I've been Byrned
She ran through the streets, panting. Her hair flowed behind her. She cursed as it stuck to her wet face. The rain cascaded down in sheets as if the earth had gone through a bad breakup and decided to let go right then. The torrents hit her like a brick as she ran into alleyways and through the crowds.
She looked behind her and cursed as she saw the men running through the people, trying to find their way.
She stopped at a small shop on the corner of a busy street and went in. She ran through it, being careful to avoid the barrels of merchandise and she exited out the back door through the stockroom.
"Find her." One man said, and the other men following him dispersed, some staying in the store, while others leaving to wade through the tormenting rain.
The little ding of the door chime sounded and the leader turned around.
"Sir." He said, suddenly a bit nervous.
"Find her or your life is on the line." The other man said, shaking the raindrops off his trench coat. "She's vital to us."
"Yes, Sir." The agent said, and focused new attention to his walkie-talkie.
"All units, spread out." He said. And they obeyed.
"Roger." A younger man said. He was in the alley behind the small store and he wished he could take his tie off. He hated the smell of mold that infested back here. He covered his nose and took a sweeping look. Seeing no one, he left the alley.
He didn't see She balancing herself straight upside down on the metal bar overhead.
There was a muffled sneeze. She jumped back down. She flexed her arms a bit to get the stiff feeling out of them. Then she heard the agents again and ran off.
"I can't believe I have to work today." Original Cindy said, brushing rain off her jacket. "Normal's got to be trippin"
"No doubt." Herbal rode into the locker area.
"This is sick man." Sketchy said, walking to them. "I just saw one of the earth's lowest creatures crawl past the water fountain."
"Love and respect all creatures, man. No matter how low they may be." Herbal said. "And meanwhile, why don't you get Normal so the buildin can get cleaned."
Original Cindy looked at Herbal. "What happened to loving and respecting lower creatures?"
"I said love and respect. I didn't mean I wanted them around me." Herbal waved a finger.
"Whatever, Brother." Her pager beeped angrily. "I'm out. Catch y'all later."
As she left to go out into the rain, Max rode in, baseball cap on and a satisfied smirk on her face.
"What's got you so happy?" Sketchy asked as she got off.
"This guy around the corner tried to steal a kid's money."
"And you showed dem a thing or two, eh Max?" Herbal said, grinning.
"Sure did." She said. "So what's up?"
"Roaches." Sketchy said, pointing a thumb to a back corner of the Jam Pony Headquarters.
"Gross." She said. She turned around as Normal walked out of his little center of operations shouting into a phone.
"I see Normal's being as cool and collective as usual." She said, watching him stomp back into his cubicle.
"Somethin about a parkin ticket." Herbal said, shruggin. "It's our lives on the line if we don't ride in the rain today."
Max straighted. "Speaking of riding in the rain, guess what I found." She took out the day's newspaper and flipped to a page.
"Isn't she the girl you were-"
"Alia?!?" Herbal almost shouted loud enough to chase out the roaches and Normal…along with his job.
"Yo, didn't you two break up weeks ago?" Sketchy asked, looking at the picture.
"I'm sure of that." Herbal said, nodding.
"I'm sorry, but I guess she's riding in the rain with some rich guy down in LA now." Max shrugged. Then her mind went to the newspaper. She wondered whether that was the way they thought about her and Logan. He could give her anything she wanted. And they knew that. And Max knew they didn't trust him. But they could.
"You know what?" Herbal said, throwing the newspaper down on the couch. "Forget her. The good Lord tells me to move on." He smiled.
Then through clenched teeth, "And the Lord says she'll be seein no more o' Herbal Thought when she comes a' crawlin back."
And with that, Herbal got on his bike and left.
Max and Sketchy watched him leave. "That went good." Sketchy said.
"I'd say so." Max nodded.
"Where the hell is she?!?" A man shouted as he entered the conference room. Agents scrambled to answer him or to hide.
"Uh sir.." One agent said.
"I told you to find her. It's raining and she's been on the run for 3 days. You can't catch a simple girl, then I'll find someone else who can."
"Mr. Lydecker, sir." The agent stammered.
"Agent Robinson, you're off the case." Lydecker said as he walked out.
Robinson sighed and started to gather together the scattered pages of information lying on the large conference table.
Suddenly, he felt an arm around his neck and a hand at his mouth.
"Long time no see." A voice said.
And Robinson saw black.
"Max!" Logan said as she walked in. He smiled and grabbed a file from his desk as she walked into his computer room.
"What's up?" She asked.
"Take a look at this." He gave her the file. Max opened it. The first page was a slightly blurry picture of a girl with black hair in mid-kick.
Max read a few lines from the file Logan had given her.
Her eyes went wide.
She looked at Logan. "Is she-"
Logan shook his head.
Max started to feel her heart sink…but Logan stopped it.
"But she is very close."
Max turned to confusion. "What do you mean?"
"This girl. In Los Angeles last week, a local shopkeeper reported a strange girl run through her store with several very angry-" He handed her another picture. This one had two agents in suits and ties running through the store. One of them had tipped over a basket of oranges.
"Unknown government agents. She ran out the back alley and they lost her. But they almost got her."
"And this has something to do with-"
"Earlier in the night, she attacked three agents and badly injured one of them. Max, she caused kidney failure with a kick."
Max shrugged. "So? I mean, if the timing is right and given the right location, anyone can damage an internal organ."
"Not anyone." Logan said. "A barcode."
"She doesn't look like any of my sisters." Max shook her head. But through her skepticism, she started to think. She hadn't seen any of them in such a long while…she didn't even recognize Zack. How could she say that this wasn't Jondy, or Tinga?
"Okay, so I give you the benefit of a doubt." She said. "What's next?"
"So I thought these guys looked kinda like FBI. So I got into their database and found field reports from an Agent Aaron Robinson, who took the word 'vague' into another level. He's got a field report that only describes what he's chasing after as the 'subject'. I gather that he didn't even know her name."
"So, how do we know he was talking about her?" Max asked.
"We don't. But it seems close. He was in Los Angeles the same time she was and we have a pretty good confirmation that there was someone of his description in the store that night." Logan wheeled to his computer and tapped in a few commands.
"Where is he now?" Max asked, looking over the man's shoulder. She could smell the cologne on his sweater.
"Unfortunately, no one knows. He was abruptly called off the case a few days ago and he disappeared. No word from his apartment and his phones haven't been used in days."
"So maybe this girl got to him first." Max said, looking at the picture again. She couldn't make out any distinguishing facial features.
Then something caught her eye.
"Hey." She absently placed a hand on Logan's shoulder. He turned around.
"Check this out." She said, pointing to a small spot on the girl's wrist. It was a dot, small enough to go unnoticed.
"I didn't notice that." Logan admitted. "Those eyes are good."
"Didn't know you noticed." She said, smiling. Her pager beeped. Max checked it and then put the photo on his desk. "Gotta blaze. Catch you later."
Logan waved as she closed the door.
Then he set to the task of finding the mystery girl.