Max held herself against the trucks cold Surface, twitting slightly as she attempted to fight the numbness slowly encasing her mind. The young X5s self-infliction showed across the cold metallic floor, as crimson marks embedded its surface, as her fingers, bloody and broken racked unconditionally against the trucks cruel metal. But she was beyond pain now, her brain no longer able to register the cruelty inflicted by her own hands onto her own body. Sad... selfish... Weak!

Taking one shaking breath, Max ran her fingers through the tangles of her hair, while moving the loose strands away from her eyes. She applied pressure, hoping the diversion of pain would ease the headaches. But however hard she pulled, the headaches only deepened, pushing her further into numbness. Her actions soon becoming more desperate, she felt the looseness of broken hair between her fingers, and suppressed a sharp sob. Great, Max the bold Transgenic. The small humour she held within herself allowed Max to finally unwind her body. Only then did she notice the small blood trails that tinted the cold floor. What was she doing?

Max’s tangled thoughts were shattered as the truck came to a vicious and unplanned halt. The sound of gunfire soon replacing the silence that had followed.

"Shit!" Lydecker’s muffled voice travelled through the truck’s thick walls as another shot soon accompanied the first. For a second Max felt her heart stop. The sounds of lead finally hitting flesh came with a sickening nosier. It was already over.

Max screamed, as a green blur drove her into the metallic floor. The air rushing from her lungs in painfully sharp motions, she panicked. "Mole?"

"Hold still"

More gunfire, "Who’s hit?"

"Lydecker" After a beat "What about you"

"No... But you’re crushing me...Move?"

"A certain X5 hinted my rather colourful death if anything where to happen to you... So hold still!"

"Oh"

~~~

"Lydecker’s down"

{Max were are you?}

"I don’t know, all maps are in code, and I don’t recognise the area. Mole’s taking charge. Dix, Lydecker said they couldn’t have known our position. Something must have got out. And if the familiars know, it won’t be long before the Government catches onto it."

{We can’t help without your position, Lydecker has to know}

"Mole knocked him out. He wasn’t doing to good"

{I’m gonna have to trace you. It’ll take a few minutes. Keep your position}

"Like we have a chose, they’ve got us behind the truck. I’m breaking communications."

She moved her fingers just as Lydecker stirred. The crimson pool slowly seeped towards her out-stretched feet awake the sickening picture of Alec’s unit dying in pools of their own blood. But she held her gaze as Lydecker’s flickering vision sought hers. And for the briefest of seconds an understanding crossed between the two Ex soldier. Lydecker finally allowed himself to fall into oblivion, praying that Max would one day shred a tear for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Like hell you did"

"{Alec!}

"Damit Max. Dix told you to hold your position."

{We were sitting ducks, we grabbed everything we could and we got out.}

"How many…"

{Seven… Lydecker took out one before going down. Were low on ammo, as most of its left in the trucks. Were about 20 clicks from our last position}

"Have you been followed?"

{What do you think!}

"Shit, what’s your current status?"

{We lost 11. Lydecker’s pretty bad. The idiot got himself shot.}

"So much for my attempts to preserve our human contacts. Might as well have let the first bullet take him out. Would have saved as a lot of trouble"

{He isn’t dead yet Alec! And even if you hadn’t jumped in front of the bullet, my decision would still have been the same.}

"You don’t know that"

{Don’t you dare question my authority! Don’t you dare…} The distant sound of gunfire erupted throughout Alec’s sensitive ears, and for a second, the world spoke through thick water. Shit. {Get down} Max’s strained voice soon pushed through the haze, and the only thought Alec could master was thank god she wasn’t dead.

"Max!"

{Sitting duck’s Alec! I don’t care where you are, or what you’re doing. But you get your Transgenic ass over to our position right know. That’s an order!}

~~~

"Alec" The X5 turned to meet Dix’s dazed expression. "I’ve got their position. We can make it in 20 minutes"

Alec caved in. There wasn’t enough time. "Stop the truck!"

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