Albert sat quietly, with legs and arms crossed, on Koizumi's couch. He knew he should be doing something, but the house had been all too empty this morning. He sighed, in spite of himself, and sluggishly raised his hand to rub the back of his head. The doctor and professor had been out all morning, along with Joe and Françoise, who Albert had suspected were enjoying more than just scenery.
Chang, GB and Pyunma, were off somewhere. Judging by the flurry that 006 had taken off, shouting about the incredible Italian meal he was preparing tonight, they were stuck in a supermarket somewhere, amongst boxes of spaghetti. Albert smiled imaging GB and Chang fighting while the terrified clerk just tried to bag their groceries. Geronimo had left about a half and hour ago to explore the wood, and Ivan was sleeping soundly by the couch.
"You'd think I'd have something better to do with my time," Albert mused, uncrossing his legs. He might have been close to alone in this huge house, but it was nowhere near the 'peace and quiet' that normally goes hand in hand with a vacant house. Albert could not help but be distracted by the loud noise coming from the room down the hall. Albert briefly wondered if the word 'sawing logs' was invented specifically for Jet Link.
Albert cast a glance over at Ivan. The baby looked asleep enough, but Albert still had a strange feeling that he knew what was going on. He stretched; being on the couch for a long period of time had made his back stiff, and made his way over to the hallway. The door was cracked, with a small sliver of light snaking in from the light in the hall. Albert peered in, noticing the light falling across Jet's flaming hair. Albert pushed the door open wider, wincing at the sound of the creak. Jet's snoring abruptly stopped. From the dim glow of the hallway, Albert could see that Jet's hand had been resting over his face. Albert was thinking of leaving him, feeling a bit guilty that he had disrupted his sleep, when Jet stirred. He dragged his hand from his face, eyes closed, and yawned. Albert crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of Jet the fearless rebel looking so venerable. Jet stretched, turned, and opened his eyes.
"Hey," Albert said, still smiling.
"Auuuugh!" Jet cried, completely startled by Albert's presence. The complete shock that Jet had received had ignited his jet's; either by complete accident, or it was a natural response to some stranger in the doorway. The room lit up with the blaze of fire from Jet's feet, sending him a good couple feet in the air before he smacked his head on the ceiling. "Damn it!" Jet swore, landing on his back, shaking the bed in the process. A couple pieces of plaster landed in his lap. Albert looked up to see the large crack in the ceiling. Hard head, he thought, despite the wounded Jet.
"I feel bad for Koizumi. Letting us live here, and we repay him by tearing down his house," Albert stood up straight, smiling again.
"Whaa—well, this is all your fault!" Jet sputtered, leaping up from the bed; clearly enraged. Jet rubbed his head; cursing again for good measure. "What the hell were you doing in my bedroom anyway?" Albert shrugged.
"I just wanted to see if you were awake. You have been sleeping for an awful long time, you know." He smiled, pointing outside into the hallway. Jet was still furious, but he changed the subject quickly.
"Well, then, where's 006?" Jet asked, pushing past Albert, into the hallway.
"He's gone," Albert stated, following Jet out of the room. Jet was instantly furious again.
"What? He's gone?" Jet exclaimed, throwing his arms out dramatically. Albert just stared at the enraged cyborg.
"Calm down. He just went out to buy food. Why are you so upset anyway?" He asked, and Jet turned and stormed to the kitchen. Albert stayed where he was, watching Jet's hair disappear around a corner.
"Where is everyone?" Albert could hear the muffled sound of Jet's shout from the hallway. This would be the last time he ever woke him up 'early', Albert decided. He was smiling when he reached the kitchen, despite the clearly hormonal cyborg stomping around. "What am I suppose to eat?" He asked when Albert appeared at the entrance of the kitchen.
"Just fix something. Don't tell me you rely on 006 for all your meals?" Albert teased, but dropped it when Jet fell silent. Jet turned from enraged to silently brooding in a second. He threw himself down in a chair, putting his feet up on the table in a very childish manner.
"I don't need food anyway, right?" He seemed to be saying it more to himself than to Albert. Albert tried to suppress a laugh, watching Jet pout like that. Albert went over to the counter by the sink and grabbed the car keys to the red convertible parked out front.
"Come on," Albert said, turning to leave. Jet pulled his feet down from the table.
"What?" Jet said, standing up. "Where exactly are you planning on going 004--?" He added in an accusing tone.
"Stop complaining. I'm getting you something to eat; isn't that what you wanted?" He stepped outside of the kitchen, the keys jingling against his metallic hand. Jet looked extremely flustered as he watched Albert leave.
"Ah-- W-wait!" Jet exclaimed, grabbing his jacket and taking off after Albert.
