Clone Saga: Final War

Chapter 4 - DeuSex Machina

The constant bumping motion was the first thing Maxine became aware of as she came around. She felt dizzy and disoriented as she slowly opened her eyes, it was a familiar feeling for her. She was sitting up in a small, closed off space. The revving sound of an engine and the bumping motion underneath her told her that she was in a moving vehicle of some kind. There was a closed door directly in front of her.

She looked over and saw her sire, Streek. A flash of anger and hatred immediately hit her. He was sitting up, but slumped over unconscious, his hands and feet chained to the floor. Maxine quickly looked down and saw that her hands and feet were chained as well. They had both been dressed in plain, orange high visibility clothing. It reminded her of when she was taken to the prison.

She angrily struggled against her bonds, but it was no use. She was a prisoner. Since her sire was chained up beside her, she guessed that it was their mutual enemy, the Federation that had captured them. She calmed down and tried to remember what had happened.

She had confronted Streek in the Rodfern Undercity, and was going to take him out once and for all. It was an intense fight, and they found themselves falling down into the dark void. They were both falling to their death, but she was determined to be the one to kill him, not the fall. They were striking out at each other as they fell, and their power was building, and then ...nothing, she woke up here.

Perhaps Streek knew more. "Hey Asshole, wake up!" she called out to him. "Streek! Wake up, fuck ya!" Slowly he started to stir, he let out a groan as his eyes blinked open and he looked around.

"...the fuck?"

"Fuckin' Blue-coats I think. Do you know what happened?"

"...No." Then he started struggling against his bonds. "No! Not the Feds!"

"Calm down Asshole, we're not going anywhere." Then the vehicle hit a large bump that rocked them both. "Well I guess we are going somewhere. We gotta take them out first chance we get. Are you with me?"

"I thought we were dead. Where are we?"

"I don't fuckin' know. Remember, first chance we get. Don't fuck it up."

Streek gave her a spiteful look, "...Whatever."

Eventually the transport came to a stop. Then the door in front of them slid open and her suspicions were confirmed as they saw two Federation troopers in front of them in their blue armour, pointing their laser rifles.

"Where are we?" asked Streek.

"Shut the hell up clone. Here's how it's gunna be, you two are going to come with us and you're gunna keep your mouths shut. Trust me, if you give us any trouble, it's just gunna make things worse for you. If you try anything you're not gunna get far, I guarantee it."

"Oh, a guarantee. I'll hold you to that." said Maxine.

"I said shut the hell up!"

The two clones were lead out of the vehicle with their wrists and ankles chained. Maxine looked around and saw that they were in some sort of parking bay, a huge room with white steel walls. She assessed the security, along with the two troopers leading them out, there were six other armed Fed Troopers stationed around the room. She also saw a few smooth plated blue and white androids and a ceiling turret. The room was sealed off with a huge blast door which they must have come through. The vehicle they were travelling in seemed to be a big all terrain shuttle bus. It had six large wheels and thick armoured plating.

With their limited mobility and all that firepower, she knew it was impossible for them to do anything for the time being. Perhaps if she still had her slave collar...

"Enough sight-seeing, get moving clones." said the trooper, pointing his rifle at her. Maxine and Streek moved toward a set of doors, with their escort of blue armoured Fed Troopers. Maxine looked at the one that seemed to be in charge and noticed the silver cylinder hanging from his belt; a stun-rod. That was good, she could use that.

She stopped walking and just stood there. The trooper prodded her with his rifle, "Keep moving Bitch!"

"Fuck you, you stupid Fed Cunt!" said Maxine, before spitting on him.

"Now's not the time." said Streek softly. Obviously he hadn't caught on to what she was doing. She hoped the useless Prick was ready to act.

"I warned you about giving me any shit!" said the trooper raising his rifle.

"Yeah, what are you gunna do? Fuckin' pansy-ass little Faggot in your pretty blue costume. Even the weakest, most pathetic pirate would make you his bitch, and you would love that wouldn't you?"

"Shut the fuck up!" There was an explosion of pain to her face as the trooper angrily struck her with the butt of his rifle. Maxine staggered and her chained ankles caused her to topple over onto the ground. She quickly sat up, shaking off the blow and tasting the blood in her mouth. "That all you got? Fuckin' pathetic. You probably couldn't even make a little girl cry."

"Oh, I'll show you, fuckin' clone Slut!" The trooper grabbed the stun rod from his belt and flicked it on, extending it's length to around a meter, it crackled with electric power. Maxine looked up at him,

'yes, good boy. Strike me with it and fill me with power.'

Streek looked on, he realised what she was doing and he was getting ready to spring into action.

The trooper raised the stun rod, ready to strike her. "STOP!!" yelled someone from the doorway. "Put that fuckin' thing away Corporal Grayson."

The trooper turned to the man who was quickly approaching them, "Commander, this prisoner was being difficult, I'm just pulling her in line."

"I said put that stun rod away now. That's an order."

The trooper exhaled sharply and then lowered the stun rod, "Yes sir."

'Fuck!'

thought Maxine, she was so close. The commander looked to be in his thirties. He had short, curly dark hair and a round, babyish face with hazel eyes. He was of average height with a stocky build and wearing the usual blue Federation officers uniform. He quickly looked over Streek and Maxine and then turned back to the trooper.

"She wasn't cooperating, I was just giving her a little motivation." said the trooper.

"Do you know what you're dealing with here Corporal?"

"Yes sir; clones. They don't scare me."

"You are a fuckin' idiot. Did you happen to go over the items that were found on them?" "Yes Sir, but I don't see what..."

The Commander had his TAB out. "Two vibroblade knives, one Champion Ruby laser pistol, one Scorpion Tail stun pistol, two xenoform enhanced TABs, one xenoform shield belt - depleted. Interesting, I'll have my techs look at that one." He continued, "One powered up slave collar - unlocked, one xenoform shock ring, designed to deliver a shock to the wearer."

He looked up at the trooper, "What do you make of the last two items?"

"Uh, ...someone was trying to control them."

"Seriously? The slave collar was unlocked, it could be easily removed, and as for the ring, even if it couldn't be slipped off, a clone could just cut off their finger and it would grow back. The clones wanted to deliver electrical shocks to themselves. My guess is that it gives them some advantage, makes them more powerful. Now tell me Corporal, what were you about to do when I came in here?"

"I... I didn't know Sir."

"Because you're a fuckin' idiot. I'm demoting you to Private until you can learn to use some fuckin' brains."

The trooper gave him a shocked look, "Sir, come on! How was I supposed to..."

"Dismissed Private Grayson, get the fuck out of here now." The trooper gave him an angry look and then turned and stormed off. The commander looked at another trooper, "Issue a notice to all personnel to remove any shock weapons until further notice."

"Yes Sir."

The commander looked down at Maxine, "Help her up." he told the other troopers. "Can't blame you for trying Sweetheart, I'm surrounded by idiots here."

"Who the fuck are you?" asked Maxine as she was lifted to her feet.

"Commander Keither LeFors, I'm in charge here."

"And where's here?"

"The Galactic Federations' secret New Heidi facility of coarse. Deep under Rodfern. We call it the Under-undercity. I know who you two are; clones of Stephen McKenzie. Among the Federations' most wanted, and the Pirate Alliances' as well. Six million dollars, that's a hell of a bounty."

"What happened out there?" asked Streek, "How did we come to be here?"

"I'll answer your questions in good time. Come, I want to show you something."

The commander started walking again and Streek and Maxine walked along with him, with their escort of armed troopers. They exited the large parking bay and were walking down a long, sterile white corridor.

Commander LeFors looked at Maxine again, "Came back to your old killing grounds, eh? You know, in the Federation we talk about the Resolve like it's some campfire horror story; 'The Dark Ship'."

"The Resolve?" said Maxine. She struggled to remember what had happened there. She only got flashes, bright green laser bursts and plenty of dead bodies floating in the darkness. It was her sires' memories that her mistress must have deemed unimportant for her to hold onto.

"The Federation brought it on themselves." said Streek coldly.

"Is that so? As the story goes, the Pirate Alliance needed to smuggle out their precious cloning pod through the Federation blockade. The PA caught us unaware with an alien bomb that disabled all the cruisers, knocking out every electronic system, leaving them in the dark, in zero gravity and with no communications." "...It was more than enough for the pirates to accomplish their objective, but they also hit the Resolve with a vicious strike team. Super advanced killbots armed with laser cannons and savage clone cyborgs breached the Federations flag ship and began tearing through it, brutally massacring everyone they came across." "...The ships crew didn't stand a chance. Then the attackers disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, leaving the dark ship full of floating, dismembered bodies. Everyone in the Cruiser would have then suffocated to death if it weren't for the quick actions of the chief engineer and his crew, getting the life support back online."

He looked at Maxine, "Funny, you seem a lot more monstrous in the stories."

"Oh I can do monstrous."

"That wasn't exactly how it went." said Streek. "We were taken prisoner by the Feds and were being tortured and abused. Then we escaped. And yeah, I didn't feel too bad about spilling Fed blood on the way out. Perhaps there's a lesson to be learned there commander."

LeFors looked at him coolly, "Hmm, there's always more to it isn't there?"

They came to a turbolift and started heading down further into the facility. "What are you going to do with us?" asked Streek.

"To be honest, I haven't really decided yet. I really should hand you over to my superiors. In fact, I would get into a lot of trouble if I don't do that, but you know what? Fuck 'em! I was never very well liked by those Pricks, never been a good ass-kisser. That's why they stuck me down here in this hole. Out of sight, out of fuckin' mind."

Maxine looked at him, "Well, while you're deciding what to do with us, I'd like to warn you that getting on my bad side would be a very bad idea. Forgiveness and mercy are not my strong suits."

"Yes, the survivors of the Dark Ship can attest to that, but this blue uniform I'm wearing means you want to kill me anyway."

"True, but your actions will determine just how much you will suffer."

"Well consider me scared." said LeFors, though he didn't look it. They stepped out of the turbolift and started walking down another corridor. They soon came to a large glass security door. LeFors submitted a retinal scan on the console by the door and then they entered.

It looked like some sort of secure, high-tech laboratory. Maxine observed several guards around the place and scientists in white lab coats going about their business. She wondered why he had brought them here.

The commander led them on and they soon entered another large room with sterile white walls. In the centre was a large machine that was obviously alien in origin. It had a similar look to the alien cloning pod that had created her and Streek, only it was much larger, around six meters wide and four meters high. It had no straight lines at all and had a luminous metallic shine to it. It seemed quite beautiful, like a sculpture or something.

"A beauty isn't she." said LeFors.

"Yeah? What does it do?" asked Streek.

"Perhaps you should ask what it did."

"Okay, what it did?"

"It brought the two of you here to us."

Streek looked at him like he was an idiot, "The transport parked out there brought us here."

"I mean this machine is the reason you came to be down here. They have given it some long scientific name, but we just call it the Coincidence Generator."

"Coincidence Generator?" said Maxine.

"The scope of its power is truly awesome. It can bend space and time, alter events and change ones fate. It can alter reality. Truly a god from the machine!"

"What are you talking about?" said Streek, "This machine didn't bring us here."

"Earlier today we activated it for the first time, a test run. I really had no idea what was going to happen when I flicked the switch. Then BOOM! There was big fuckin' explosion, scared the shit out of me. I sent a team to investigate and guess what they found. Two of the Federations' most wanted, unconscious in a crater down here in the dark Under-undercity. Don't you think it's a bit strange? The two of you falling down here, surviving the fall and the explosion. Pretty much landing in the front yard of our secret research facility."

"But the machine didn't make it happen, it's all just a..."

"Coincidence?" said LeFors smiling.

"It all sounds a bit far-fetched to me." said Maxine.

"Like a pod that can turn garbage into super-soldiers?" said LeFors. "Yeah, This Alien technology is all a little far-fetched."

Streek and Maxine stared at the large alien machine. Was it true? Did this machine really bring them here? Did it alter their destiny so that they were now Federation prisoners?

Commander LeFors continued, "I'm going to try it out again. Give it more power this time. It's going to take around sixteen hours for it to build enough energy. I can't wait to see what it will do this time. ...Well I can see you two are impressed with my machine, now let's see about organising some accommodation."

****

They had put Maxine in a cage. A fuckin' cage! It was around four meters cubic and solidly constructed out of steel bars and mesh. Sitting in the centre of one of their white rooms. They had put a foam mattress and portable sink and basin in there for her. She knew Streek was in an identical set-up in the next room. Pity, if they had put him in with her she could have amused herself killing him slowly.

LeFors had explained that their holding cells used an energy field to keep the prisoners in. He didn't trust them around an energy field. She could say this for him, he was no fool. He was going to make her escape difficult. She didn't know what to make of him, he wasn't what she expected in a Federation officer. He didn't seem very hostile toward them, but she wasn't convinced he didn't intend her any harm. She certainly intended him and every other Blue-coat bastard a whole lot of harm, she just needed to get out of this fuckin' cage.

Two guards were posted on her. The blue armoured Federation troopers stood in the room holding their laser rifles and stared at her coldly. They both appeared to be in their late twenties, a weasely looking white guy and a slim black man. Maxine could only sit down on her foam mattress and wait. Her opportunity would come, she just needed to watch for it and be ready. That blonde bitch Anders would be looking for Streek, no doubt. Perhaps she could find them and take the Feds on, but she wasn't counting on it.

The hours slowly passed by. It was difficult for Maxine to know how long she had been there in that cage. One of her guards, the white guy, brought her a meal and placed it at the slot in the door.

"Hey, what's your name?" she asked. The trooper just ignored her. "Come on, you can talk to me. Your commander was quite chatty." He gave her a cold stare and then turned and walked away.

She went over and got her meal and started eating. It was some bland premade lasagne. Not very enjoyable, but Maxine just saw it as fuelling her body. When she finished eating she laid down on the mattress for a while and eventually drifted off to sleep.

She didn't know how long she had slept for and had no idea of the time. Was it the middle of the night, or middle of the day? She was awake for a while before LeFors showed up again, with two more troopers in tow. Maxine stood and faced him as he approached. "I don't take too kindly to being caged." she told him.

"Are you up for some exercise then?"

Maxine looked at him cautiously, "What do you have in mind Blue-coat?"

"Come with me and you'll find out."

"Are you giving me a choice?"

"Yeah, stay here if you want."

"What about Streek?"

"I'll give him the choice too."

Maxine stared at him, she didn't like not knowing what he had in store for her, but her opportunity could come. She didn't want to wait in the cage any longer. "Okay." She allowed them to chain her hands and feet through the bars before unlocking the door and leading her out.

"Stay here." said LeFors when they got out into the corridor. "I won't be long." Maxine waited with her two Fed trooper guards. She could probably take them both out, even chained up, but then what?

Commander LeFors soon returned with Streek. He was chained like her. He looked Maxine over, "Did they do anything to you?"

"What do you care Asshole?"

They started moving down the corridor. "Do you two have an interest in history?" said LeFors. "History is full of major cock-ups. Denascus for example. Someone thought it was a good idea to have all our precious Alien tech in one super facility, and then just pile on all the security. Then it took one idiotic Commander, Jon Paston, to make the fateful decision to draw a large portion of that security force away for use in the war. Then one cunning and opportunistic leader, Nexius Cley, to lead the pirate forces and smash what was left of the security. It all triggered a chain of events that lead to this war, and even the creation of the two of you." "...As a species, it usually takes major cock-ups like that for us to learn. So now the Federation has its Alien technology distributed in several secret, hidden facilities around the galaxy. Then at least if one falls, we still have the rest. This is one of those facilities."

"How many are there?" asked Maxine.

"Sorry Princess, that's privileged information."

"Don't call me Princess."

"But I've shared something with you, so how about you tell me something. We thought you were with the PA, but they've put out a sizeable bounty on you. Perhaps you've had a spectacular falling out. Do you have any association with the Resistance?"

"No." said Maxine, she nodded at Streek, "But he's Resistance." Streek glared at her coldly.

"Interesting." said LeFors. "...and you said you were the one aboard the Resolve?" Streek just stayed silent.

They turned a corner and walked on, deeper into the facility. Maxine saw a sign on the wall that read, "Genetic Engineering Division." Then they came to a set of doors that had the words, "Testing Room 1." They entered the large room.

Glass windows ran up high along each of the walls, there was a large blast door on the far side, around thirty meters away. Maxine could see traces of blood splotched on some spots on the white walls.

"You're going to help me test out some of the war beasts we've been developing here. We've been working on some nasty fuckin' biters that we can unleash on our enemies to draw away fire from our troopers and hopefully cause some serious damage. I want to test them against some real fighters and see how far along they've come."