Welcome to Jam Pony
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: The day Max walked into Jam Pony looking for a job, her life changed forever. Also featuring Original Cindy.
DISCLAIMERS: Dark Angel, Jam Pony, etc. belong to James Cameron and the people at FOX. Don't sue, I'm just a poor fan fic writer entertaining my audience.
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As Original Cindy drove to work one grey autumn morning, she didn't notice anything different from usual. There were the same burnt-out cars on the side of the street, the same homeless and jobless people milling about, the same bulky Sector Police at the periphery. She turned left and rolled into the chaotic Jam Pony Express headquarters. Listening to Normal chatter 'bip bip bip' at his workers, the brown-skinned woman sighed. Another day, another dolla, she thought, slamming her locker shut.
Across the room, a flat screen TV was blaring. Original Cindy heard the newswoman say, '...in Portland, police arrested four people after a policeman was killed while searching an apartment building. The policeman was looking for a wanted fugitive when the four suspects attacked him. Police say the fugitive has not been seen since the murder two days ago...' Tuning the rest of the report out, Original Cindy walked toward a gangly-looking young man with unruly brown hair. Suddenly, someone brushed her shoulder. She turned to see a woman--a girl, really--who had dark, curly hair and a black leather jacket.
'Sorry,' the girl said quickly. 'Um, where can I find the manager?'
'Over there,'Cindy said, pointing to Normal's fenced-in counter. The girl murmured her thanks and walked toward the counter.
'Hey,' called the gangly man. Original Cindy leaned against a locker beside him. 'Hey yo'self, Sketchy.'
'Who's that girl?' he asked, craning his neck in the direction of the counter.
'Probably some poor soul lookin' for work.'
Sketchy smiled lopsidedly. 'She's pretty cute.'
Cindy sighed. 'Is that all you evah think about? Women?'
A soft sing-song voice behind her said, ' Nah, mah mon Sketchy think 'bout othah things, too. He think 'bout how t' impress women an' how t' get himself more cheddah.'
Original Cindy smiled. 'True dat, Herbal.'
Max watched the man behind the counter. He had sandy hair held stiff with gel, and he wore a headset and glasses. From listening to his remarks to his employees, he seemed a hard-ass of a manager. But he wasn't as bad as some, and she needed a job.....
'Excuse me, sir,' she said.
The man looked up. 'Can I help you?'
'I'm looking for a job.'
He shifted his eyes back to a package. 'Well, look somewhere else, missy, because you won't find one here.'
'I saw this ad in the paper,' Max said, handing him a crinkled scrap of newspaper she'd found.
Normal scanned the 'Help Wanted' ad quickly. 'This must be an old one. All our places are filled.'
'But I'm a hard worker,' Max persisted. 'And most the people here are probably lazy, ignorant kids who're just waiting for another job to open up,' she said, using the phrase he'd said five minutes ago. She looked at him, her brown eyes pleading.
'All right,' the man said gruffly. 'What's your name?'
'Max.'
He pushed a sheet of paper toward her. 'Fill out this form. You can ride a bike, right?'
She nodded.
'You come in at eight in the morning, leave at seven. Keep your bike here at night--I don't want to hear about you stealing or selling company property,' he said, looking sternly through his glasses. 'Run packages to their addresses quickly and be polite to all customers. You'll get a Sector Pass tomorrow.'
Max looked up sharply. She hadn't listened to the rest of his lecture until the words 'Sector Pass'. That would get her almost anywhere in Seattle--even the rich parts of town where the pickings were best. This job would also allow her to 'case' houses, check out what kinds of goods their owners kept and how to access them. For a professional thief like Max, it couldn't have been better.
Normal continued lecturing her until there was a loud boom, followed by a small cloud of smoke, in one corner of the room. He shouted, 'Haven't I told you not to shake those packages?!' Hurtling from his counter, Normal tossed a package to a woman with skin the color of caf au lait. 'Original Cindy, take Max along. Bip bip!' He ran toward the still-smoky corner.
Original Cindy saw the frightened, startled look on the girl's face. 'You aiight?'
'Yeah,' the girl replied. 'What was that explosion?'
'We get lettah-bombs sometimes when the gangs fight. They don' hurt nobody usually, just scare the shit outta everyone.' Cindy saw the girl smile a little. Sketchy was right--she was pretty.
'I'm Original Cindy.'
'I'm Max.' She gestured at Normal, who was haranguing a couple of employees. 'Is he always--'
'A hard-ass? Yeah,' Cindy answered. 'Welcome to Jam Pony.'
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A/N: Please review! I crave feedback!
