style to skip reindoctrination for a glitched up, defective soldier such as herself.

The more she thought about it the stranger it seemed. Why would Deck chance putting an independent-minded soldier in with true-blue, robo-types.? She might contaminate the entire lot with her ideas. This knowledge made her frown in frustration. What did it mean for her?

Max’s musings were interrupted by the sound of clanking metal. Shortly after she heard a muffled thump and a faint groan reached her ears. She lifted her eyes to see the door of the adjoining cell swing open, and a guard boot the soldier into the room. He landed face down on the floor near the bed and lay still. The door slammed shut.

When the sound of the guards’ retreating footsteps finally faded, Max approached the thin wall of bars that separated the two cells. 

She called out softly, “Are you okay?” 

Struggling with great effort, 494 picked up his head, revealing a deeply bruised left cheek and swollen eye. He smiled as widely as his split lip allowed.

Max looked at the man’s battered face with a mixture of concern and awe. She knew first-hand what Psy-Ops was like. How it broke the spirit, leaving a hollow, empty feeling inside. The fact that he had come out of there and was still able to smile was beyond her.

“I’m always alright,” he replied quietly before his head fell to the floor and he lost consciousness.

When 494 came to, it was already dark. A tray of food had been placed just inside the door of his cell and the smell of chicken and steamed vegetables assailed his nose causing his stomach to rumble in response. Reaching out eagerly, he winced at the stabbing pain in his shoulder. Moving more slowly, he pulled the tray to him, picked up the cutlery and dug in.

He glanced up out of the corner of his eye to see the girl in the next cell eyeing him with concern. Her empty tray was balanced on her knees, both legs tucked beneath her on the bed. He lowered his eyes to his plate and pretended not to notice as she watched him in silence. The attempt was futile; he was all too aware of her eyes on his back.

Pushing the now empty tray off to the side, 494 got to his feet, stumbling slightly when he put pressure on his sprained ankle. He tried to cover his limp as he made his way over to their shared wall.

Unfortunately for him, Max saw him falter. She quickly raised her eyes to his and saw him stiffen, his shoulders pulling into a straight line. The concern on her face annoyed him. Showing weakness just wasn’t something soldiers did. But as his eyes raked over her, he bit his lip. Maybe playing the injury would score him some points with the pretty girl opposite him.

“Hey,” he said, smiling softly.

Max rose from the bed and came face to face with the hottest guy she’d ever seen. Even by Manticore standards the young man standing before her was stunning. Forcing herself to focus her eyes on his face, she couldn’t help thinking something about him was familiar. 

“Looked pretty rough earlier.” She noted the fading bruises. The swelling had gone down and she got a glimpse of two sparkling hazel eyes.

494 shrugged. “Nothing I haven’t been through before.”

His reply made her shiver. His eyes held the haunted look of one who’d suffered more than his share. “Have we met before?” she asked, changing the subject.

494 smirked. “Well this is a first. I’ve never had a girl try to hit on me in isolation before.”

Max’s face went red and she narrowed her eyes, jutting her shoulder and planting her hands on her hips. “If not for the bars between us, I would hit you. I’d kick your ass clear across the room.” she huffed.

494 threw his hands up. “What’s your problem?! Ever consider anger management classes?”  

Catching the glare sent his way he shut his mouth.

He took a step forward and in a manner of apology, cocked his head to one side and smiled.

“Look, it was an honest mistake. I didn’t mean anything by it.” His voice was level but his eyes danced with amusement. “And in answer to your question, I don’t think we’ve met before.”

494 stared at her as they stood in silence. His initial impression had been that she was beautiful. She had skin the color of caramel, lush dark hair, full, pouty lips and eyes…he knew those eyes from somewhere. He wracked his tired brain, trying to jog his memory but coming up short.

Max bit her lip in concentration as she tried to think where she’d seen the other X5. She shook her head and let it go.

“What’s your name?” she asked after a while.

“My name?” he asked, confused.

“Yeah, your name? You know, that thing that gives you individuality? Tom, Dick, Harry? Ring a bell?” she rotated her finger in a circle before tapping it against his temple.

494 jerked away. “I don’t have a name. My designation’s 494. You?” 

Max’s eyes were drawn to his mouth as he spoke, noting how he tugged at his lower lip with his teeth. It was sexy and oh-so-cute. Mmmmm. 

When she didn’t’ reply, 494 prodded her. “Hello? Anybody there?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” she replied without thinking. 494 grinned and chuckled. She was flustered and he was loving it. 

Startled by the sound of his laughter, Max snapped out of her daydream and licked her lips. 494’s eyes widened and his grin stretched wider. Max knew she’d been caught out. Great, give him more ammo. 

Max stared into his eyes again and it was suddenly very clear to her why he looked so familiar. Those eyes; she’d seen them before.

“Ben,” she let out in a breathy whisper.

494’s face screwed up in puzzlement. “What?” Maybe Lydecker was gentle with her ’cause she’s not completely right in the head. 

Max stammered. “Y-You remind me of someone I used to know.”

“Well, like I said before, my designation’s 494.”

His words finally registered. She smiled. “His was 493. You must be twinned.”

494’s eyes hardened slightly and he nodded. “Ye-ah. 493…One of the ’09ers.” He pursed his lips before adding, “One of the Unit 5 traitors.” 

Max’s face tightened and her fists clenched so that her knuckles were white. “What do you know about it?”

494 gave her a confused look. Duh. Everyone knows about it! What is it with this girl? 

He replied in a slightly exasperated tone. “I know that Manticore got a lot worse after those rug rats broke out. I thought the Unit 5 escape was legendary. Didn’t you hear about it in your facility?” 

She was visibly angry. “Not traitors!” she growled at him.

“Down, girl! Why are you defending them anyway? We suffered because of those spineless bastards. Couldn’t hack it, so they ran.”

Max’s face went red and her fist shot out, connecting with his gut and catching him off guard. He grunted as he stumbled backward.

“What the hell is your problem?” he wheezed, hunched over. The pain that flashed in his eyes was quickly replaced by anger.

Max saw his look and stopped short. He couldn’t understand. He didn’t know. Then his words registered. We suffered. She wondered just what had been done to the ones who were left behind. Guilt ridden, she turned her head and faced away from him.

They stood in awkward silence for a while. But 494 was never one to keep quiet for long.

“So, which facility were you based at?”

Max whirled around and looked at him blankly. “Facility?”

“Whatever. Never mind.” How badly did they hurt her in Psy-Ops? Musta been hard enough to cause brain damage. It’s the only explanation. Bing nice to an obviously mentally challenged X5. Good ole Deck must have a heart. 

494 decided to try once more. This time he spoke slowly, enunciating each word carefully. “What’s your designation?”

Max looked at him like he was crazy. What’s with this guy? First cocky, now slow. 

“452.” 

494’s head snapped back in shock. He looked at her dumbly. “What did you just say?”

Max looked at him in exasperation. “You asked for my designation. It’s 452. But you won’t be using it,” she added hotly.

494’s eyes widened in recognition. It suddenly made sense: her defense of Unit 5, the punch to his gut. She was one of them! Shit! I hope she doesn’t remember that I was part of the team that captured her!

Affecting a neutral expression, he wrapped his hand around one of the bars and leaned in closer to her face. “I won’t?” The girl intrigued him. She had attitude and fire, something he found lacking in his fellow soldiers at Manticore. It was refreshing.

“The name’s Max. Get used to it.”

The next morning, Max woke to the sounds of a struggle. She opened her eyes to see 494 wrestling with two guards and trying unsuccessfully to avoid the medic who hovered nearby, a syringe filled with dark liquid in his hand. The flash of tazers made her gasp, and she put a hand to her lips to stifle the sound.

“No, please! Don’t!” the soldier begged between grunts of pain.

Max’s eyes snapped shut, trying to block out the pained cries.

She, Jondy, Ben and Zack had been in the gymnasium training. Jondy was hanging in mid-air, her hand held tight in Zack’s. They were being tested for endurance.

They hung like that for about 20 minutes, Zack’s arm straining so that the veins popped tight, close to the surface. Jondy’s hand was broken, but she bit down on her lip to keep from screaming.

Max and Ben watched from the sidelines as Trainer Vargas approached from behind and shocked Jondy just under her extended arm. She shook violently, crying out in pain.

Zack tightened his hold, the determination on his face clear to all. He would not let her go.

The tazer shots kept coming. Jondy’s body was jerking wildly. Her screams permeated the room and ate at her unit mates like acid. “No, please! Don’t!”

She eased her eyes back open and took a deep breath and watched helplessly as 494 fell still and the medic injected the contents of the needle into his arm. His limp form was dragged from the cell.

Another morning in hell, she thought as she sighed deeply, lying back on her bed and closing her eyes again.

Max was thrown heavily into the room, colliding with the bed. The sound of springs creaking made her turn her head.

“Hey, Max. How ya holdin’ up?” 494 said softly as he made his way over to her, as close as he could get without going through the bars that separated the two cells.

Through the haze of pain, Max noted that he looked none the worse for wear after the incident from earlier that morning. Her tongue was fuzzy when she replied, her words coming out thick and distorted even to her own ears.

“I must be doin’ fine. They keep bringing me back,” she shook her head tiredly. “They must get off on beatin’ the crap outta us.” She forced a smile in his direction. Max muttered under her breath. “Sadistic bastards.” 

“You’ve got an attitude problem, you know that?” 494 shook his head, smiling. 

Max noted the smile and acceded he was just stating the obvious. “I’ve never been accused of being soft,” she replied, her lips curving slightly.

“We got off on the wrong foot yesterday. Let me introduce myself.” 494 stood tall and affected a British accent. “X5-494. ‘Tis a genuine pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss.” His eyes were twinkling as he bowed at the waist and tipped his imaginary hat.

She pulled herself up and sat down on her cot, scooting over so she was close to the wall near him. Max shook her head at the dramatic display and grinned. “You need a name, soldier-boy. Got any ideas?”

He tilted his head thoughtfully to one side. “Well, I’ve had aliases before. What about…Jonah?” 494 looked at Max but she shook her head. He smirked. “I didn’t like that either. Um, William?” She shook her head again. “Tony.” Max rolled her eyes. 

“What’s wrong with Tony?”

Max laughed, grimacing a bit at the pain it caused. “The name Tony brings to mind a burly sailor whose face I had the pleasure of rearranging. So…moving on.”

494 pursed his lips, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he searched for something else. Then his eyes lit up. “Randy!”

Max burst out laughing. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! That’s like wearing a sign that says ‘Let’s get it on’ – and it’s not gender specific either!”

494 looked puzzled but his eyes widened in understanding and he flushed slightly. He fisted his hands and growled in frustration. “This isn’t easy, you know! Parents, something we,” he gestured between the two of them, “never had, usually give the names. So why don’t you think of something,  Miss nothing-sounds-right! 

Max’s eyes widened and she snapped her fingers. “I’m gonna call you Alec.”

494 raised an eyebrow. “Alec?”

She grinned from ear to ear. “Yeah, Alec. As in smart-aleck.”

494 thought about it for a moment. His face mirrored Max’s, a huge grin spreading across it. “I can live with that.”

Max stuck her hand through the bars and jabbed a finger in his side, laughing. “Good, ’cause my other choice was Dick!”