Author's note: A long one as I will be on another work stint and might not be able to upload for a week! Sorry!
Previously….
"Are we gonna go around solving mysteries and beating up bad guys?" she asked with a smile. Jet grinned. "Well, I would need to take care of things here. But, I am intrigued. Let's discuss details later. First, you should call Cathy and Jimmy. He, in particular is very worried about you. Secondly, you need a bath. You are filthy." Jet's grin dropped and his face flushed red. Lily was beside him in a flash, and pulled Cathy's number up on her phone. "Here you go, it's calling." She gave him a peck on the cheek and got up. "I'll get the rubber ducky!" Lily called, as she dashed to bathroom to fill up the tub.
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Chapter 10.
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"Hello?... Hello?" Jet quickly put the phone to his ear, face still red. "Hello, Cathy? It's Jet. How are you doing?" he responded quickly. "Hey, Jet, I am good. The doctor didn't keep me long. I just need some rest and I haven't been coughing since, thankfully. All thanks to you. I didn't get a chance to thank you properly for saving my life. Thank you, Jet." She gushed, almost sounding shy. Jet smiled into the phone, "You don't need to thank me. You are the one that got me moving, I was about to give up, after all. Your tough attitude got me through." Cathy gave a little laugh. "There's someone here dying to talk to you, Jet. Can I put you on to your number one fan?" Jet laughed, "Of course." There was a brief shuffle and a shy little hello from Jimmy. "Hey, Jimmy! Buddy! How are you?" Once again, Jet had to hold the phone away, "JET, YOU ARE MY HERO! THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY MOMMY! IS YOUR LEG OKAY? MS. LILY SAID YOU HAVE A BOO-BOO, WILL IT BE OKAY? WHEN CAN I SEE YOU? I MISS YOU!" "Jimmy! Stop shouting down the phone, you'll wake everyone in the block!" Cathy scolded, but Jet could hear that she was trying not to laugh. Jet was beaming too.
"Yes, bud, all is good. Though you should know, your mom saved me! I was about to give up. My leg… yeah, it's just a boo-boo…" Jet's voice trailed off as he looked down at his mangled leg. Boo-boo was the understatement of the century. "Mom did? Mom, you are a hero too! You could be a cyborg!" Jet could hear Jimmy talking to his mom, almost bursting with excitement. "Jet, could Mom join the cyborgs? I bet it's better money than working at the coffee shop, and now the hotel has burned down…" Jet could hear a shuffle as the phone was now back to Cathy, "Jimmy, I am sure we can talk to Jet about that another time, can you please go clean-up for bed, I need a few words with Jet, please." Jet could pick up on the worry in her voice. "BYE JET!" echoed down the phone line. "Bye, Jimmy, talk soon," Jet responded, raising his voice slightly.
"Jet, are you going to be okay?" Cathy asked; her voice full of concern. "Yes, don't worry. My teammates will pick me up in a few days and our leader, Doctor Gilmore, will patch me up." Cathy sighed with relief. "Jet, I am so sorry for treating you badly…" Jet raised his brow and smiled, "Don't worry about it, Cathy." There was a short pause. "I feel like I have a thousand questions to ask you. I don't even know where to start. I cannot believe that the stories you told Jimmy were based on truth…..." Her voice was now a whisper, "I cannot believe you are a.. cyborg…" Jet hesitated for a moment. "Uh, yeah. I understand that it's overwhelming. Please know that I am still the same person. Just that parts of me are machine. Maybe we can talk more about this another time, perhaps." Cathy was silent for a moment again. "Okay, Jet. Sorry, I don't want to seem nosey. I am just, I dunno what I am. It all feels like a dream. Thank you for calling. Maybe we can see you in person soon? Jimmy is dying to see you." Jet smiled, "Yes, of course. I'd like that." "Okay, I better let you go. Oh, and Jet? Please give my thanks to your friend, Lily, too. It was nice of you to send her to check on us." Cathy added sincerely. "I will, goodnight Cathy, and Jimmy too. Talk soon." "Bye, Jet, and thanks again!" The phone line clicked to dial tone. Jet smiled to himself, 'I am so glad they are okay. Sounds like Cathy is taking the news well, she hasn't told me to keep away or anything…'
Lily was in the bathroom on the first floor. She had filled the tub half way and was now trying to plan out how to get Jet in, without damaging his knee or ego. She walked back to the living room when she heard him saying goodbye on the phone. "Hey, all good with Cathy and Jimmy?" she asked, as she went to the kitchen and opened a drawer. "Yeah, they are fine. They want to meet up, just not sure when. Cathy seems to be taking the news that I am a cyborg pretty well too." Lily pulled out a roll of plastic wrap, duct tape, and a scissors. "That's good. Jimmy is a little cutie pie. He adores you. You certainly have a way with kids, Jet." Lily responded smiling and walking over to the sofa with the equipment. "Now, I figure the best plan of action is to wrap you knee with this plastic, secure with duct tape, then you can cut off your pants with a scissors before you get into the bath…. Unless, you have any other idea?" Jet looked like he was about to die. "Lily, I'd rather run into oncoming traffic." Lily tried to hold back a laugh. "I bet. But I am sure you will feel better and more comfortable when cleaned up."
She bent down, and cut his trousers above the knee. She then removed his shoe and started to remove his sock when he pulled back, as though trying to hide his foot. Lily looked up, and placed a hand on his good knee. "You don't need to be embarrassed around me, Jet. I am like you. I am covered in scars. I am still not used to my skin feeling…. Well, not feeling human anymore… even old scars from my adventures before becoming a cyborg are gone. Just these pink lines…" Jet looked at her sadly then looked away again. He relaxed, but still did not make eye contact with her. Lily carefully removed his sock. His foot looked normal from the top, but his skin was a little too cool. As her hand moved underneath, she felt the hole in the center of his sole. Then, she removed his shoe and sock from his good leg. A few wraps of plastic wrap and a layer of duct tape, and his wound was covered up. Rising to her feet, she noticed he was looking at her now, and his defensive look had softened.
Lily and Jet moved slowly down the hallway to the bathroom. His arm was around her shoulders and she wrapped an arm around his waist to support him. She also carried the scissors, so that he could remove the rest of his trousers. He was now only in his red t-shirt, and newly customized trousers. She led him to the bathroom and allowed him to prop himself on the bathtub, back to the wall, so that he could support himself. Thankfully, there was a shower curtain that went all around the bathtub, so Jet could finish undressing and cutting off his clothes in private. He then eases himself slowly into the bath. Lily sat on a stool for towels beside the tub. Jet let out a sigh of relief once he was in the tub. "Okay, you are right. I feel better already. I am not getting out until I wrinkle up." Lily smiled, "Take all the time you need. I left your toiletries on the side of the tub too." Jet submerged himself completely and pulled himself up again. The water was already almost black. "Uhh, Lily? Is it okay if I fill the tub again? There is a lot of soot." "Of course, Jet, fill it a few times if you need to. It's not a problem." Jet did so, and started to wash his hair. "Sooo….. Lily. You probably know too much about my background, since you had access to the database. Not really fair as I don't know much about you." Lily sat up straighter. "Sure, what would you like to know?" Jet thought for a moment. "How did you end up being picked up by Black Ghost?" he couldn't imagine that Lily had been in some sort of trouble like he or the others had been… then again, 003 was just picked up on her way to meet her brother.
"Well, I was in my final year of university. I was studying botany, and had applied to an exchange course in Japan. As soon as I left customs at the airport, two guys in black approached me, saying I needed to undergo another check. Before I could even respond, a cloth was put over my mouth and I woke up on an operating table. That was almost eight months ago now." Lily sighed. "Then I spent a few months in training at the test base. I obeyed every order and was promoted to head for your capture after the previous cyborgs 0010 to 0013 failed. There were some others with me, but most of them died. The others were sent elsewhere, I guess." Jet figured it was best to not ask what happened at the training base. It was probably similar to what had happened to him and the others; tested to their limits and put through ferocious pain.
"Botany, is all about plants, right? I should have guessed, since there are plants everywhere in your home. Why study that?" He asked changing the subject, as a fern on the ledge of the tub tickled his shoulder. Lily relaxed a bit in her seat. She was worried she would have to retell the horrors of her time on the test base. "Ha, yeah, I am a bit obsessed. My father loves plants too. It's actually how he met my mom. I honestly wasn't sure what to study in university but figured that plants would be interesting. They just do their best to grow no matter what. I wanted to get out, to grow too… At least now I have the plant shop. It fills the void somewhat." Jet nodded and tugged lightly at the fern leaf. "What about your parents?" Jet asked without thinking. "They think I am dead….. The agents sent home my remains. Well, my DNA masked on someone else's body, I believe. I found my obituary online. So, I am dead to them now…" Jet dropped the bottle of soap in the tub in shock, "I am so sorry, Lily." Lily sniffed a little. "It's okay. It's better. I believe it would be worse if I they were still looking for me. What about yours?" Jet looked at her silhouette through the shower curtain at her hunched on the stool. "My father passed away a long time ago. My brother had run off before that. I haven't seen him since I was fifteen. My mother ran out when I was six. So my father did his best to raise us. My brother was more trouble than I was, and kept him busy. That was about forty years ago. I have no desire to try and track down my mother or brother. They were hardly family to me at the time." Jet sighed. "I couldn't imagine trying to explain to them what had happened to me. I am sure you feel the same way." Lily nodded. "Yes, I would be more concerned about putting them in danger by making my presence known. Guess I just gotta stay out of New Orleans, that's where I grew up, I was actually planning to go live in Spain or Ukraine. But then, Professor Ryan had left me means to start a life here in New York." Lily continued.
Jet listened carefully while still trying to wash all the soot out of his hair. "Why Spain or Ukraine?" he asked, confused. "Well, my mom is from Barcelona. My father's people migrated from Ukraine to American years ago. Heh, they had one of those dramatic stories. My dad was on a visit to Barcelona while working with a landscaping and foresting company. He met my mom and convinced her to run away back to New Orleans with him. But she didn't need much convincing. She was studying English and saw their meeting as fate as she dreamed to live in America. Her family wasn't happy, but within a year, my older sister was born so they couldn't hold a grudge about the new family. Within the next five years, they had a flock. Five kids, including me." Lily smiled to herself. "But my worry was running into any of my family. I figured New York was a lonely enough city to simply get lost in. What was your reason for returning to New York, Jet?" He had let the water drain again, and let the bath fill with more steaming water. "Well, I was just feeling on the outside from the rest of the group. I had missed forty years of life and I figured returning to the Bronx, where I grew up would help me figure things out, I guess." Jet pondered for a moment. What if he hadn't returned to the Bronx? What if he had never met Lily again?
"So, are the rest of the group all still in Japan?" Lily asked. Jet snapped back to reality and told her what each one was doing. "Wow, sounds like they have all settled into normal life pretty well," she responded. "So have you, Lily. I am so sorry to hear about the fact you cannot connect with your family though. I can't really imagine what that is like." Jet couldn't imagine what having a family you WANT to connect with was like. His relationship with his father was strained by the loss of his mother, work, and trouble with his brother. He turned to drink in the end before he died. "Thanks for listening, Jet. It really makes a difference being able to tell someone the truth. Everyone else thinks I am a wealthy orphan, which is partially true as I have taken Professor Ryan's name for safety. Still, no one outside the cyborg project can fully understand us." Lily stated thoughtfully. Jet smiled, she was right. He did feel better being able to talk to her about this. Sure, the other 00s all opened up to each other. He just never felt comfortable discussing issues in a big group like they did.
"Jet! The water!" Lily shouted. In a panic, Jet realised he had not shut off the tap when refilling the bath, and water was pouring over the sides. Lily threw open the shower curtain and got to the tap before he did, turning it off. "I'm sorry!" Jet blurted, immediately turning crimson as Lily could now see him fully in the bath. She flushed and started laughing. "I promise I did not look down! But I like what I CAN see." she put a hand over her eyes and moved back, grabbing the curtain and concealing him once again. Jet could hear her, trying to muffle her laughter. "Normally it's men who are the perverts, but you take the biscuit, Lily," he scolded. "What? I bet you are secretly flattered, don't lie! I am gonna go get the mop, before you get out and slip. One injury is enough." Jet was still steaming in the now very full tub. But at least he was clean. "Okay, sorry again. I will get out after you're done mopping, thanks."
Lily was still giggling when walking down the hallway to the closet where she stored the cleaning items. At least that little moment scared away the tears threatening from recalling her past…
….
Author's note: Phew! Long one! Let me know what you think! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
