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They dragged him into the woods at the edge of the field beyond the parade grounds. Regaining his breath almost immediately, Alec began to struggle against the hard hands pinning his arms. But two blows to the head from Lane's ham fist made him see stars, and the next thing Alec knew he was being thrown forward onto the ground in a clearing.

Rolling over onto his back, the young transgenic squinted up at the sun as it glinted through the green leaves of the trees. Shielding his face with an arm, he saw Lane quite literally looming over him, hands on hips, a cruel smile carved on his face. Devon's shadow merged with his brother's, the two X5s completely together in this endeavor.

"What are you gonna do to me?" Alec panted. "Kill me?"

"Of course not," Lane said, the wicked smile broadening. "Lydecker would have our hides if we terminated one of his precious kids."

"What did you bring me out here for then?" Sitting up, Alec swiped the back of his hand across his mouth, and looked down at the blood smeared there. One of Lane's blows had busted his lip. Turning his head aside, he spat metallic tasting saliva onto the ground, then glanced around. They were several hundred yards from the compound in a truly isolated spot. This wasn't good.

Eying his two unit mates again, he wondered if he could talk his way out of this. "Look, guys," he said, smiling in spite of his split lip, and putting on his most charming attitude. "We can work this out. I like you. Both of you. Really. I don't see why we can't get along better. You know. Like brothers. I'll try real hard to do better in the future and the two of you will-- Well, you'll just keep on bein' the perfect little soldiers you already are, and I'll learn by your example. We'll all be just one, big happy family. It's not too late is it?"

"Oh, it's way too late," Devon said, his tone softly menacing. "Take off your clothes."

Alec's brows drew together, puzzled, sure he'd misunderstood. "What?"

"Strip!" Lane ordered.

"Guys," Alec half laughed. There's poison ivy, chiggers, and lots of mosquitoes in this woods. I also sunburn easily. I'd really rather not go au natural 'cause--"

Before he could react Lane had him in a brutal headlock and Devon was grabbing at his pants.

"Hey!" Alec roared. "Cut it out! What the fuck do you think you're doin'?"

"Teaching you a lesson, 494," Lane said low in his ear. "Teaching you what happens to sissy faggot X5s on this base."

"I'm not a faggot!" Alec shouted. "Just 'cause I didn't wanna rape that little girl doesn't mean I'm--"

"Don't matter," Devon giggled in his other ear.

"Over that log there," Lane commanded, nodding toward a large fallen tree at the edge of the clearing. Again in Alec's ear, "I'm gonna show you what it feels like to be fucked by a real male you piece of shit. And I'm bettin' that afterwards you're gonna be a whole lot more cooperative for Lydecker."

So that was it, Alec thought. Lydecker had set him up for this -- to be raped by his fellow unit mates -- the ultimate degradation that he probably thought would be enough to break recalcitrant 494's spirit.

Devon had hold of him ... was hurting him ... But it was Lane who's huge arms held Alec so firmly pinned, and it was Lane's hot weight on top of him as he was thrown face down over the fallen tree.

"This is gonna hurt real bad, 494," Lane hissed. "I'm not gonna lie about it. You're gonna scream ... cry maybe too. But of course no one will hear you way out here. And when I'm done, Devon's gonna to take his turn."

Alec, gasping for breath, the log pressing painfully against his surgical scar, and his shoulders nearly dislocated by Lane's brutal grip, heard the sound of a zipper behind him and felt hands tugging on his pants again, pulling them down. Kicking hard, he tried to keep Devon from stripping him below the waist, but the pain in his shoulders was immobilizing. Swallowing a sob, the young X5 closed his eyes and bit down hard on his already bloody lip, bracing himself for violation.

I'm not sure I can survive this ...

"Say 'please'," Lane's voice rasped behind his ear. "Beg for it. Say you like it, faggot."

Off to one side Devon was laughing, chuckling low, one of the meanest sounds Alec had ever heard.

"Fuck you!" Alec snarled through the tears in his throat.

"No," Lane whispered. "Fuck you !" And then he let go of Alec's arm to bang his victim's forehead painfully against the log before bracing himself, wanting his first thrust to go painfully deep.

It was the chance Alec had been waiting for. With every ounce of strength and hatred he could muster, he brought his free elbow back directly into 600's groin. The bigger X5 grunted in pain as his eyes bulged. Staggering backwards, clutching his exposed balls, Lane's mouth gaped, unable to be utter the curse on his tongue.

Alec knew he had only seconds to act before Devon would be on him. Flipping off of his stomach, he vaulted to his feet and landed like a cat, at the same time tugging his khakis back up around his waist.

"Kill him!" Lane got out.

Devon, caught by surprise by the X5's quick move, looked from his squad leader to Alec and back again. "Kill him, damn it!" Lane, still doubled over with pain, shrieked again.

But Alec wasn't interested in a macho fist fight, or even in saving his so-called 'honor' for that matter.

"Coward!" Devon screamed as Alec blurred into the woods, booking it as fast as he could toward the perimeter fence a mile away. Beyond, there appeared to be more trees and underbrush, as far as he could see in fact. He would have good cover if only he could make the jump.

X5s were designed to be able to "blur" -- move at superhuman speed -- for short periods of time. Alec quickly hit the limit of his already overtaxed muscles and slowed to a lope as he approached the 12-foot, concertina wire-topped chain link fence -- an impossible jump for even the strongest of X5s. Ten feet he could manage ... maybe. But not 12. Looking back, he saw Devon emerge at a dead run from the trees about a hundred yards back, Lane following at a limp. He knew that if those two caught up with him, Lydecker's precious kid or not, they'd break his neck.

Alec gulped. The fence was electric at this point, at least that's what he assumed those yellow hazard signs decorated with lightening bolts indicated, which meant he couldn't climb it either. But then he saw the tree to his right and his hazel-green eyes lit up. Ignoring the sound of pounding feet bearing down on him, Alec leaped upwards, catching hold of a tree limb eight feet off the ground. Swinging himself up onto the branch, he then looked toward the fence again. It would be at least a thirty foot jump to clear the concertina wire. If he missed he'd be electrocuted. However, it would be a lot quicker, cleaner death than at Lane's brutal hands.

Taking a deep breath, Alec thought about Max -- and flung himself into the air.

The toe of his combat boot touched the razor-sharp concertina wire in mid-leap, snagged, and for a heart wrenching half second Alec thought he was finished -- that he'd fall into the fence and end up with 40,000 volts frying his nervous system. But then his foot was clear and the ground was rushing up to meet him. Flipping in mid-air like a gymnast, Alec, true to his feline DNA, landed on his feet in an animalistic crouch, and glanced back at his pursuers who were standing in open-mouthed astonishment on the other side of the fence.

X5s weren't supposed to be able to do what he'd just done. It said so in the manual.

Standing up easily, Alec brushed himself off, and flashed a wicked, triumphant grin at his comrades followed by a mock salute. "It's been fun, boys. Say goodbye to the colonel for me." Then, with an even bigger smile on his face, X5-494 blurred into the woods. He was going home.

*****

"What the hell do you mean he got away!" Lydecker screamed at the two chagrined soldiers. "How the hell could he do that?"

"He climbed a tree and jumped the fence," Lane mumbled, speaking to the ground.

"Look me in the eye when you speak, soldier!"

X5-600 raised his head. "Sir, X5-494 fled from our custody, climbed a tree, and managed to leap over the perimeter fence."

"The closest trees to the fence are a good thirty feet back," Lydecker said. "X5s can't jump that far."

"I know that, sir," Lane replied. "But 494 did just that. He jumped. And he made it."

Donald Lydecker closed his eyes, fighting for control of his temper. He supposed, in a way, he deserved this. He should never have played with 494 ... never have given him a chance. In spite of Ms. Brown's wishes, that Unit should have simply been put down or lobotomized when it became apparent traditional reindoctrination techniques wouldn't work on him.

"Dismissed, soldier," he said to Lane, the order including a silent, hang-dog looking Devon as well. "I'll deal with you later."

"Yes, sir," X5-600 said, saluting and turning sharply on his heel.

Lydecker squinted up at the sun. It was only mid morning -- plenty of daylight left. There might still be time ... Taking out his cell phone he punched a number. "We have a code amber alert," he said into the receiver. "X5-494 has breached the perimeter on the north side of the compound. He'll be heading for the main east/west highway. Brief and deploy the Units in Ward 15 with orders for them to terminate without reservation upon capture."

He listened a moment. "Yes, I said terminate," he repeated. "I want 494's body back here before sunset."

Half an hour later an extremely ticked off Melissa Brown was in his office, and Lydecker's headache had grown to proportions to match an X5's seizure-induced migraine.

"He has to be killed now," the colonel said. "The other soldiers here know the punishment for desertion. If we don't enforce that punishment, we could eventually have a rebellion on our hands."

Ms. Brown, as usual attired in designer clothing and a creative hat -- chartreuse this time with peacock feathers -- was tapping a long, red enameled fingernail on his desk, her porcelain brow drawn into a faint scowl. "He's a very beautiful male," she said. "There are so few of his kind left ... It's such a pity."

"He's a multi-million dollar, genetically engineered killing machine," Lydecker snapped. "Not a boy toy." His lip curled in a sneer. "Of course, we could always just let him go back to Seattle and her. No harm, no foul. I'm sure that would do wonders for the morale of our soldiers here in New Manticore, knowing one of their brothers outsmarted the best of us and escaped back to his life of freedom."

"We probably should have returned 452 to the fold as well," Ms. Brown mused. "That's where we went wrong. We could have used her as leverage over him, and vice-a-versa."

"Hindsight is such a wonderful thing," Lydecker commented dryly. "But promises were made to 452. Max wasn't my property any more. However, I had 494 fair and square. He belonged to me."

"And you really expected to be able to control the boyfriend?" Ms. Brown said, one eyebrow arching in mock disbelief.

"If our neuro-psych techniques could have been applied -- yes," Lydecker replied. "But you're the one who ordered him prepped for a mission, against my advice I might add. Allowing his squad mates to take over his reindoctrination was an iffy proposition, one that I admit failed. Still, it was the only other thing to try before giving up on 494 completely. With the plans you had in mind for him, not to mention his unique abilities, it was worth the shot."

"Until he got away," she pointed out.

"Until he got away," Lydecker admitted. "And now we've got a situation on our hands. One which I hope will be resolved before nightfall."

"You've deployed the X7s?"

"Yes. They'll have him within the hour. Guaranteed. A lone X5 is no match for a pack of X7s."

She moved toward the door. "I want to inspect his body when its brought in, before it's harvested. Perhaps keep a souvenir." And, with that final sick sentiment, Ms. Brown tipped her head at the colonel and exited his office, leaving Lydecker staring at the wall and wondering just how he'd managed to get himself and his kids involved with such a psychotic individual.