Where Were You? -- Chapter 6: X5-494

Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Alec, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (Wayne/X5-369, etc.).

“I heard a rumor that Colonel Lydecker from the Wyoming facility is going to be arriving here sometime this afternoon to watch the X5’s,” 107 said.

“No, he’s scheduled to get here next week,” I corrected. “That’s what I’ve heard.”

“You need to get your hearing checked,” 107 insisted. “I know I heard that correctly.”

“Who did you hear it from?” 511 asked.

“642 from Unit 4,” 107 replied. “Where did you hear it from, 494?”

“I heard it from Director Marshall himself when I was standing outside of his office door when I was called there a few days ago,” I said. I grinned and turned to look over at my commanding officer. “You were there with me, 908. Remember?”

908 shrugged. “I know. So what? Colonel Lydecker has visited this facility before. So has Director Warren from the New York facility and Director Marshall has visited Wyoming and New York before. It happens all of the time.” She turned back to her lunch tray and ignored the rest of us.

“She’s almost as annoying as Director Marshall sometimes,” 121 commented. “No wonder I heard that Director Marshall might have you replace her as our C.O. as soon as the end of the year.”

I was a little surprised. “Are you serious, 121?”

“Absolutely,” 121 said. “You know that you’re better than she is. Half of the unit is better than 908. I have no idea why they haven’t replaced her as C.O. yet.”

“Maybe Director Marshall is a little slow,” 511 suggested. “Maybe that’s why he’s leaving at the end of the year.” He grinned at me. “I can’t wait until they bump you up from second-in-command. I can get away with anything.”

“You get away with anything now,” 121 pointed out.

“You better start working harder,” I told 511. “I’m going to want you to be my second-in-command.”

“You can’t choose your second-in-command,” 908 reminded me. “I certainly didn’t choose you.”

“Hurts to know that you’re not the best, doesn’t it?” I said cheerfully. The list of people in our unit who actually like 908 is short as hell, and I'm not on it. “If you need any help, you can always ask me for it.”

“Please let them transfer one of us from this unit,” 908 mumbled.

“She needs to learn how to loosen up,” 121 observed. “She’s wound so tight, even for a soldier.”

“So, is Colonel Lydecker going to be observing just the X5s or he is going to be observing other soldiers as well?” 786 asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I think that it’s going to be mainly the X5s, though he probably will take a look at everybody else.”

“He likes to look at our unit especially,” 532 noted. “And he always seems to favor 494 and 121 when he does. Why does Colonel Lydecker seem to like you guys so much?”

“I have no idea,” I told her. “I don’t really like him too much, but I don’t think that anybody, whether they’re soldiers or civilians, like their authority figures.”

“He makes my skin crawl,” 121 said.

“Who do you guys think would win in a fight? Colonel Lydecker or Director Marshall?” 511 wondered.

“You need to grow up,” 908 sneered.

“You need to get a life,” I muttered just loud enough for 511 and 121, who were sitting on either side of me, to catch but not loud enough for 908 to hear. I turned to 908 and gave her a grin. “Relax, 908, it’s just harmless speculation. 511 is just voicing a thought that’s most likely on the minds of any of us here who have had some form of contact with Colonel Lydecker. I’m willing to bet that even you have thought of that. Have you, 908?”

“Occasionally,” 908 admitted. “I guess that it is a somewhat logical or natural thought to have considering the people involved.”

“Who do you think would win?” 511 repeated.

“As they are now or if they’re both in their prime?” 237 asked. “Colonel Lydecker’s not far past his prime, but Director Marshall has to be at least fifteen years farther from his prime than Colonel Lydecker.”

“I don’t know. I guess if they were both in their prime,” 511 said.

“Colonel Lydecker,” 237 decided. “He’s scarier than Director Marshall is.”

“I’ll agree with that,” 121 said. “Director Marshall only scares me sometimes. There’s something about Colonel Lydecker that absolutely scares the living daylights out of me when I look at him. I really feel sorry for the soldiers at the facility over in Wyoming.”

“Me too,” I agreed. “I’d definitely go with Colonel Lydecker. What do you think, 908?”

“I’d call it a draw,” 908 said. “And can you please be a little quieter? I am trying to come up with a strategy for our training mission against Unit 7 later this afternoon. You should be doing the same thing, 494. You need to be living up to your responsibilities.”

“First, we don’t know what the exact scenario is going to be,” I reminded her. “Second, I always have a million plans in my head that I can use for a situation. Third, I’ve never let us down in a training mission before. You know that you can count on me when you need it.”

“I know, I know,” 908 grumbled. “You need to tone down the attitude a little, 494. You don’t have to act like you rule the world.”

“I never said that I ruled the world,” I said, grinning. “I might be practically invincible, but I don’t rule the world.” A bunch of my unit mates laughed.

“You’re not even practically invincible,” 908 insisted. “I swear you’re going to find that out one of these days.”

“Hopefully not for a long time,” I said.

TBC